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Researchers claim that 'Children's Violent Video Game Play Associated with Increased Physical Aggressive Behavior'
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| 29th April 2019
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| See press release from dartmouth.edu
See paper from pnas.org |
Children's Violent Video Game Play Associated with Increased Physical Aggressive Behavior Dartmouth Analysis of Multiple Studies Demonstrates How Effect Varies Across Ethnicity Violent video game
play by adolescents is associated with increases in physical aggression over time, according to a Dartmouth meta-analysis published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) . Although most researchers on the subject agree that playing violent video games appears to increase physical aggression, a vocal minority continues to dispute this. To examine issues
raised by the counterclaims on this topic, Dartmouth researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 24 studies from around the world from 2010 to 2017 with over 17,000 participants, ages nine to 19 years-old. The studies all examined how violent video game
play affected changes in real-world physical aggression over time, ranging from three months to four years. Examples of physical aggression included incidents such as hitting someone or being sent to the principal's office for fighting, and were based on
self-reports by children, parents, teachers and peers. Dartmouth's study examined three specific critiques of the literature on video game play and aggression:
To address claims that previous meta-analyses overestimate the association of violent video game play and aggression because they include "non-serious" measures of aggression, this meta-analysis was limited to studies
that measured reports of overt, physical aggression over time. Despite this more stringent criterion, findings supported the hypothesis that playing violent games is associated with subsequent increases in physical aggression. -
To investigate claims that effects are often inflated because many studies do not take into account other variables predictive of aggressive behavior, Dartmouth researchers compared analyses that included or did not include
information on such variables and found that taking these data into account had only a minor effect on the size of the observed relation between violent video game play and aggression. To evaluate claims that the estimated
effect of violent game play on aggression is inflated because of a bias against publishing studies that fail to find a relation of violent game play and aggression, Dartmouth researchers conducted a variety of different tests and found no evidence of
publication bias.
In addition to providing evidence that violent video game play is associated with increased aggression over time, the study also reports that this effect appears to be significantly different for various ethnic groups: the largest
effect was observed among white participants, with some effect noted among Asians and no effect observed among Hispanics. Although speculative, the authors suggest that this effect may reflect a greater emphasis on maintaining empathy toward victims of
aggression among Eastern and Hispanic cultures in contrast to an emphasis on "rugged individualism" in Western cultures. Lead author Jay G. Hull , the Dartmouth Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, said:
Although no single research project is definitive, our research aims to provide the most current and compelling responses to key criticisms on this topic. Based on our findings, we feel it is clear that violent video game
play is associated with subsequent increases in physical aggression.
Co-author James D. Sargent, the Scott M. and Lisa G. Stuart Professor of Pediatric Oncology said: The most
notable critic of the violent video game aggression literature conducted studies in primarily Hispanic populations and found no evidence of this association. If all of my studies showed null findings, I too, would be skeptical. I hope our findings prompt
skeptics to reevaluate their position, especially since some of our other research indicates that violent video game play may increase deviance with implications for multiple risk behaviors.
