[I]According to new research from University of Southern California (USC) sociologist Karen Sternheimer, violent videogames like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Saw do not lead to violent behavior. Dr. Sternheimer explores many claims that are repeated and often accepted as truths by parents and media alike in her latest book “Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media Is Not the Answer” (Westview Press, August 2009).[/I]

[I]This research becomes even more important to parents when looking at the latest statistics on who’s gaming in America. The NPD Group found in its recent “Kids and Gaming 2009” report, that among all kids in the U.S. ages 2-17, 82 percent, or 55.7 million, are currently gamers. Of these gamers, 9.7 million are ages 2-5, representing the smallest segment, while 12.4 million are ages 9-11, and represent the largest segment. [/I]

[I]Coupled with videogames being the top gift purchase this Christmas, there are a lot of concerned parents out there who believe only what they see on television when it comes to videogame violence. Dr. Sternheimer, who has previously published books like "Connecting Social Problems and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer," "Kids These Days: Facts and Fictions About Today’s Youth" and "It’s Not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture’s Influence on Children," talks about her new research and explains why videogames are not a bad thing (in moderation) for kids in this exclusive interview.[/I]

[B]Can you talk about the research you did for this new book?[/B]

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