Determining reactive and proactive aggression and empathy levels of middle school students regarding their video game preferences

Abstract

The studies existing on the effects of video games with violent content and aggression in research literature have controversial results. Accordingly, some studies indicate that empathy may play a determining role in the relationship between video games and aggression. In this context, the study aim was to describe the game types that middle school students play and analyze the relationship between the game types, their reactive and proactive aggressions, and empathic skills. Participants were 318 students from middle schools in Turkey. An important finding obtained from this study was the relationship between the frequency of proactive and reactive aggression and the playing of aggressive games; a relationship was also identified between emotional and cognitive empathy and the playing of aggressive games. Therefore, it is important to talk to children about the real-life consequences of aggressive games, and teach them appropriate methods of conflict management that they can use in real-life conflicts, which may diminish the negative effects of games with aggressive content.