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Violent video games found not to be associated with adolescent aggression
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| 18th February 2019
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| See press release from
oii.ox.ac.uk See full paper from royalsocietypublishing.org |
Researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, have found no relationship between aggressive behaviour in teenagers and the amount of time spent playing violent video games. The study used nationally representative data from
British teens and their parents alongside official E.U. and US ratings of game violence. The findings were published in Royal Society Open Science. The idea that violent video games drive real-world aggression is a popular one,
but it hasn't tested very well over time, says lead researcher Professor Andrew Przybylski, Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute. Despite interest in the topic by parents and policy-makers, the research has not demonstrated that there is
cause for concern. The study is one of the most definitive to date, using a combination of subjective and objective data to measure teen aggression and violence in games. Unlike previous research on the topic, which relied heavily
on self-reported data from teenagers, the study used information from parents and carers to judge the level of aggressive behaviour in their children. Additionally, the content of the video games was classified using the official Pan European Game
Information (EU) and Entertainment Software Rating Board (US) rating system, rather than only player's perceptions of the amount of violence in the game. Our findings suggest that researcher biases might have influenced previous
studies on this topic, and have distorted our understanding of the effects of video games, says co-author Dr Netta Weinstein from Cardiff University. An important step taken in this study was preregistration, where the researchers publically registered
their hypothesis, methods and analysis technique prior to beginning the research. Part of the problem in technology research is that there are many ways to analyse the same data, which will produce different results. A
cherry-picked result can add undue weight to the moral panic surrounding video games. The registered study approach is a safe-guard against this, says Przybylski. While no correlation was found between playing video games and
aggressive behaviour in teenagers, the researchers emphasize that this does not mean that some mechanics and situations in gaming do not provoke angry feelings or reactions in players. Anecdotally, you do see things such as trash-talking, competitiveness
and trolling in gaming communities that could qualify as antisocial behaviour, says Przybylski. This would be an interesting avenue for further research. Researchers should use the registered study approach to investigate other
media effects phenomena. There are a lot of ideas out there like 'social media drives depression and technology addiction that lowers quality of life that simply have no supporting evidence. These topics and others that drive technological anxieties
should be studied more rigorously 203 society needs solid evidence in order to make appropriate policy decisions.' The data was drawn from a nationally representative sample of British 14- and 15-year olds, and the same number of
their carers (totalling 2,008 subjects). Teenagers completed questions on their personality and gaming behaviour over the past month, while carers completed questions on their child's recent aggressive behaviours using the widely-used Strengths and
Difficulties Questionnaire. The violent content in the games played were coded based on their rating in the official Pan European Game Information (PEGI; EU) and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB; US) rating system, as well as player's subjective
rating. The findings of the study were derived from a study following the Registered Reports Protocol; the study's sampling plan and statistical approach were evaluated before the data were collected. Multiple linear regression modelling tested whether
the relations between regular violent video game play (coded by researchers) and adolescents' aggressive and helping behaviours (judged by parents) were positive, negative, linear, or parabolic.
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23rd October 2016
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A more nuanced look at the relationship between violence and games. By Jesse Marczyk See article
from psychologytoday.com |
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| 10th March
2016
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Nobody knows...and this is why See article from theguardian.com |
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American Psychological Association review scientific papers on computer games and violence
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| 6th September 2015
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| See press release from apa.org |
Violent video game play is linked to increased aggression in players but insufficient evidence exists about whether the link extends to criminal violence or delinquency, according to a new American Psychological Association task force report. Mark
Appelbaum, the task force chair, commented in the review: The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions and aggressive
affect, and decreases in prosocial behavior, empathy and sensitivity to aggression Scientists have investigated the use of violent video games for more than two decades but to date, there is very limited research addressing
whether violent video games cause people to commit acts of criminal violence. However, the link between violence in video games and increased aggression in players is one of the most studied and best established in the field. No
single risk factor consistently leads a person to act aggressively or violently, the report states. Rather, it is the accumulation of risk factors that tends to lead to aggressive or violent behavior. The research reviewed here demonstrates that violent
video game use is one such risk factor.
In light of the task force's conclusions, APA has called on the industry to design video games that include increased parental control over the amount of violence the games contain. APA's
Council of Representatives adopted a resolution encouraging the Entertainment Software Rating Board to refine its video game rating system to reflect the levels and characteristics of violence in games, in addition to the current global ratings. In addition, the resolution urges developers to design games that are appropriate to users' age and psychological development, and voices APA's support for more research to address gaps in the knowledge about the effects of violent video game use.
The task force conducted a comprehensive review of the research literature published between 2005 and 2013 focused on violent video game use. This included four meta-analyses that reviewed more than 150 research reports published before 2009. Task
force members then conducted both a systematic evidence review and a quantitative review of the literature published between 2009 and 2013. (A systematic evidence review synthesizes all empirical evidence that meets pre-specified criteria to answer
specific research questions) This resulted in 170 articles, 31 of which met all of the most stringent screening criteria. Update: ESRB responds 18th September 2015.See article from gamepolitics.com
In addition to the report described above, the APA released a declaration: A Resolution on Violent Video Games - that strongly encourages the Entertainment Software Rating Board to refine the ESRB rating system
specifically to reflect the levels and characteristics of violence in games in addition to the current global ratings .
