Violent Games Research Articles

Value, violence, and the ethics of gaming

I argue for two theses. First, many arguments against violent gaming rely on what I call the contamination thesis, drawing their conclusions by claiming that violent gaming contaminates real world interactions. I argue that this thesis is empirically and philosophically problematic. Second, I argue that rejecting the contamination thesis does not entail that all video games are morally unobjectionable. The violence within a game can be evaluated in terms of the values the game cultivates, reinforces, denigrates, or disrespects. Games which present violence in ways that disrespect objects of values are more objectionable than violent games that reinforce or cultivate those values. The resulting analysis evaluates games on a case-by-case basis and pays particular attention to the representational context of the violence.

“That was so mean :D” – Playful virtual violence and the pleasure of transgressing intersecting emotional spaces

This paper explores how virtual violence in computer games is used to enact the pleasure of transgression. It draws on theories of violence, virtuality, play, and space, combining them with an ethnographic perspective on pleasure as enacted emotional experience. I will analyze communicative emotional practices, observed in gaming videos on YouTube as well as during participant observation in online multiplayer games and in qualitative interviews, to come to a better understanding of the emotional experiences enacted when players transgress feeling rules within intersecting emotional spaces between games and everyday life.

GAMING COMPUTER ENTHUSIASM AS A PREDICTOR OF ADOLESCENT BULLYING

Introduction: In the era of intensive computerization of society, the computer becomes an integral part of the life of a modern teenager. The virtual world contributes to the formation and development of those forms of individuality, which are largely designed by computer games developers, which leads to a change in the organization of the teenager's life - the computer player, his communications, the transformation of traditional social ties. According to the results of research, the consequences of enthusiasm for computer games include, among other things, the emergence of cruelty in relations between peers. Of particular concern is the fact that violence is reflected in the interaction of children with classmates, as a result of which is its spread in educational institutions. The problem of studying the relationship between gaming computer enthusiasm and teenage bullying is, in our opinion, an urgent task and requires a multilevel analysis. Results: The article presents an analytical review of research on the problem of enthusiasm for computer games and school bullying in Russia and abroad. Noting the importance of these studies, it should be recognized that the problem of overcoming adolescents' enthusiasm for computer games in the form of reducing and preventing its destructive influence and preventing the formation of deviant behavior requires further analysis and study. Till now it is not enough studied, in what cases the enthusiasm for computer games leads to deviant forms of behavior, which provokes the formation of an associative orientation in adolescents. In this regard, it is relevant to assess the relationship between the enthusiasm for computer games and deviant behavior in adolescents, as well as the search for effective methods and means to prevent computer game enthusiasm, based on a personal-oriented approach to each child. Discussion and Conclusions: At present, there is no single point of view on how the enthusiasm for computer games arises and develops, how computer games influence the child's mental development and personality, whether they can contribute to his emotional development, cause deviations in his behavior, aggressiveness and cruelty. Despite numerous studies of the bullying problem, it remains an open question how computer game enthusiasm is associated with blocking the process of positive personal development of the child and teenage bullying. How the impact of violent computer games on the child's psyche is associated with aggressive forms of harassment.

Supplemental Material for Overstated Evidence for Short-Term Effects of Violent Games on Affect and Behavior: A Reanalysis of Anderson et al. (2010)

Supplemental Material for Overstated Evidence for Short-Term Effects of Violent Games on Affect and Behavior: A Reanalysis of Anderson et al. (2010)

An exploratory study on association between Internet game contents and aggression in Korean adolescents

The debate about the influence of violent game on aggressive behaviors has been going on for decades. The current study aimed to investigate the influence of several variables, such as game use, genre of game, and age ratings of game, on aggression. 1038 students (aged 12–13) completed questionnaire included information on game and Internet use, aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Participants were grouped with information on game use for comparisons. Compared to those who did not play games, participants who used games showed a slight increase in aggressive behavior and thoughts. A similar pattern was found for game age ratings. There was no significant difference among the average scores of aggression-related variables in terms of game genre. Although the degree of the increase is not large, this study found that playing video games, especially violent video games, has increased aggressive beliefs.

Violent video game effects on salivary cortisol, arousal, and aggressive thoughts in children

An experiment investigated the effects of violent content in video games on two physiological indicators of the fight-or-flight response (cortisol and cardiovascular changes) and on accessibility of aggressive thoughts in children. Participants played a randomly assigned violent or nonviolent video game, rated the game on several dimensions, and did a word completion task. Results showed that the violent video game increased cortisol and (for boys) cardiovascular arousal (relative to baseline) more than did the equally exciting nonviolent game. The violent game also increased the accessibility of aggressive thoughts. The cortisol findings in particular suggest that playing a violent video game may activate the sympathetic nervous system and elicit a fight-or-flight type response in children. Theoretical implications and future research are discussed.

