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Many of these letters point out that video games do not cause violence; kids can tell the difference between virtual and real situations; it's parents who are mainly responsible for their kids' attitudes; etc, etc. In short, blaming video games for the ills of society is nonsense.
I agree with most of this but I think violent video games have a case to answer. It's not that playing a game like this will make a kid rush out and beat somebody up, but that there is, over time, an erosion of empathy. I just do not believe that endless hours of consequence-free death and violence do not blunt some kids' capacity for empathy and understanding towards people who are experiencing the real thing.
I know of no studies that support (or reject) this view but we are all products of our experiences and if a major chunk of our formative years is spent in a virtual world of violence and mayhem, then every bone in my body tells me that this has consequences.