While the ESRB said that it has had an open dialogue with the APA - and will continue to do so, it also said that
it doesn't need to make changes to the ratings system. It cited an 8-year-old FTC report on the reliability of the ratings system (compared to other entertainment industry ratings systems) and a Hart Research poll that found parents were familiar with
the ESRB. |
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12th May 2015
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Writer shows that porn research rewires the brain and is linked to cerebral dysfunction. By Damian Thompson See
article from blogs.spectator.co.uk |
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Er.. no. Another research paper finds no correlation
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| 9th November 2014
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| See press release from
eurekalert.org |
Does Media Violence Predict Societal Violence? It Depends on What You Look at and When, by Christopher Ferguson; Journal of Communication Since the 1920s, scholars and politicians have blamed violence in movies and
other media as a contributing factor to rising violence in society. Recently the responses to mass shootings in Aurora, CO and at Sandy Hook Elementary followed this theme as media consumption came into the equation. But can consumption of violent media
really be a factor in real-world violence? A recent study published in the Journal of Communication by a researcher at Stetson University found that there were no associations between media violence consumption in society and societal violence.
Christopher Ferguson (Stetson University) published his findings in the Journal of Communication. Ferguson conducted two studies that raised the question if whether the incidence of violence in media correlates with actual violence
rates in society. The first study looked at movie violence and homicide rates between 1920 and 2005. The second study looked at videogame violence consumption and its relationship to youth violence rates from 1996-2011. He found that societal consumption
of media violence is not predictive of increased violence rates in society. For the first study, independent raters evaluated the frequency and graphicness of violence in popular movies from 1920-2005. These were correlated to
homicide rates for the same years. Overall, movie violence and homicide rates were not correlated. However, during the mid-20th century, movie violence and homicide rates did appear to correlate slightly, which may have led some to believe a larger trend
was at play. That correlation reversed after 1990 so that movie violence became correlated with fewer homicides. Prior to the 1940s, movie violence was similarly related to fewer homicides, not more. In the second study on video
game violence, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings were used to estimate the violent content of the most popular video games for the years 1996-2011. These estimates of societal video game violence consumption were correlated against
federal data on youth violence rates during the same years. Violent video game consumption was strongly correlated with declines in youth violence. However, it was concluded that such a correlation is most likely due to chance and does not indicate video
games caused the decline in youth violence. Previous studies have focused on laboratory experiments and aggression as a response to movie and videogame violence, but this does not match well with real-life exposure. Other studies
have indicated that, in the short term, the release of violent movies or video games is associated with declines in societal violence. However, no one has examined these trends long-term. Some scholars have argued that movies are becoming more violent,
but none have examined whether this phenomenon is a concern for society. This study is the first to suggest that movie violence and video game violence consumption probably are increasing over time, but that there is little evidence that this has caused
a problem for society. Society has a limited amount of resources and attention to devote to the problem of reducing crime. There is a risk that identifying the wrong problem, such as media violence, may distract society from
more pressing concerns such as poverty, education and vocational disparities and mental health, Ferguson said. This research may help society focus on issues that really matter and avoid devoting unnecessary resources to the pursuit of moral
agendas with little practical value.
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Media blame game stories on the decrease even though there has been an increase in the realism of computer game violence
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| 6th April 2014
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| See
nes release from
munews.missouri.edu |
Members of the media and others often have attributed violence in video games as a potential cause of social ills, such as increased levels of teen violence and school shootings. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that media acceptance of
video game violence has increased as video game technology has improved over time. Greg Perreault, a doctoral student at the MU School of Journalism, examined the coverage of violent video games throughout the 1990s by GamePro Magazine, the most popular
video game news magazine during that time period. Perreault found that journalists from GamePro expressed a considerable amount of concern about the level of violence in the game software companies were creating in the early 1990s, when video game design
was limited by technology. Perreault said: Early in the '90s, when video games were still a relatively new medium, journalists expressed quite a bit of concern about the level of violence in many of the games,. It is
interesting because the simulated violence in these games was so mild relative to modern-day games.
As technology improved throughout 1990s, new gaming systems such as the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation were
released, along with the capacity for higher levels of graphic violence. Perreault found that despite this increase, the levels of concern about violence from GamePro journalists decreased. Perreault said: As
technology improved and the animations became more and more life-like, game creators had increased capability to design more graphic violence, including blood and gore. Despite this increasing amount of violence, journalists seemed to be less and less
bothered by the blood and guts. This is important to note because journalism often mirrors the culture of the audience it serves. As technology improved, the entire gaming community became more and more comfortable with the levels of violence that were
simultaneously increasing in video games. In a sense, the gaming community grew up. They aged from children using video games as toys to adolescents and adults using them as recreational devices. It appears that journalists reflected this trend in their
writing.
Perreault says the video game rating system is another example of this trend. He says when the rating system first was created, gaming journalists opposed it; however, as games become more and more violent,
the rating system is used continually as a defense against outside criticism: As more and more parents and outside sources criticize violent games, gamers and gaming journalists point to the rating system and say that
parents should not allow their kids to play violent games with explicit ratings. Ultimately, the trend in violent games is a reflection of what interests our society. Similar trends can be found in the increased number of 'R' rated movies as well as the
popularity of gangster rap and other violent music. Video games are just another way our culture is expressing itself.
Perreault will present his research at the International Communication Association conference in
Seattle this May.
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| 17th March 2014
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A new study from Canada's Brock University has found that playing violent video games for significant lengths of time can hold back the moral maturity of teenagers. See
article from policymic.com |
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TV and computer games cleared of causing behavioural problems by University of Glasgow research
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| 26th December 2013
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| From gamepolitics.com See research paper
from adc.bmj.com |
A recently released University of Glasgow study that takes the data from a survey of 11,000 children born between 2000 and 2002 comes to the conclusion that playing video games - even at a young age - does not lead to behavioral problems. The authors
of the study aimed to examine both television and video games screen time, in the hopes of finding connections with attention disorders, anger issues, and other problems that might be connected to both. Researchers wondered aloud if games may have
more powerful effects due to active user engagement, identification with characters and repeated rehearsal and reinforcement. But their research went in another direction. They learned that exposure to video games had no effect on behavior,
attention or emotional issues, and that watching three or more hours of television starting at age 5 did lead to a small increase in behavioral problems in youngsters between 5 and 7. Television and video games did not lead to attentional or emotional
problems and there seemed to be no difference between boys and girls in the survey results. The survey relied heavily on parents reporting average screen time and later behavioral problems, but the size of the research pool -- more than 13,000
families -- left researchers confident their results were solid. Researchers also said they modified the results to take into account various parenting approaches and socio-economic differences. |
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Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior. By Tear MJ and Nielsen M
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| 27th August 2013
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| See full paper from
plosone.org |
Abstract Background Past research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a
classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games
are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc.) and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used.
Methods and Findings Experiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found
that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment 3 explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect.
Conclusions We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that
speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior.
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Research finds that genetics and social issues predict adult criminality, not games playing
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| 28th June 2013
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| See article from gamepolitics.com See
Genetic, Maternal, School, Intelligence, and Media Use Predictors of Adult Criminality [pdf] from tamiu.edu
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A recent study by Texas A&M International University chair and associate professor, psychology Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson shows that childhood media consumption is not a predictor for future adult criminal behavior. The long-held (and as of
yet unproven) argument has been that violent video games or other violent media have a direct causation to violent crimes like school shootings. But according to a new study from TAMIU, genetics, environment, the lack of maternal nurturing, and a number
of other factors combined are better predictors of adult criminality. The TAMIU study used data from a National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which included a representative sample of U.S. adolescents. Dr. Ferguson said:
We basically find that genetics and some social issues combine to predict later adult arrests. Despite ongoing concerns about media influences, media exposure does not seem to function as a risk factor for adult criminality.
Genetics alone don't seem to trigger criminal behavior, but in combination with harsh upbringing, you can see negative outcomes. In our sample, experiencing maternal warmth seemed to reduce the impact of genetics on adult criminality.
Researchers also noted that other factors such as family environment, peers and socioeconomic status can also be predictors of adult criminality. The research also found that being exposed to maternal affection may have the
potential to decrease criminal behavior in individuals who might otherwise be at risk. Ferguson concluded: People may object morally to some of the content that exists in the media, but the question is whether
the media can predict criminal behavior. The answer seems to be no.
