In fact the research by psychologist Patrick Markey suggests that the world is a safer place because of video game playing.

"It seems like something that should make us safer so it's a totally understandable reaction", Markey said. "The problem is just the science, the data, does not back up that they actually have an effect."

Dr. Markey’s recent book Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong,  includes several key findings that go in the exact opposite direction of the narrative that violent videogames have anything to do with these tragedies.

Contrary to the claims that violent video games are linked to aggressive assaults and homicides, no evidence was found to suggest that this medium was a major or minor contributing cause of violence in the United States.

Annual trends in video game sales for the past 33 years were unrelated to violent crime both concurrently and up to four years later. Unexpectedly, monthly sales of video games were related to concurrent decreases in aggravated assaults and were unrelated to homicides. Searches for violent video game walkthroughs and guides were also related to decreases in aggravated assaults and homicides two months later. Finally, homicides tended to decrease in the months following the release of popular M-rated violent video games.

Other critics point to the appearance of specific weapons in video games, like a Remington assault rifle pictured in popular game "Call of Duty." Images of the rifle come from a lawsuit by Sandy Hook parents, who are suing Remington, saying the company bears responsibility for the killings of the 26 children at the school by shooter Adam Lanza in 2012.

"He was within this younger male demographic that Remington was trying to sell guns to", said attorney Josh Koskoff. "What we are seeing here is what I describe as a 'chickens coming home to roost' scenario, where you saturate, you sell so recklessly so many of these weapons to this high-risk demographic."

The Entertainment Software Association, which represents the video game industry, said it told the president that "numerous scientific studies" show there is "no connection between video games and violence." In fact, Markey said his work shows when a new violent game is released, crime actually drops.