Violent Video Game Exposure Research Articles

Violent Video Games on Aggression and Self-control of Student Gamers

The rise in popularity of violent video games has sparked debates on their influence, particularly on aggression and self-control. Concerns about adult-rated games like PUBG, COD, Grand Theft Auto, and Red Dead Redemption prompt scrutiny of virtual experiences and real-world behavior. This study explores the link between exposure to violent video games, aggression, and self-control among student gamers in Davao del Sur, Philippines. Data were collected from fourth-year Psychology students at Cor Jesu College during the first semester of SY 2023-2024, using purposive and convenience sampling. Most respondents were male, reflecting broader gaming trends. Results show moderate aggression and balanced self-control among student gamers. While no significant differences were found in exposure to violent games, aggression, and self-control across age groups, gender variations were notable, with males showing higher exposure and self-control scores. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between violent video game exposure and aggression, indicating potential desensitization, while exposure correlated positively with self-control. Moderation analysis indicated gender and age significantly moderated the relationship between exposure to violent video games and aggression, but not with self-control. These findings highlight the intricate dynamics between gaming habits, psychological traits, and demographic factors among student gamers. The findings suggest that increased exposure to violent video games may be associated with lower levels of aggression and higher self-control among student gamers. This indicates a need to reconsider the common perception of the negative impacts of violent video gaming, emphasizing the importance of context and individual differences in understanding these effects. Keywords: psychology, adult video-games, aggression, quantitative, Philippines

The Game Within the Game: The Potential Influence of Demand Characteristics and Participant Beliefs in Violent Video Game Studies

In two experiments, we examined the potential impact of demand characteristics in violent video game (VVG) research. Study 1 (N = 788) measured behavioral aggression, while Study 2 (N = 1,182) measured trait aggression. Participants were informed either that researchers wanted to confirm that VVGs increase aggression (“Positive Hypothesis”) or that VVGs have no effect (“Null Hypothesis”). Study 2 included a third condition where participants were given no information. In both studies, the interaction between VVG exposure and experimental conditions was significant. Whereas VVG exposure was significantly positively associated with aggression in the “Null Hypothesis” condition, it was not in the “Positive Hypothesis” condition. These effects were driven by habitual players responding differently based on the presented hypothesis, appearing less aggressive in the “Positive Hypothesis” condition than in the other two conditions. These findings highlight the importance of addressing demand characteristics in VVG studies.

The social contagious effects of violent video game play: retaliatory, displaced, and the mere observation of aggression

ABSTRACT Aggression and violence have been shown to spread among connected individuals. The present experimental study aims to test whether exposure to violent video games increases aggression levels in players and whether this increased aggression spreads among their social network. Results showed that aggression after video game play is indeed contagious and that not only victims of the player’s aggression retaliate or are aggressive toward a neutral person (i.e., displaced aggression), but that even mere observers of the player’s aggression are aggressive toward a neutral person. Overall, our findings suggest that violent video game exposure may not only have an impact on the player’s level of aggression, but also on people who are connected to the player.

Desensitized gamers? Violent video game exposure and empathy for pain in adolescents – an ERP study

ABSTRACTThis Event-Related Potential (ERP) study aimed to test how habitual and short-term violent video game exposure (VVGE) may affect empathy for pain responses in adolescents. In a within-subjects design, boys (N = 56; aged 12–16 years) performed a pain judgment task before and immediately after playing a violent video game. In this task, participants judged whether photos of hands depicted on their screen were in a painful situation or not. While both the P3 and the LPP components were not related to habitual violent video game exposure, general exposure to antisocial media content predicted lower P3 amplitudes to painful pictures. Further, 40 min of violent gameplay did not affect the P3 responses; however, it temporarily decreased LPP responses to painful pictures, suggesting a modest short-term desensitization effect. However, this latter interpretation is limited by a strong LPP pain effect – a significant amplitude difference between painful and non-painful pictures – that remained present in the post-game condition. Such persistent LPP effect may relate to the notion that adolescents are still learning how to properly regulate their emotional reactions. This study contributes to the limited literature on violent video games’ desensitization in adolescents’ brains, opening new avenues for media violence research.

Violent video game exposure and bullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents: The moderating role of belief in a just world.