The (Not So) Evil Within? Agency in Video Game Choice and the Impact of Violent Content

Background. The degree to which violent video games do, or do not contribute to aggressive behavior and hostility remains controversial in the scientific community, with scholars not yet having come to a consensus about effects. Recent studies have examined whether other issues such as frustration or competition might explain some video game influences that were previously thought to be due to violent content. Aim. The current study examines whether player agency in determining choice of game played influences aggressive outcomes. Methods. Young adult players were randomized either to play a violent game, a non-violent game, or to be given the choice between several violent and non-violent games. Players were examined for subsequent aggressive behavior using the ice water task as well as for stress levels and hostility. Results. Game condition did not influence hostility, stress, or aggressive behavior, whether with randomized or chosen games. Conclusion. The present study provided no evidence that violent video games contribute to aggressive behavior. Lack of influence for agency in game choice can be understood given the lack of any aggression effect for violent game exposure.

Disposable Futures: The Seduction of Violence in the Age of Spectacle

Arguing powerfully against the privatization of public goods, Brad Evans and Henry A. Giroux detail how our enjoyment of mediated violence trivializes human life. Foregrounding the corporatism of politics—as Benito Mussolini described fascism—allows them to do more than call into question the transfer of power from the state to private institutions. They also examine the fascism of the mind, how we may be said to love our oppression and how this love compounds in the spectacle of violence. Evans and Giroux call us to account for our enjoyment of violence in movies, television programs, and video games, even as they ask us to direct attention to the everyday forms of racial violence and economic oppression that deprive many of life. Our taste for violent entertainment has never been more refined, yet our attention to the violence around us remains distracted. Relying on the work of critical scholars such as Guy Debord and Michael J. Shapiro, Evans and Giroux explore how the spectacle of violence captures and orders our bodily senses yet contributes to our neglect of the massive systems of violence that oppress and destroy lives on a daily basis. This approach allows them to link the violent racist killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner in 2014 with the increased militarization of the police; it also helps them explain why there is so little public concern about either problem.

A real child in a virtual world

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether children’s online play and participation in massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) is leading to the development of virtual retail shopping motivations and behaviours. This exploratory study also examines the influence of age-related differences in children’s social and consumer development vs adults and gender on this. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted using two focus groups and ten in-depth interviews with 20 French children between the ages of eight and 12 years. Findings Results show that children’s online play and participation in MMORPG communities is leading to the development of virtual retail shopping motivations and behaviour through the purchase of virtual tools and accessories by all children using virtual in-game money. But these motivations are very gender specific due to the overarching importance of gender-specific motivations for achievement. Boys engage in virtual retail shopping because they need in-game progress and power gains, while girls engage in virtual retail shopping because they need social status enhancement. Research limitations/implications Research should be conducted on children in different age groups. All aspects of the process and consequences of children’s participation in online gaming communities should be examined more comprehensively. Quantitative research is required. Results may also vary with country and cultural context. Practical implications First, children between eight and 12 years of age are active consumers (influencers and buyers) for all companies. MMORPGs provide the perfect setting for better understanding of children’s motivations and behaviour regarding virtual retail shopping because they provide virtual in-game money for different achievements that children use to engage in such behaviour. Second, MMORPG companies can benefit by taking into account gender differences in children’s motivations and the importance of the games’ social dimensions and interactions when designing the games. Social implications First, the risks of playing computer games for children in terms of playing violent games and leading a virtual life must be considered and studied carefully by public policy officials. Second, public policy officials that look into online gaming should take into account gender differences in children’s motivations and the importance of the games’ social dimensions and interactions when monitoring online games. These are issues that are not only developing children’s abilities as social actors but may well be promoting excessive materialism aided by the formation of online peer groups. Originality/value This is the first study on children’s online play and participation in MMORPGs in the consumer context and will help us to understand children’s mind-set and motivations for retail activities in this unique retail setting. The study results show that children’s online play and participation in MMORPGs is leading to the development of virtual retail shopping motivations and behaviour that are very gender specific unlike adults.

