So this week I did some more research about video games and the relationship with aggression. So I found a good article on theguardian.com. Here are some things I copied from the article:There is some evidence to suggest that there is a link between playing violent video games and showing more aggressive tendencies, at least in the short term. For example, in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology this year, participants played either a violent or non-violent video game for 20 minutes per day over 3 days. After playing the game, they then played a competitive task in which, if they won, they could blast their opponent with an unpleasant noise. The researchers found that participants who played violent games blasted their opponents in the secondary task for longer, which was interpreted as an increase in aggressive behaviour.
However, it also depends on the context in which these sorts of games are played. A study by Seth Gitter and colleagues, published in Aggressive Behaviour this year, showed that if participants were asked to play a violent video game with a positive goal in mind (for example, protecting a friend in a zombie game), they showed reduced levels of aggressive behaviour compared to participants who were asked to simply kill as many zombies as possible. In other words, it's not the simple act of playing violent video games that dictates whether they have a negative effect.
What I found interesting about this article was it stated differences between genres of violent video games. You don't really see that when anyone talks about violent video games especially in the media and in politics.
However, it also depends on the context in which these sorts of games are played. A study by Seth Gitter and colleagues, published in Aggressive Behaviour this year, showed that if participants were asked to play a violent video game with a positive goal in mind (for example, protecting a friend in a zombie game), they showed reduced levels of aggressive behaviour compared to participants who were asked to simply kill as many zombies as possible. In other words, it's not the simple act of playing violent video games that dictates whether they have a negative effect.
What I found interesting about this article was it stated differences between genres of violent video games. You don't really see that when anyone talks about violent video games especially in the media and in politics.