Exposure to violent video games is associated with aggressive behaviors among adolescents. However, not all adolescents who play violent video games demonstrate bullying behaviors. Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), this cross-sectional study examined the interactive effect of individuals (i.e., belief in a just world [BJW]) and situational factors (i.e., violent video game exposure [VVGE]) on bullying perpetration. Using a representative sample of 4250 adolescents from five secondary schools in Southwest China (54.4% males, Mage = 15.14, SD = 1.5 years old), we examined the moderating role of BJW in the relationship between VVGE and bullying perpetration. The results suggest that VVGE is significantly and positively associated with bullying perpetration. Moreover, after controlling for covariates, general and personal BJW interact with the situational variable (i.e., VVGE) to predict bullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents. The positive effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration is lower among adolescents with high general and personal BJW than among adolescents with low BJW. The findings support the GAM theory and highlight the buffering role of BJW in the effect of VVGE on bullying perpetration.

Violent Video Game Exposure and Cyberbullying in Early Adolescents: A Latent Moderated Mediation Model.

Violent video game exposure (VVGE) is a significant predictor of adolescent cyberbullying perpetration. However, little is known about the mediating and moderated mechanisms between them. This study examined the mediating role of moral disengagement between VVGE and cyberbullying perpetration as well as the moderating role of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on those associations. A total of 2,523 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.22, SD = 1.60, 48.4 percent girls) participated this study. Structural equation modeling showed that VVGE was significantly related to cyberbullying perpetration and moral disengagement play a mediating role between them. Latent moderated structural equation modeling showed that CU traits strengthened the effect of VVGE on moral disengagement and of VVGE on cyberbullying perpetration. Results further showed that the mediating effect of moral disengagement was more prominent for youths who have higher levels of CU traits. Interventions to reduce moral disengagement and CU traits among adolescents may interrupt the effect of VVGE to cyberbullying perpetration.

The roles of moral sensitivity and father presence on the relationship between violent video game exposure and aggression among left‐behind adolescents

AbstractThis cross‐sectional study explored the relationship between violent video game exposure (VVGE) and aggression in left‐behind adolescents (LBAs) in China, taking into account the effects of moral sensitivity and father presence. A cluster sampling design was applied in this study; we recruited 615 adolescents (45.85% male, age range 12–18 years, Mage = 14.70 years, SD = 1.66) from China. The results by using SPSS 25.0 and the PROCESS macro showed that VVGE was positively associated with LBAs' trait aggression and its items, and moral sensitivity played a partial mediating role in these relationships. Moreover, father presence moderated VVGE and LBAs' trait aggression, verbal aggression and hostility. Specifically, at a high level of father presence, the direct effect of VVGE on trait aggression was significantly moderated by increasing the level of father presence, whereas this moderating effect was not significant at a low level of father presence. The results were similar for verbal aggression and hostility. Thus, moral sensitivity and father presence should be considered in prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing LBAs' aggression.

Violent Video Game Exposure and Problem Behaviors among Children and Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Deviant Peer Affiliation for Gender and Grade Differences.

Based on problem behavior theory, a mediation model for gender and grade differences is explored in this study. The study examined gender and grade differences in the effects of violent video games and deviant peer affiliation on problem behaviors among children and adolescents. A total of 2118 children and adolescents from four primary and middle schools in China (M age = 13.08, SD = 2.17) were surveyed using an anonymous questionnaire on basic information, exposure to violent video games, deviant peer affiliation, and problem behaviors. The results showed that exposure to violent video games significantly positively predicted problem behaviors, and deviant peer affiliation played a mediating role. Significant gender and grade differences were found in the mediating effect. This finding helps understand the individual differences in the influencing factors of problem behaviors. Further, it has important implications for interventions to reduce problem behaviors among children and adolescents.

The association between violent video game exposure and sub-types of school bullying in Chinese adolescents

School bullying among adolescents has been a worldwide public health issue. It has been observed that adolescents who are exposed to violent video games (VVGs) are often more aggressive. However, research on the association between violent video game exposure (VVGE) and different types of school bullying is limited in the Chinese context. The purpose of this study was to explore whether VVGE is linked to school bullying behaviors among Chinese adolescents and to examine the relationship between different levels of violent game exposure and four sub-types (physical, verbal, relational, and cyber) of school bullying involvement. This was a cross-sectional study of 1,992 Chinese students (55.02% boys and 44.98% girls) with the average age of 15.84 ± 1.62 years. Sub-types of school bullying victimization and perpetration, Internet addiction, and VVGE were measured by using a self-administrated questionnaire. The association was examined by multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for covariates. Physical, verbal, relational, and cyber school bullying victimization were reported by 18.12, 60.34, 11.75, and 12.05% of the adolescents, and physical, verbal, relational, and cyber school bullying perpetration were reported by 16.62, 54.62, 21.49, and 8.23% of them. Of the students, 1,398 (70.18%) were normal Internet users, 514 (25.80%) showed moderate Internet addictive behaviors, and 31 (1.56%) of the students showed severe Internet addictive behaviors. The prevalence of no VVGE, low-level VVGE, medium-level VVGE, and high-level of VVGE were 27.70, 24.10, 24.20, and 24.00%, respectively. The risk of physical victimization and physical perpetration significantly increased with the increasing degree of violent video game exposure (P for trend < 0.001), with the highest adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 2.251 (95% CI 1.501-3.375) and 2.554 (95% CI 1.685-3.870), when comparing high-level VVGE with no VVGE. These findings highlight the specific association between different sub-types of school bullying involvement and violent video game exposure. Physical school bullying prevention and intervention programs should be conducted after adolescents are exposed to violent video games.