Aleppo II: Not Bringing the State Back in

The political violence seems only to get worse and worse in Aleppo, where Russian bombers target hospitals and employ deep striking missiles against the apartments of ordinary citizens. State reasons or merely shortsighted cruelty? Those who theorize zero sum games with entities like state interests and geopolitical perspective should understand that it is merely a manner of speaking. The principle of methodological individualism entails that only human beings can be actors as well as that they orientate in terms of what Max Weber called “Sinn” or more complex “sinnzusammenhaenge”. This is intentional analysis that focuses upon the mindset of the participants in violent games. It is definitely not in the interests of neither the Syrian people nor the Russian people what Assad-Putin is performing in Aleppo.

Priming effect of computer game violence on children's aggression levels

We investigated how aggression resulting from playing violent computer games varies by gender and trait aggressiveness level. In Study 1, 220 children rated 2 video games in terms of pleasantness, excitement, violent content, violent images, fear, interest, and reality. Results indicated that Virtual Cop2 and Fight Landlord games were perceived as violent and nonviolent, respectively. In Study 2, 240 different children responded to the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, played either Virtual Cop2 or Fight Landlord, and completed a semantic classification task involving rating whether 60 words were aggressive or nonaggressive. Results showed that boys, but not girls, displayed stronger aggression after playing Virtual Cop2, compared to Fight Landlord. Further, children with high trait aggressiveness exhibited strong aggression after playing Virtual Cop2, whereas those with moderate or low trait aggressiveness did not. Overall, our results indicate that gender and trait aggressiveness both affect aggression among children who play violent video games.

The unexpected comfort of wearing headphones: Emotional and cognitive effects of headphone use when playing a bloody video game

This study tests the theory of vivid media violence, exploring whether the presence of blood in a violent game and the use of headphones impacts emotions (frustration, fear, anxiety) and the level of cognitive elaboration. Results of an experiment suggest participants felt stronger negative emotions when playing a bloody game with headphones off. When the video game was not bloody, headphones did not affect emotions. In addition, frustration was related to cognitive elaboration whereas fear and anxiety were not. Implications for research exploring discrete emotions, as well as the intersection between auditory and visual features in video games, are discussed.

Brief use of a specific gun in a violent game does not affect attitudes towards that gun.

Although much attention has been paid to the question of whether violent video games increase aggressive behaviour, little attention has been paid to how such games might encourage antecedents of gun violence. In this study, we examined how product placement, the attractive in-game presentation of certain real-world firearm brands, might encourage gun ownership, a necessary antecedent of gun violence. We sought to study how the virtual portrayal of a real-world firearm (the Bushmaster AR-15) could influence players' attitudes towards the AR-15 specifically and gun ownership in general. College undergraduates (N = 176) played one of four modified video games in a 2 (gun: AR-15 or science-fiction control) × 2 (gun power: strong or weak) between-subjects design. Despite collecting many outcomes and examining many potential covariates and moderators, experimental assignment did little to influence outcomes of product evaluations or purchasing intentions with regard to the AR-15. Attitudes towards public policy and estimation of gun safety were also not influenced by experimental condition, although these might have been better tested by comparison against a no-violence control condition. By contrast, gender and political party had dramatic associations with all outcomes. We conclude that, if product placement shapes attitudes towards firearms, such effects will need to be studied with stronger manipulations or more sensitive measures.

Video Game Violence and Aggression: A Proven Connection?

Abstract The American Academy of Pediatrics says the evidence is clear, that violent media – including video games – lead to aggression in children. But Joseph Hilgard and colleagues find that much of the experimental evidence, both for and against, is undermined by a tricky statistical weakness

Violent Video Games Exposed: A Blow by Blow Account of Senseless Violence in Games

ABSTRACTViolent video game (VVG) use has repeatedly been found to be associated with hostile expectations about others, desensitization to violence, decreased empathy and prosocial behavior, and aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Although these research findings have been widely publicized, VVGs remain the most extensively played games and represent a multi-billion dollar industry. Although VVGs are typically rated “mature,” indicating they are not suitable for youths, they are often purchased for youths. This may be in part because there is currently no system available to consumers that thoroughly describes the content of video games, and much of the public is unaware of the types of violence that characterize game play. The purpose of this paper is to describe the violent content of some of the top VVGs, based on sales. For the purposes of this issue, acts of senseless, unprovoked violence will be described in detail.

The Impact of Degree of Exposure to Violent Video Games, Family Background, and Other Factors on Youth Violence.

