Violent Video Games Research Articles

Violent Video Game Play and (De)Sensitization to Threat.

This study assesses whether the frequency of violent video game play is associated with attentional desensitization or sensitization to images depicting violence or nonviolent interpersonal conflict. Two hundred and thirty-two participants reported their three most frequently played video games and the amount of time each game was played in a typical week. Next, they completed an assessment of emotion-induced blindness, which refers to a reduction in the correct identification of a neutral target image when it follows an emotionally charged distractor image. The primary findings showed that weekly violent video game play was negatively associated with target identification following nonviolent interpersonal conflict images, but not violent images. Findings are discussed in terms of the saliency of threatening images and attentional processing.

Inside the gamer's mind: How violent video games and emotional dysregulation affect EEG interbrain synchronization

BackgroundExposure to violent video games influences players’ cortical activations. In addition, intra-individual variables like emotional regulation play an important role in the consequences of such exposures. However, most research has studied these relationships at the intra-individual level. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of violent video games on the interbrain synchronization (IBS) of dyads in which one member played video games, and evaluated IBS differences between high and low-emotionally dysregulated groups. MethodsEighteen participants (M = 24.1 ± 2.1) were enrolled in this study. Participants gazed into another person's eyes before playing (“First Direct Gaze”), after playing a violent video game (“Post-VV”), and after playing a nonviolent video game (“Post-NVV”) during an electroencephalographic hyperscanning acquisition. Afterward, each participant completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. ResultsA cluster-based analysis revealed an increased theta IBS Post-VV compared to Post-NVV. A median split was used to define the high emotionally dysregulated (“HED”) and low emotionally dysregulated (“LED”) groups. Results showed a decreased alpha IBS in the First Direct Gaze, Post-VV, and Post-NVV in the HED group compared to the LED group. ConclusionsExposure to violent video games was associated with higher theta IBS, suggesting a greater social attunement, potentially due to a higher perceived dominance and control or due to an effort of managing the emotional activations elicited. In addition, difficulties in emotional regulation could elicit specific alpha activities regardless of exposure to a video game, leading to a lower tendency to attune with another person on this band.Results from this study should not be generalized to infer that playing any type of video game causes harm to people's brains.

EFFECT OF EXPOSURE TO VIOLENT CONTENT OF VIDEO-GAMES ON EVOLUTION OF AGGRESSIVE AND SUICIDAL BEHAVIOURS

Background: Exposure to violent video games leads to aggressive and suicidal behaviours. The objective of this study was to compare violence exposure, degree of aggression and suicidal ideation between non-video gamers (NVGs), non-violent video gamers (NVVGs), and violent video gamers (VVGs), and to correlate degree of violence exposure to intensity of aggression and suicidal ideation. Methods: Thirty-six subjects were included in each of NVGs, NVVGs and VVGs groups. Exposure to violence was evaluated through Video Game Questionnaire (VGQ), degree of aggression via Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and severity of suicidal ideation through Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). ANOVA, Post Hoc Tukey’s test, and Pearson’s correlation were used for data analysis. Results: Degree of violence exposure was significantly different between NVGs, NVVGs and VVGs (p=0.000), and so was intensity of physical-aggression, verbal-aggression, anger, hostility, and suicidal ideation (p=0.000 respectively). Degree of violence experienced by NVVGs and VVGs depicted a positive correlation with intensity of physical aggression [(r=0.467, p=0.004) and (r=0.546, p=0.001) respectively], verbal aggression [(r=0.401, p=0.015) and (r=0.476, p=0.003) respectively], anger [(r=0.564, p=0.000) and (r=0.485, p=0.003) respectively], hostility [(r=0.484, p=0.003) and (r=0.440, p=0.007) respectively] as well as suicidal ideation [(r=0.827, p=0.000) and (r=0.604, p=0.000) respectively] while physical-aggression, verbal-aggression, anger and hostility scores showed an independent positive correlation with suicidal likelihood in both NVVGs and VVGs [(r=0.451, p=0.006), (r=0.484, p=0.003), (r=0.480, p=0.003), (r=0.384, p=0.021), and (r=0.441, p=0.007), (r=0.442, p=0.007), (r=0.458, p=0.005), (r=0.491, p=0.002) respectively]. Conclusion: Exposure to violent video games creates aggression associated suicidal tendency. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):27?30, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1550

