Dear Editor,

Recently, I read with interest Susan Estrich’s article on “Grand Theft Auto.” As a video game researcher, I found her column to be largely non-factual and typical of the hysteria that surrounds video games.

For instance, she laments that the current generation of youth are “going down the tubes.” Yet, by most standards, including violent criminal behaviors, current youth are the healthiest in decades.

As violent video games have increased in sales, violent behaviors among both youth and adults have plummeted to levels not seen since the 1960s. As an aside, rape rates also have declined as pornography has become more common, in contradiction to what Ms. Estrich implies.

Christopher J. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Assistant Profesor
Texas A&M International University
College Station, Texas