Despite decades of study, no scholarly consensus has emerged regarding whether violent video games contribute to youth violence. Some skeptics contend that small correlations between violent game play and violence-related outcomes may be due to other factors, which include a wide range of possible effects from gender, mental health, and social influences. The current study examines this issue with a large and diverse (49 % white, 21 % black, 18 % Hispanic, and 12 % other or mixed race/ethnicity; 51 % female) sample of youth in eighth (n = 5133) and eleventh grade (n = 3886). Models examining video game play and violence-related outcomes without any controls tended to return small, but statistically significant relationships between violent games and violence-related outcomes. However, once other predictors were included in the models and once propensity scores were used to control for an underlying propensity for choosing or being allowed to play violent video games, these relationships vanished, became inverse, or were reduced to trivial effect sizes. These results offer further support to the conclusion that video game violence is not a meaningful predictor of youth violence and, instead, support the conclusion that family and social variables are more influential factors.

Do Older Adults Hate Video Games until they Play them? A Proof-of-Concept Study

The issue of negative video game influences on youth remains contentious in public debate, the scholarly community and among policy makers. Recent research has indicated that negative attitudes toward video games are, in part, generational in nature with older adults more inclined to endorse negative beliefs about video games. The current mixed design study examined the impact of exposure to games on beliefs about video games in a small (n = 34) sample of older adults. Results indicated that older adults were more concerned about video games as an abstract concept but when exposed to a particular video game, even an M-rated violent game, expressed fewer concerns about that specific video game. Results support the hypothesis that negative attitudes toward video games exists mainly in the abstract and do not survive direct exposure to individual games. Further, older adults were not uniform in their condemnation of video games with older adults having varying opinions about the harmfulness of video games. Related to specific concerns, older adults tended to worry more about issues such as addiction than they did violent content.

Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Television and Game Violence Exposure Measures

This study evaluated whether common self-report measures of television and game violence exposure represent reliable and valid measurement tools. Three self-report measures—direct estimates, user-rated favorites, and agency-rated favorites—were assessed in terms of test-retest reliability, criterion validity (their relationship with coded media diaries), and construct validity (their relationship with aggression and gender). A total of 238 adolescents participated in a two-wave survey and completed two media diaries. For game violence, the three self-report measures were reliable and valid. For television violence, only direct estimates achieved test-retest reliability and construct validity. Criterion validity could not be established for the television violence measures because the media diary was not a valid criterion for television violence. Our findings indicate that both direct estimates and favorites are valid measures for game violence, whereas for television violence, only direct estimates are valid. We conclude with a discussion about ways to further improve upon and reconceptualize media violence exposure measurement.

Modeling outcomes of violent video game play: Applying mental models and model matching to explain the relationship between user differences, game characteristics, enjoyment, and aggressive intentions

While much research on video games has focused on aggressive outcomes, the extant research has not come to consensus on the role of other factors, notably enjoyment, frustration and individual differences amongst players, in mediating the link between violent game play and aggression. This experimental design uses a mental models approach to examine game features (e.g., controller naturalness), player characteristics (e.g., first person shooter experience, sex, degree of competitiveness) and the game play experience (e.g., perceived game realism, immersion, game failure, frustration and enjoyment) to explain aggressive outcomes. Results from a revised path model suggest perceived realism, immersion, and experience with other first person shooters all positively predicted enjoyment while frustration negatively predicted game enjoyment. Frustration and enjoyment both predicted state aggression. The findings of this study support the application of mental models as a theoretical approach to unify thinking about violent games, contextual features of violent games, individual difference variables and differences in player perceptions and game experiences with regards to outcome aggression. Results are discussed in terms of the model matching hypothesis and implications for the comprehensive study of violent game play, including the importance of enjoyment and frustration, are also discussed.

Repeated Play Reduces Video Games’ Ability to Elicit Guilt: Evidence from a Longitudinal Experiment

Statements supported mostly by correlational and cross-sectional studies suggest that playing violent video games can cause emotional desensitization. A longitudinal experiment examined a) whether repeated violent game play leads to emotional desensitization and b) whether desensitization generalizes to other play and real-life experiences. Participants played alternative versions of the same violent game for the first four days; on these days, the character role was varied between-subjects to be moral (United Nations soldier) or immoral (terrorist soldier). On Day 5, all participants played a novel game as a terrorist. Results indicate two things. First, habituation occurs over repeated game play: Repeated exposure decreased the ability of the original game to elicit guilt. Second, the decreased ability to elicit guilt can generalize to other game-play experiences: Guilt elicited by the novel game on Day 5 was reduced for the immoral character condition compared to the moral character condition. The current study provides causal, longitudinal evidence regarding the potential for video game play to lead to emotional desensitization with regard to future video game-play experiences.