Demand effects might influence research on violent video games

Demand effects might influence research on violent video games

Video Games, Violence Justification and Child-to-Parent Violence

During the past decade, video games have become the main industrial entertainment sector, although research on the effects of violence in video games on juvenile aggressiveness has raised concerns that they may pose a significant social risk. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship of exposure to violent video games, pathological video-gaming, and justification of violence with the perpetration of Child-to-Parent Violence (CPV) against the mother and the father, controlling for the sex, educational level, and violent TV exposure of the participant. The sample consisted of 439 students from Compulsory Secondary Education, (238 boys and 201 girls), aged between 13 and 18. Exposure to video games was assessed through an author-elaborated questionnaire, violence justification, and pathological video-gaming were evaluated with the Exposure to Violence Questionnaire and the Assessment of Pathological Computer-Gaming, respectively, and CPV was assessed through the Child-to-Parent Aggression Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that pathological video-gaming and, specially, justification of violence, were related to the perpetration of CPV against both mothers and fathers. However, a relationship of exposure to violent video games and violence on TV with the perpetration of CPV was not found. These results suggest a potential new target for CPV prevention, as well as for the treatment of juvenile offenders.

The effect of a physically formidable competitor or cooperator on attraction to violent video games

Typically, men prefer violent video games more than women do. However, little is known about the motivational factors driving this greater preference for violent games in men. The integrative motivational model of violent video games (IMT-VVG) suggests that the pull of violent video games should be strongest in men because men have faced stronger evolutionary pressures to physically compete within an explicit hierarchy relative to women. In two experiments, individuals were led to believe they were competing (Experiment 1; N = 122) or cooperating (Experiment 2; N = 121) with an ostensible same-gender partner to complete a physical strength program. The partner was presented as either high or low in physical formidability. Participants then selected a violent or non-violent video game to play for up to 15 min. In Experiment 1, men showed a stronger preference for violent video games than women when they anticipated facing a stronger opponent in an impending physical strength competition. In Experiment 2, for the physical cooperation task, men also chose the violent game over the non-violent game, but did so independent of the formidability of their cooperation partner. In sum, these data suggest that men may be attracted to violent video games when faced with a competitive task that requires physical strength, but not necessarily a cooperative task. In support of this hypothesis, participants who played the violent games reported greater subjective toughness after game play. These results provide evidence for a new integrative motivational theory of violent video game play.

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.

DYING IN CYBERWORLD: VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES EXTINGUISHED CHILDREN’S DEATH CONCEPT AND ATTITUDE

Death is often a taboo topic in society, especially among the Chinese community. Most of the violent video games spread immoral values of life and death. Hence deformed death concept and death attitude are easily moulded in children particularly without proper supervision from parents. The misconception of death concept and death attitude can manipulate primary school children’s attitudes towards death which gradually might lead children to harm themselves or others. This study is aimed at identifying the relationship between violent video games and children’s death concept and death attitude (Fear of death, Death avoidance, Approach Acceptance, Escape Acceptance). The differences between the level of exposure to violent video games towards children’s death concept and death attitude are also carried out in this study. A total of 397 data was collected from Malaysian Chinese schoolchildren between 10 to 12 years of age by using the purposive sampling method. Instruments used in this study consist of demographic information, Death Attitude Media Violence Exposure. The study showed that a high level of exposure towards violent video games had a significant negative correlation with death concept and fear of death, whilst significantly positive correlation with escape acceptance. The result of the independent samples t-test showed that children with high exposure to violent video games had lower death concept and fear of death and a higher level of escape acceptance. Further research is needed to explore the death concept and attitude among children as technology has become an inseparable part of human beings in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Morality in Gaming: Observer Perceptions of Player versus Character Actions

The debate on the impact of violent video games and its influence on players continues despite mixed findings. Using the lens of third person perception research, we explored moral judgments of laypersons, those often at the crux of these public debates. Study 1 investigated whether the player or character is perceived by an outside observer as responsible for moral decisions made within the narrative of a violent video game. Study 2 investigated how those perceptions may impact the observers’ perceptions of the player’s future negative behaviors and personality traits. Study 1 and 2 used a 2 (condition: rescuing vs. harvesting) x 2 (role: player vs. character) mixed ANOVA with role as a repeated measure. We created a brief recording of gameplay leading to a moral decision in Bioshock, an interactive, first-person shooter game, shown to participants. Participants were asked to rate perceived morality of player and character actions. Study 1 showed that participants (N = 51) held the observed player more morally responsible for in-game behaviors than the character within the game. Replicating and advancing Study 1, Study 2 (N = 227) showed support for you are what you eat heuristic, in that observers were more likely to view the negative behaviors of the in-game characters as indicators of negative personality traits of the player. These insights are crucial in the broader societal discourse on the potential link between violent video games and real-world aggression

The impact of acute violent videogame exposure on neurocognitive markers of empathic concern.