Deviant Peer Affiliation: A Newly Verified Mechanism by Which Violent Video Game Exposure Affect Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior.

Past research has provided abundant evidence that violent video game exposure (VVGE) increases aggressive behavior and decreases prosocial behavior. So far, these effects have been explained mainly as resulting from changes in the existing knowledge structures of cognition, affect, or personality, such as desensitization to violence, empathy deficits, or impulsivity deficits. Following the extended General Aggression Model (GAM), the present research examined the role of deviant peer affiliation in VVGE's effects on aggressive and prosocial behavior. A total of 2,152 (46.4 percent male) Chinese children and adolescents completed a self-reported scale for VVGE, deviant peer affiliation, trait aggression, and prosocial behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results showed that deviant peer affiliation mediated the effects of VVGE, thus supporting the new paths of GAM and broadening the current understanding of the consequences of VVGE.

Dissociable effects of acute versus cumulative violent video game exposure on the action simulation circuit in university students

ABSTRACT There is an ongoing debate as to whether violent video game exposure (VGE) has a negative impact on social functioning. This debate continues in part because of methodological concerns and the paucity of identifiable neurocognitive mechanisms. Also, little attention has been given to how specific personality characteristics may influence susceptibility to the purported effects. Using a combined experimental and cross-sectional approach, we examined the impact of VGE on action simulation as a function of trait coldheartedness in a sample of university students. Healthy adults played a violent or nonviolent version of Grand Theft Auto V before completing an fMRI measure of action simulation circuit (ASC) activity. Simulation-related activity was not significantly different between groups; however, greater overall activation was observed in left inferior frontal gyrus for those in the violent condition. Contrary to predictions, no evidence was observed that trait coldheartedness significantly interacts with violent gaming to influence ASC activation. However, prior cumulative VGE was negatively correlated with simulation-related activity in a subsection of the ASC. This study highlights a potential dissociation between the effects of acute versus cumulative violent gaming and may challenge assumptions that the directionality of effects for cross-sectional associations always mirror those of acute exposure.

Violent video game exposure and bullying in early adolescence: A longitudinal study examining moderation of trait aggressiveness and moral identity.

Violent video game exposure and bullying in early adolescence: A longitudinal study examining moderation of trait aggressiveness and moral identity.

Is it painful? Playing violent video games affects brain responses to painful pictures: An event-related potential study.

Previous research showed mixed evidence on how violent video game exposure (VVGE) may affect empathy for pain in the brain. This study applied an event-related potential (ERPs) approach to improve understanding of how habitual and short-term violent game play may affect top-down and bottom-up empathy for pain brain responses. A total of 58 male participants with different levels of habitual VVGE performed a pain judgment task before and after 40 min of violent game play while their brain responses were recorded. Results showed that only late cognitive-evaluative ERP responses (P3, P625) were sensitive to the pictures’ painfulness, which were also affected by both habitual VVGE and short- term violent game play. As expected, participants with no habitual VVGE showed an ERP pain effect before game play: higher P3 and P625 amplitudes for painful versus nonpainful pictures. In contrast, a similar ERP pain effect was not observed in participants with high VVGE before game play, suggesting habitual desensitization. Short-term violent game play resulted in lower P3 and P625 amplitudes for painful pictures in the no VVGE group, indicating short-term desensitization. We discuss the observed VVGE desensitization effects in terms of top-down regulation of an empathetic response induced by painful stimuli. Though such adaptation could be beneficial in a violent game environment, possible long-term consequences associated with reduced empathic responsiveness in a social context should be further studied. In all, our findings contribute to the debate on the effects of VVGE on the brain by pro- viding first ERP evidence suggesting empathy for pain desensitization.

