People have long blamed video games as a cause of school shootings, but a new study has found that this is more likely to be the case if the perpetrator is white. Researchers have found that video games are eight times more likely to be mentioned when the perpetrator was a white male than if the shooter were an African American male. Experts believe the public looks to find an explanation for this type of behavior if the act is carried out by someone who doesn't match the racial stereotype of a violent person. Although many politicians and media outlets point to violent video games as the cause of school shootings, experts have yet to find scientific evidence to support these claims. 'Video games are often used by lawmakers and others as a red herring to distract from other potential causes of school shootings,' said lead researcher Patrick Markey, PhD, a psychology professor at Villanova University.

Gaming retailer Steam will continue to allow controversial content on its online store, the company has confirmed. The announcement comes less than a month after Steam was heavily criticised for allowing a school shooting simulator, which allowed players to take on the role of a gunman on a murderous rampage inside a school, on its online store. Steam eventually pulled the video game, dubbed'Active Shooter', after more than 271,900 people signed an online petition calling for its removal. The move appears to have prompted the online retailer, which is owned by Valve, to review its screening policy. Steam has now confirmed that it will not remove any content from its online store simply because some users deem it to be in bad taste.

A blood-thirsty video game that encouraged players to take part in a school shooting has been pulled by the publisher after it triggered a furious backlash. 'Active Shooter' was marketed on its ability to allow players to take on the role of a gunman on a murderous rampage inside a school, as well as a SWAT team member trying to stop the bloodshed. As the lone gunman, players would be shown a tally of the number of civilians and police officers they managed to kill during their simulated shooting spree. Anti-gun violence charity Infer Trust described the game as'horrendous' and in'bad taste' given the recent mass shootings in the US. An online petition calling for the game to be scrapped gained more than 194,700 signatures.

A blood-thirsty new video game that encourages players to take part in a school shooting has triggered outrage online. The upcoming game, Active Shooter, lets players choose between taking on the role of a SWAT team member trying to stop an ongoing school shooting -- or the role of the shooter themselves. Those who play as the shooter will be shown a tally of the number of civilians and police officers they have managed to kill during their simulated shooting spree. Anti-gun violence charity Infer Trust has described the game as'horrendous' and in'bad taste' given the recent mass shootings in the US. Players in'Active Shooter' will be shown a tally of the number of civilians and police officers they have killed during their simulated school shooting spree'Pick your role, gear up and fight or destroy!' the description on the Active Shooter listing declares. 'Only in "Active Shooter", you will be able to pick the role of an Elite S.W.A.T team member or the actual shooter.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." Well, that gun lobby rubbish was again disproved in Dallas. Twelve good guys -- law enforcement men and women trained to shoot -- were stopped by one bad guy. Five officers were killed and seven wounded. Two civilians also were injured before the bad guy was finally stopped by a bomb-carrying robot.