Research examining the purported association between violent gaming and aggression remains controversial due to concerns related to methodology, unclear neurocognitive mechanisms, and the failure to adequately consider the role of individual differences in susceptibility. To help address these concerns, we used fMRI and an emotional empathy task to examine whether acute and cumulative violent gaming exposure were associated with abnormalities in emotional empathy as a function of trait-empathy. Emotional empathy was targeted given its involvement in regulating not only aggression, but also other important social functions such as compassion and prosocial behaviour. We hypothesized that violent gaming exposure increases the risk of aberrant social behaviour by altering the aversive value of distress cues. Contrary to expectations, neither behavioural ratings nor empathy-related brain activity varied as a function of violent gaming exposure. Notably, however, activation patterns in somatosensory and motor cortices reflected an interaction between violent gaming exposure and trait empathy. Thus, our results are inconsistent with a straightforward relationship between violent gaming exposure and reduced empathy. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of considering both individual differences in susceptibility and other aspects of cognition related to social functioning to best inform public concern regarding safe gaming practices.

Violent video gaming among French adolescents: Impact on mental health by gender

BackgroundNowadays, video games are very popular among teenagers. This popularity generates concerns, whether in the media, among families or among the scientific community, who wonder about their potential harmful effects. The aim of this study was to assess the association between different types of use of video games (absence of use, use of violent video games, use of non-violent video games) and mental health and aggression. MethodsData was drawn from a French cross-sectional study entitled “Portrait d’Adolescents” which included 15,235 adolescents using anonymous self-administered questionnaires. We defined three groups of use of video games (absence of use, use of violent video games, use of non-violent video games) and explored the association with mental health indicators among boys and girls. ResultsThe group categorized as “non-gamers” consisted of 1288 adolescents (8.5%), while the “non-violent video gamers” group comprised 8380 adolescents (55.5%) and the “violent video gamers” group included 5430 participants (36%). Among adolescent boys, there was no observed association between responses to mental health-related questions and the type of video game playing. However, in the “violent video gamers” group, a higher percentage of boys (6.8%) reported engaging in self-harm behaviors (p=0.001). In contrast, in the “non-violent video gamers” group, a lower proportion of boys (9.4%) reported participating in dangerous games (p<0.0001). For girls, the “violent video gamers” group exhibited a higher proportion of responses indicating poorer mental health across all explored items: 22.8% reported a history of suicide attempts (p<0.0001), 22.3% reported depression (p<0.0001), 17.8% reported self harm (p<0.0001), and 11.2% reported participating in dangerous game (p<0.0001). ConclusionViolent video games appear to be associated with varying behaviors depending on the gender of adolescents, and notably contribute to much poorer mental health among adolescent girls.

Competitive Video Game Exposure Increases Aggression Through Impulsivity in Chinese Adolescents: Evidence From a Multi-Method Study.

It is widely known controversies about the results of violent video game increase aggression. However, the role of competitive video games, has received less research attention, and the underlying mechanisms of their influence are unknown. This study aimed to expand the existing literature by systematically exploring the effects of competitive video game exposure on adolescent aggression and the mediating role of impulsivity. In so doing, three types of studies (collectively N = 2919, mean age varied from 13.75 to 15.44 years, with a balanced gender) combining cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal approaches, were conducted. The findings consistently show that competitive video game exposure increased adolescents' aggression and impulsivity. Also, impulsivity mediated the correlation and long-term effect of competitive video game exposure on aggression. However, the experimental study did not confirm the short-term mediating effect of impulsivity, which may be related to the type of aggression measured in the study. The results indicate that competitive video game exposure is an important antecedent factor for adolescent aggression, and impulsivity is the key underlying mechanism.

Reduced reactivity to fear conditioning and pain tests in persons involved in violent video gaming is influenced by adverse childhood experiences.

Video gaming, including violent video gaming, has become very common and lockdown measures of the COVID-19 pandemic even increased the prevalence rates. In this study, we examined if violent video gaming is associated with more adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and if it impairs pain processing and fear conditioning. We tested three groups of participants (violent video gamers, nonviolent video gamers, and non-gamers) and examined fear conditioning as well as pain perception during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Violent video gamers displayed significantly higher pain thresholds as well as pain tolerance for electric stimulation, pressure pain stimulation, and cold pressor pain measurements than nonviolent video gamers and non-gamers. This relationship was moderated by adverse childhood experiences, especially physical neglect. Brain images acquired during the fear conditioning fMRI task showed that violent video gamers display significantly less differential brain activation to stimuli signaling pain versus no pain in the anterior cingulate cortex, the juxtapositional lobule cortex, and the paracingulate gyrus compared to non-gamers. There was also a significant negative correlation between adverse childhood experiences and activation in the precuneus and the intracalcarine cortex for signals of pain versus safety. The results of this study imply that violent video gaming is related to reduced processing of pain and signals of pain in a fear learning task, dependent of adverse childhood experiences. These mechanisms need to be examined in more detail and these data could be helpful in preventing the onset and adverse consequences of violent video gaming.