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Study finds that teenagers playing Manhunt for long periods leads to a lack of sleep
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| 11th May 2013
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| See article from
psychosomaticmedicine.org
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The Effect of Violent and Nonviolent Video Games on Heart Rate Variability, Sleep, and Emotions in Adolescents With Different Violent Gaming Habits By Malena Ivarsson, BA, Martin Anderson, MD, Torbjorn Akerstedt, PhD
and Frank Lindblad, MD Abstract Objective To study cardiac, sleep-related, and emotional reactions to playing violent games versus nonviolent video games in adolescents with different gaming
habits. Methods Thirty boys (aged 13--16 years), half of them low-exposed (1 hour/day) and half high-exposed (3 hour/day) to violent games, played a violent games/nonviolent video games for 2 hours during two different evenings in
their homes. Heart rate and heart rate variability were registered from before start until next morning. A questionnaire about emotional reactions was administered after gaming sessions and a sleep diary on the following mornings.
Results During sleep, there were significant interaction effects between group and gaming condition for heart rate. There was also a significant interaction for sleep quality, and sadness after playing. Conclusions Different
combinations of the extent of previous violent games and experimental exposure to a violent games or an nonviolent video games are associated with different reaction patterns---physiologically, emotionally, and sleep related. Desensitizing effects or
selection bias stand out as possible explanations.
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At the end of the day violent crime has gone down whilst violent gaming has gone up
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22nd March 2013
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| See abstract from
papers.ssrn.com See paper [pdf] from
papers.ssrn.com
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Abstract: Video games are an increasingly popular leisure activity. As many of best-selling games contain hyper-realistic violence, many researchers and policymakers have concluded that violent games cause violent behaviors. Evidence on a causal effect of violent games on violence is usually based on laboratory experiments finding violent games increase aggression. Before drawing policy conclusions about the effect of violent games on actual behavior, these experimental studies should be subjected to tests of external validity.
Our study uses a quasi-experimental methodology to identify the short and medium run effects of violent game sales on violent crime using time variation in retail unit sales data of the top 50 selling video games and violent
criminal offenses from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for each week of 2005 to 2008. We instrument for game sales with game characteristics, game quality and time on the market, and estimate that, while a one percent increase in
violent games is associated with up to a 0.03% decrease in violent crime, non-violent games appear to have no effect on crime rates.
Scott Cunningham of Baylor University Benjamin Engelstatter of Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) - Information and Communication Technologies Research Group Michael R. Ward of University of Texas at Arlington - College of Business Administration - Department of Economics
April 7, 2011
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Researchers say the study was the first to show a clear link between a sustained period of playing violent games and subsequent increases in hostile behaviour
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18th October 2012
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| See article from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
See also article from
dailymail.co.uk
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A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents. Willoughby T, Adachi PJ, Good M. Department of Psychology, Brock University, Ontario, Canada Abstract
In the past 2 decades, correlational and experimental studies have found a positive association between violent video game play and aggression. There is less evidence, however, to support a long-term relation between these behaviors.
This study examined sustained violent video game play and adolescent aggressive behavior across the high school years and directly assessed the socialization (violent video game play predicts aggression over time) versus selection
hypotheses (aggression predicts violent video game play over time). Adolescents were surveyed annually from Grade 9 to Grade 12 about their video game play and aggressive behaviors. Nonviolent video game play, frequency of
overall video game play, and a comprehensive set of potential 3rd variables were included as covariates in each analysis. Sustained violent video game play was significantly related to steeper increases in adolescents' trajectory
of aggressive behavior over time. Moreover, greater violent video game play predicted higher levels of aggression over time, after controlling for previous levels of aggression, supporting the socialization hypothesis. In
contrast, no support was found for the selection hypothesis. Nonviolent video game play also did not predict higher levels of aggressive behavior over time. Our findings, and the fact that many adolescents play video games for several hours every day,
underscore the need for a greater understanding of the long-term relation between violent video games and aggression, as well as the specific game characteristics (e.g., violent content, competition, pace of action) that may be responsible for this
association. The Daily Mail researched a few press release quotes. Lead researcher Professor Teena Willoughby said: The current study is the first to demonstrate a relation between sustained
violent video game play and the progression of aggressive behaviour. It is clear that there is a long-term association between violent video games and aggression. This is an important and concerning finding, particularly in light
of the hours that youth spend playing these games.
Professor Mark Griffiths, director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, said: The study as a whole does
provide one of the strongest pieces of empirical evidence to date that there is a direct relationship between playing violent video games and subsequent aggressive behaviour.'
