Eidos boss trashes videogame violence alarmists

Ian Livingstone trashes game violence alarmists
Livingstone pointed out that games aren't destroying civilization

Ian Livingstone argued that videogames are a tool for good, not a catalyst for evil at the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee meeting on preserving the UK games industry yesterday.

The Eidos Life President claimed that the potential for games in education is often disregarded or misunderstood by media and government, which instead blame games for society's ills.

"When you're playing a game you're solving puzzles and problems, you're learning about choice and consequence, you're learning about technology," Livingstone said. "Games can be a learning tool to teach mathematics. Games can be used as a training tool for pilots, for the armed forces, for surgeons. Games technology is all pervasive."

As the writer of the 1980s Fighting Fantasy RPG books and co-founder of the Games Workshop chain, Livingstone has a long history with games and was received a CBE in the 2013 New Year's honours list.

Livingstone went on to provide statistics undermining a link between videogames and violence, saying: "Japan's spending is twice that of the US, per capita, on playing games - and yet its firearm death toll is 0.07 per 100,000, while in the US it's 10 per 100,000.

"That's a hundred multiple of firearm deaths in the US. Clearly it's not linked to videogames. Any time anyone tries to link something heinous to video games, there are no facts, just emotion."

Via CVG

Latest in Gaming
Nintendo Switch Lite
Forget the Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch is getting one last hurrah in a surprise Nintendo Direct tomorrow
Image of Naoe in AC Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows best graphics settings for PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
The Nacon MG-X Pro android mobile gaming controller on a turquoise background with white lowest price text
The Nacon MG-X Pro is my go-to mobile gaming controller and while it's a hard sell at full price, you can snag it for an absolute bargain at Amazon right now
A green claw wraps around the carcass of a monster
Is Lagiacrus coming to Monster Hunter Wilds? Some fans are convinced, and here's why
Latest in News
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game
Robert Downey Jr reveals himself as Doctor Doom to a delighted crowd at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Marvel is currently making a major announcement about Avengers: Doomsday's cast on YouTube, and I think it's going to be a long-winded reveal
Samsung QN90F on yellow background
Samsung announces US prices for its 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, and it’s good and bad news
Nintendo Switch Lite
Forget the Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch is getting one last hurrah in a surprise Nintendo Direct tomorrow
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge on display the January 22, 2025 Galaxy Unpacked event.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors seemingly revealed in new video, and there’s another sign of an imminent launch
Microsoft Copiot Studio deep reasoning and agent flows
Microsoft reveals OpenAI-powered Copilot AI agents to bosot your work research and data analysis