Playing the Hero or Playing the Villain: An Investigation of the Violent Video Game Character Role Effect on Aggression

Five experiments were conducted to evaluate whether violent video game play as a deviant character produces higher aggression than does violent video game play as a heroic character. In all experiments, participants read a brief description of their character as either deviant or heroic before playing the same game. Participants were more aggressive if they played alone as the deviant character than the heroic character (Experiments 1–5). The role effect appeared limited to single player conditions (Experiment 1) and was minimized when provocation by an opponent was manipulated to be either unambiguously high or low (Experiments 2–3). The role effect was also smaller among participants induced to choose their character (Experiments 4–5). Theoretical and practical implications for the findings are discussed.

Effect of Selected Physical Therapy Program on Heart Rate Variability and Cervical Angle in Violent Video Game Addict Children

Effect of Selected Physical Therapy Program on Heart Rate Variability and Cervical Angle in Violent Video Game Addict Children

Preference for violent video games: The role of emotion regulation, alexithymia, affect intensity, and sensation seeking in a population of French video gamers.

Preference for violent video games: The role of emotion regulation, alexithymia, affect intensity, and sensation seeking in a population of French video gamers.

THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF VIOLENT GAMING UPON PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY AND BULLYING BEHAVIOR IN PROBLEMATIC SMARTPHONE USERS

A psychopathic personality is a pattern of traits linked to impulsivity, lack of empathy &amp; propensity to indulge in criminal behavior. It is significantly associated with bullying behavior, especially among problematic smart users. Present study explored the role of violent games on psychopathic personality and bullying behavior. Using the purposive sample approach, data was gathered from 801 young smartphone users. The results indicated a high association between psychopathic personality characteristics and bullying behavior. The results of study provide important information in reaching the conclusion and making suitable decisions about phenomena under considerations. In this regard, the findings of moderation analysis revealed that association between psychopathic personality and bullying has become strongest with violent video games. The findings would also assist psychologists in forming support groups and educational campaigns that facilitate young adults about the negative impacts of violent games and excessive smart phone use on mental health and thus study provides clues for future research.

As The Boundaries Blur Between Games and Reality

Written for WRS 104. A video gamer considers the impact of video game violence on her daily life.

Games, hormones, and “dark” personalities: Dark tetrad and the effects of violent gaming on aggression, cortisol, and testosterone

We investigated how playing a violent versus non-violent video game affects cortisol and testosterone levels, whether these hormonal changes increase implicit aggressive cognition, and whether so-called Dark Tetrad personality traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, everyday sadism) moderate these effects. Fifty-four men played either a violent or a non-violent video game for 25 min. Participants provided salivary samples at the beginning of the experiment (T1), after 25 min of gameplay (T2), and 20 min after gameplay ended (T3). In the violent condition, participants showed a significant decrease in cortisol levels (T1 to T2) and a significant negative trend in cortisol levels from T1 to T3. Moreover, higher Machiavellianism scores were related to a significantly stronger decrease in cortisol (T1 to T2) in this condition. In the non-violent condition, however, participants with higher scores in Machiavellianism had a higher increase in cortisol (T1 to T2). In contrast to changes in hormonal levels, there were no significant effects on implicit aggressive cognition. The present findings illustrate the complex interplay between personality, hormones, and game content, thus further specifying current notions on the effects of violent video games. Playing a violent video game can have a stress-reducing calming effect depending on personality traits such as Machiavellianism and the psychological need satisfaction associated with it. Also, the fact that VVG exposure was not automatically accompanied by an aggression-increasing effect proves that simple cause-effect models are not sufficiently specified without taking the underlying mechanisms into account.

Neuroimaging and behavioral evidence that violent video games exert no negative effect on human empathy for pain and emotional reactivity to violence.

Influential accounts claim that violent video games (VVGs) decrease players' emotional empathy by desensitizing them to both virtual and real-life violence. However, scientific evidence for this claim is inconclusive and controversially debated. To assess the causal effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy and emotional reactivity to violence, we conducted a prospective experimental study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We recruited 89 male participants without prior VVG experience. Over the course of two weeks, participants played either a highly violent video game or a non-violent version of the same game. Before and after this period, participants completed an fMRI experiment with paradigms measuring their empathy for pain and emotional reactivity to violent images. Applying a Bayesian analysis approach throughout enabled us to find substantial evidence for the absence of an effect of VVGs on the behavioral and neural correlates of empathy. Moreover, participants in the VVG group were not desensitized to images of real-world violence. These results imply that short and controlled exposure to VVGs does not numb empathy nor the responses to real-world violence. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the potential and limitations of experimental research on the causal effects of VVGs. While VVGs might not have a discernible effect on the investigated subpopulation within our carefully controlled experimental setting, our results cannot preclude that effects could be found in settings with higher ecological validity, in vulnerable subpopulations, or after more extensive VVG play.