Supplemental Material for Violent Video Game Exposure and Bullying in Early Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study Examining Moderation of Trait Aggressiveness and Moral Identity

Supplemental Material for Violent Video Game Exposure and Bullying in Early Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study Examining Moderation of Trait Aggressiveness and Moral Identity

Other-Dehumanization Rather Than Self-Dehumanization Mediates the Relationship Between Violent Video Game Exposure and Aggressive Behavior.

Recent experimental studies demonstrated playing violent video games induced denying humanness to other people and suggested that other-dehumanization might account for the effect of violent video games on aggressive behavior. However, whether long-term violent video game exposure (VVGE) correlates with other-dehumanization has not been confirmed and the role of self-dehumanization in this effect is still controversial. Thus, this study attempted to provide correlational evidence and examined direct and indirect associations of VVGE and aggressive behavior through self- or other-dehumanization in 612 adolescents. We revealed other-dehumanization was linked with VVGE and it mediated the relationship between VVGE and aggressive behavior. In addition, we did not observe the predictive effect of VVGE for self-dehumanization. Our study suggested the short-term effect of playing a violent video game on other-dehumanization, observed in previous experimental investigations, could be extended to the long-term effect of VVGE. Perceiving others as less human, but not the players themselves, accounted for the effect of VVGE on aggressive behavior.

Impact of violent video games and other factors on aggressive behavior of junior high school students in Shanghai

Objective To understand the impact of violent video games exposure, self-control level and coping style on aggressive behavior of junior high school students in Shanghai, and provide a basis for future interventions to effectively reduce adolescents’ aggressive behavior. Methods Cluster sampling was used to select 1 886 students of 4 public middle schools in Shanghai from May to June 2019. The data was collected included Violent Video Game Use Habits Questionnaire, Buss & Perry aggression questionnaire, Adolescent Self-Control Dual System Scale and Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. Results According to the potential profile analysis, the level of aggressive behavior of junior school students in Shanghai could be divided into four groups, which was low aggressive group, middle aggressive group one, middle aggressive group two and high aggressive group according to level of aggregate. After controlling for gender and age, multivariate Logistic regression showed that exposure to violent video games, impulse system and negative response were risk factors for aggressive behavior ( P<0.05); using low aggressive group as control group, the OR of violent video games in other three groups were 1.26, 1.30 and 1.70 respectively. The OR of impulse system were 2.96, 4.40 and 6.84 respectively. The OR of negative response were 1.17, 1.42 and 1.74 respectively. Positive response was a protective factor ( P<0.05). Using low aggressive group as control group, the OR of positive in other three groups were 0.82, 0.52 and 0.49 respectively. Conclusion Violent video game exposure, impulsive system and negative coping style can increase the level of aggressive behavior of junior high school students, while positive coping style can reduce the level of aggression of junior middle school students. 【摘要】 目的 了解上海市初中生暴力电子游戏接触、自我控制水平和应对方式对攻击性行为的影响, 为有效降低青少年攻击性行为干预措施提供依据。 方法 采用整群抽样方法, 于 2019 年 5—6 月对上海市 4 所普通公立初中学校 1 886 名在校学生进行问卷调査, 调査内容包括暴力电子游戏使用习惯问卷、Buss和Peny攻击问卷、青少年自我控制双系统量表以及简易应对方式问卷。 结果 上海市初中生攻击性行为水平根据潜在剖面分析可以分为 4 个组别, 根据攻击性水平从低到髙, 依次命名为低攻击组、中等攻击 1 组、中等攻击 2 组和髙攻击组。在控制性别和年龄的基础上, 多因素 Logistic 回归分析显示, 与低攻击组相比, 其余各组别中暴力电子游戏接触、冲动系统、消极应对与攻击性行为均呈正相关( OR 值分别为 1.26, 1.30, 1.70；2.96,4.40,6.84；1.17, 1.42, 1.74, P 值均<0.05), 积极应对与攻击性行为呈负相关( OR 值分别为 0.82, 0.52,0.49, P 值均<0.05)。 结论 暴力电子游戏接触、冲动系统和消极应对方式会增加初中生的攻击性行为水平, 而积极应对方式能降低初中生攻击性水平。

Insensitive Players? A Relationship Between Violent Video Game Exposure and Recognition of Negative Emotions

