Lawrence Kutner

This is a fascinating read. I don't know how people of the opposite viewpoint would react to this, but I'm pretty sure anyone who is worried about the topic would be comforted by all the research these people have put together. I never considered video games a threat to children, but all of the research and data in this book really reinforces it.

Some of it can be pretty hefty and difficult to get through, but they use lots of great examples and simple statistics that are not only easy to understand, but have basis in fact. They evaluate pros and cons of video games and all of the associated topics, also being sure to address many issues of research: such as cause vs. causality, etc. etc. As an avid gamer and researcher, I was very impressed (and interested).

Highly recommend to anyone invested in video game culture and politics, or even just the effect of video games on the human psyche.… (mehr)

Reading this last summer helped convince me that video games are not going to kill my kid or turn him into a terrorist. It debunked almost all of my preconceptions, and I enjoyed learning much about the history of the public's overreaction to everything including the Great Train Robbery (for reals). It also provided needed insight into some of the stuff my students are doing, how it's really affecting or not affecting them, and how to look at the studies of the past 10 years (the ones mentioned in the media) more critically. The impression this book gave me is that if a politician is quoting any study, it's probably not reliable anyway (politicians don't read results of studies that are done well, as they're published in esoteric journals).… (mehr)

This book covers a wide range of parental concerns, both in and out of school. An excellent first resource for problems including academic issues, advocating for your child, perfectionism, coping with crisis, privacy, anger at your child, rewards vs. bribes, praise, spoiling, lying, stealing, favorites, rivalry, sports and competition, rudeness. Kutner does an excellent job of encouraging parents to 1) look at their own feelings and responses in any given situation and to 2) seek the underlying cause of children's behavior. He provides many simple beginning solutions to complex problems. A great starting-place.… (mehr)

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Violent, sexually explicit video games are corrupting today's youth! Our children are becoming desensitized, isolated, warmongering zombies and we need look no further than the game box for inciting influences behind such incidents as Columbine, Paducah, and Virginia Tech. Today's children are more aggressive, sexually active at younger ages, and even more foul-mouthed than ever before thanks to the rampant societal disintegration promoted in games like Grand Theft Auto, Vice City, and S.W.A.T.

Well...not exactly.

According to GRAND THEFT CHILDHOOD co-authors and social scientists, Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, there aren't enough up-to-date, clearly defined studies to make any determinations about the effects of graphic video games on children's behavior. Most data cited by public officials, watchdog organizations, and the media is at best inaccurate supposition which fans the flame of societal panic and ultimately diverts attention from the real issues.

Kutner and Olson give a thorough context to their study, laying out the details, methods of investigation, inherent shortcomings, and need for further research, all in an informative, straightforward manner. The information can be a little dense to slog through at times, with the authors packing quite a bit of information into one book. (Everything from a brief history regarding previous research studies -- or, rather, lack thereof; the attributes and flaws of the game industry's current rating system; to an in-depth recounting of their own study's results).

That being said, I am the first person to jump ship when it comes to dry recitations of scientific data, but not once did I consider abandoning GRAND THEFT CHILDHOOD. I found it an invaluable, thought-provoking treasure trove of information which any concerned parent or gaming teen would do well to read.… (mehr)