Expert links school attackers' behaviors to violent video game characters

Professor Miraç Burak Gönültaş, an expert in criminology and social services at Cumhuriyet University, has noted striking similarities between the behaviors of school attackers and violent video game characters. Analyzing recent incidents in Kahramanmaraş, Şanlıurfa, and Manisa, Gönültaş observed that perpetrators often use violence either to cause direct harm or to seek attention and recognition.

In the specific case in Manisa, the expert noted that the perpetrator's movements—including how they entered the school, how they held their weapon, and how they fled—closely resembled the actions of characters found in violent digital games. This suggests that some children may be learning methods of violence through digital content, which can lead to the normalization of aggression and a lack of empathy.

Risk factors identified in such children include antisocial behavior, destructive tendencies, involvement in peer bullying, substance use, conflict with authority, and frequent lying. Gönültaş warned that a lack of content addressing the moral consequences of violence, combined with unmet emotional needs, increases the risk for children who feel socially excluded.