There is no shortage of people rushing to blame violent games for—well, just about anything. Recently, a group of U.K. schools even threatened to inform the police of parents who let their children play mature games. But a new study conducted by researchers at Oxford University shows that the violence does not really matter that much—really, it’s the length of play time.

The study found that individual game features did not significantly affect children in a negative way, but it did discover that children who play cooperative video games tend have fewer emotional or social problems, while children who play solitary games tend to do better academically.

Perhaps more interesting is the correlation the study discovered between long play times and poor behavior. According to the study, Children who play games for more than three hours a day are more likely to have behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and to be involved in fights at school.

Of course, while the study shows a correlation between play time and poor behavior, it does not show that the games are the direct cause of the problems. Another possibility would be that children who already have bad behaviors are more likely to spend more time playing games, rather than the other way around.

The researchers behind the study stress that while game playing may have some effect on children’s behaviors, it is minor compared to other factors.

“We can see links between some types of games and children’s behaviour, as well as time spent playing,” said Andy Przybylski, a member of Oxford University’s Oxford Internet Institute and the lead author of the study. “However, we cannot say that game play causes good or bad behaviour. We also know that the risks attached to game-playing are small. A range of other factors in a child’s life will influence their behaviour more as this research suggests that playing electronic games may be a statistically significant but minor factor in how children progress academically or in their emotional wellbeing.”

The study, which is called “How the Quantity and Quality of Electronic Gaming Relates to Adolescents Academic Engagement and Psychosocial Adjustment,” was published in Psychology of Popular Media Culture.

Photo courtesy Rob Turchick