>We don't live in a vacuum, conjuring thoughts on our own. The things we do have a huge impact on the things we think, whether we realize that or not.
Do you give any credence to the claim that playing violent video games makes people violent?
Do you give any credence to the claim that playing violent video games makes people violent?
Contrast that with another game I played recently, God of War. That game ended after about 30-40 hours. I completed the story, and I never returned to it. When I think back on it, I have a lot of satisfaction attached to it. It was a wonderfully told story that eventually ended, whereas Call of Duty is designed to be an infinite time sink, both for your attention and for your wallet. The difference, for me, is playing basketball with your friends versus going to a slot machine.
That does not necessarily follow from what OP said. It is entirely possible (and very plausible) that video games do have an impact on the way we think, whether we realize it or not, but they do not make us violent (or at least, it does not make people who aren't predisposed to aggression violent). The claim that there is some effect does not mean that it is a specific effect (making players violent). You need to do more research to show a specific claim.
Other possible observed effects of playing violent video games can include a particular attitude towards gaming and technology, expecting certain events in a game, expecting certain content in a game, or reduced empathy for characters in a game. Whether that affects the real world equivalents isn't obvious.
How you play and what you think while playing games matters more than the exact content of the game.
It’s easily seen in how the same games can be played in completely different ways depending on the people: the last Zelda is inherently a fighting game for instance, but you’ll have people focusing on the world and the story, other people just enjoying beating strong ennemies, and others cooking and looking for hiding spirits for half of the game.