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15th April 2012 | | |
Why are video games claimed to cause violent aggression when in fact players need to learn to keep their cool and use calm rational thinking?
| See article from
sciencedaily.com
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There is a long-lasting and at times intense debate about the possible link between violent computer games and aggressiveness. A group of researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, are now questioning the entire basis of the discussion.
In a recently published article, they present a new study showing that, more than anything, a good ability to cooperate is a prerequisite for success in the violent gaming environment. A study, authored by Ulrika Bennerstedt, Jonas Ivarsson and
Jonas Linderoth and titled How gamers manage aggression: Situating skills in collaborative computer games , is presented in International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. The Gothenburg-based research group spent
hundreds of hours playing online games and observing other gamers, including on video recordings. They focused on complex games with portrayals of violence and aggressive action where the participants have to fight with and against each other. The
situations gamers encounter in these games call for sophisticated and well-coordinated collaboration. We analysed what characteristics and knowledge the gamers need to have in order to be successful, says Jonas Ivarsson, Docent (Reader) at the
Department of Education, Communication and Learning. It turns out that a successful gamer is strategic and technically knowledgeable, and has good timing. Inconsiderate gamers, as well as those who act aggressively or emotionally, generally do not
do well. In a nutshell, we're questioning the whole gaming and violence debate, since it's not based on a real problem but rather on some hypothetical reasoning, says Ivarsson.
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5th March 2012 | | |
Research finds that computer game developers depict religion as violent and problematic
| See article from christianpost.com
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Recent video games have begun depicting religion as a violent, problematic force, according to research from a new University of Missouri study. Greg Perreault, a doctoral student at University of Missouri's School of Journalism, studied five
extremely popular games from the last few years that incorporate religion heavily into their storylines: Mass Effect 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Assassin's Creed, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In each case, Perreault found that religion became equated with violence within the video games' narratives. Perreault said in a press release:
In most of these games there was a heavy emphasis on a 'Knights Templar' and crusader motifs. Not only was the violent side of religion emphasized, but in each of these games religion created a problem that the main
character must overcome, whether it is a direct confrontation with religious zealots or being haunted by religious guilt.
Just because religion was associated with violence, however, does not mean it was always depicted as evil. For
example, Perreault noted that in Mass Effect 2 , the character of Thane is an extremely spiritual assassin who assists the player. Of those five games, Mass Effect 2, Final Fantasy XIII, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion all deal
with religions created specifically for the game. The remaining two titles, Assassin's Creed and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow , both center around Catholicism. Still, Perreault emphasized that he did not believe game
developers were attacking religion with these themes: It doesn't appear that game developers are trying to purposefully bash organized religion in these games. I believe they are only using religion to create
stimulating plot points in their story lines. If you look at video games across the board, most of them involve violence in some fashion because violence is conflict and conflict is exciting. Religion appears to get tied in with violence because that
makes for a compelling narrative.
While Perreault's study of just five games is far from an exhaustive survey of all of modern video games, he does believe game writers should be aware of how they use religion in their plots.
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7th December 2011 | | |
The Swedish Media Council finds no evidence that computer games cause aggressive behaviour
| article from gamepolitics.com
A new report from the Swedish Media Council comes to the conclusion that there's no conclusive evidence that there is no evidence that violent computer games cause aggressive behavior . The Media Council is a Swedish government agency in
charge of film and media classification and whose mission statement is to reduce the risk of harmful media influences among minors and to empower minors as conscious media users. The findings are based on a review of more than 100 articles
about violent games and aggression which have been published in international scientific journals since 2000. The review found that there is a clear and statistically significant link between violent games and aggressive behavior. But the review also
found that many of those same studies use different methods to measure aggression, and few produced a clear connection to violent behavior. Many of those same studies suffered from serious methodological deficiencies and didn't provide sufficient
evidence to establish a causal relationship. The studies that did attempt to examine other causes of aggression found that factors such as poor physical health or family problems were factors that lead to violent behavior and a propensity to play
violent games. If research can't provide any simple answers about how games make children aggressive, perhaps we adults should stop judging the games children play based on whether they are violent or not, Media Council researcher Ulf
Dalquist said in a statement.
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