In an attempt to separate “fact from fiction,” Henry Jenkins, the director of comparative studies at MIT, published an essay on PBS’s The Video Game Revolution website that aims to close the gap between “the public’s perception of video games and what research actually shows.”

For years, parents and anti-video game pundits have blamed games like Grand Theft Auto for school shootings and any acts of violence committed by children. It wasn’t poor upbringings or the violent movies on television that were corrupting America’s youth; it was pseudo-realistic video games.

Henry Jenkins, of course, disagrees, and here are his eight reasons why: