The bill calling for a study into the effects of violent video games and other content on children died when the 112th Congress session ended on January 2.

However, Polygon reports that the bill's author, West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, plans to reintroduce that bill during this session.

"At times like this, we need to take a comprehensive look at all the ways we can keep our kids safe," Sen. Rockefeller said when the bill was introduced on December 17.

"I have long expressed concern about the impact of the violent content our kids see and interact with every day."

The study would be the eighth conducted by the Federal Trade Commission since the 1999 Columbine High School shootings.

None of those found any link between violent video games and violence in children.

In related news, the International Game Developers’ Association's Daniel Greenberg has written to American Vice President Joe Biden, urging Biden’s task force to look at the big picture when investigating games.

“Unlike some industry groups, the IGDA does not seek to impede more scientific study about our members’ products,” wrote Greenberg.

“We welcome more evidence-based research into the effects of our work to add to the large body of existing scientific literature that clearly shows no causal link between video game violence and real violence.”

“We ask that any new government research look at the totality of imaginary violence.

“Instead of simply trying to find negative effects, we ask that any new research explore the benefits of violent video games, too,” he wrote.

“For example, recent research shows a steam valve effect in which violent video gameplay helps release stress and aggression before it can lead to violence.

“Others studies have indicated that recent declines in real world violence can be attributed in part to potentially violent people spending more time looking for thrills in video games instead of on the streets.

“Psychologists tell us that playing with imaginary violence is healthy and can help children master experiences of being frightened. This is beneficial and can even be life saving.

“We can supply links to this research and spokespersons on these issues. The IGDA supports good research and we ask for more science, not less.”

Elsewhere, Greenberg cites gaming’s First Amendment Protection, as well as the damage government studies did to comics in the ‘50s, as reasons for thorough studies rather than knee-jerk reactions.

“The U.S. government did irreparable damage to the comic book industry in the 1950s by using faulty research to falsely blame juvenile delinquency and illiteracy on comic books,” he wrote.

“The comic book industry never recovered in sales to this day.

”Censoring violent comic books did not reduce juvenile delinquency or increase literacy, it decimated the production of one of the few kinds of literature that at-risk youths read for pleasure.

“Censoring video games could have similar unintended consequences that we cannot currently foresee.”

The IDGA are a non-profit organization with more than 100 chapters in major U.S. and international metropolitan areas and over 30 special interest groups and committees.