An ability to accurately recognize negative emotions in others can initiate pro-social behavior and prevent anti-social actions. Thus, it remains of an interest of scholars studying effects of violent video games. While exposure to such games was linked to slower emotion recognition, the evidence regarding accuracy of emotion recognition among players of violent games is weak and inconsistent. The present research investigated the relationship between violent video game exposure (VVGE) and accuracy of negative emotion recognition. We assessed the level of self-reported VVGE in hours per day and the accuracy of the recognition using the Facial Expressions Matching Test. The results, with adolescents (Study 1; N = 67) and with adults (Study 2; N = 151), showed that VVGE was negatively related to accurate recognition of negative emotion expressions, even if controlled for age, gender, and trait empathy, but no causal direction could be assessed. In line with the violent media desensitization model, our findings suggest that higher self-reported VVGE relates to lower recognition of negative emotional expressions of other people. On the one hand, such lower recognition of negative emotions may underlie inaccurate reactions in real-life social situations. On the other hand, lower sensitivity to social cues may help players to better focus on their performance in a violent game.

A Longitudinal Social Network Perspective on Adolescents' Exposure to Violent Video Games and Aggression.

Adolescents play video games as a social leisure activity, yet it is unclear whether peer influences play a role in spreading violent video game exposure (VVE) and aggression. It has been suggested that adolescents' aggression increases because of their friend's exposure to violent video games. This study tests this suggestion by using longitudinal social network analyses to investigate selection and socialization of aggression owing to VVE. A total of 796 adolescents from 34 different classrooms were followed from grade 7 to grade 8 (Mage = 12.60 years, 51 percent male adolescents). Exposure to violent video games, physical aggression, and within-classroom friendships were assessed at both time points. Data were analyzed by means of stochastic actor-based modeling in RSiena to estimate the effects of VVE and aggressive behavior on changes in friendships (selection), and the effects of friendships on changes in participants' VVE and aggressive behavior (socialization). Results showed homotypic selection effects, that is, adolescents became friends with peers who were similar in aggression and similar in violent video game exposure. Furthermore, there was a homotypic socialization effect, as friends became more similar in aggression over time. Friends did not become more similar in VVE over time. Violent games played by friends did not increase adolescents' own aggressive behavior. This suggests that concerns about peer influences on violent video games are unwarranted. Future studies on socialization processes of VVE should focus on influences from closest friends and investigate behavior during actual play.

The Role of Violent Video Game Exposure, Personality, and Deviant Peers in Aggressive Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study.

The impact of violent video game exposure (VVGE) on aggressive behaviors has been extensively explored, but still remains controversial. Although some studies have shown slight detrimental short-term effects of VVGE, other studies have failed to find any consequence. In addition, the existence of long-lasting effects on aggressiveness, or their impact on adolescents, are still not well established. One limitation of most of these studies is that they do not control for other important risk variables for aggressive behaviors, such as personality and deviant peers, nor have they investigated the possible moderation role of these risk factors in the link between VVGE and aggression. Therefore, the main aim was to examine the additive and interactive role of VVGE, personality, and deviant peers in adolescent aggressive behaviors cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Many regression analyses and a cross-lagged autoregressive model were carried out. At both waves, aggressive behavior was predicted by having deviant peers and specific personality traits, especially low agreeableness. VVGE also presented a slight but significant effect at both waves, but it became nonsignificant when controlling for other variables. No long-term effects on the relation between VVGE and aggressive behaviors were found. Some moderation effects were consistently found at both waves: when participants reported having more deviant peers, the effects of VVGE and low agreeableness on aggressive behaviors significantly increased. These findings suggest that multiple biopsychosocial variables and their complex interplay need to be examined to gain a better understanding of the origin and expression of aggressive behavior.

How to Be Aggressive from Virtual to Reality? Revisiting the Violent Video Games Exposure-Aggression Association and the Mediating Mechanisms.

Few studies have simultaneously examined the underlying mechanisms of the link between violent video games exposure (VVGE) and aggression (as proposed by different theories) to examine how they explain the relationship between the concepts as independent-dependent variables. This study used a multi-informant design to examine the relationship between VVGE and the functions (proactive and reactive) of aggressive behaviors by comparing three mediating mechanisms: anger, moral disengagement, and cognitive impulsivity. The sample consisted of 2,095 Chinese children and adolescences (48.9 percent girls; Mage = 11.12 years, SD = 1.70) and their mothers. After controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, child maltreatment, and problematic traits, structural equation modeling indicated that anger and moral disengagement play mediating roles between VVGE and proactive and reactive aggression, but cognitive impulsivity only plays a mediating role between VVGE and reactive aggression. The discussion emphasizes the importance of creating prevention programs for anger, moral disengagement, and cognitive impulsivity to break the VVGE-to-aggression cycle, and provides suggestions for future research.