NCJ Number
177926
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 1999 Pages: 203-212
Date Published
1999
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the findings of empirical studies that have examined the impact of violent video games on the behavior of users and observers; the research methodologies are critiqued as well.
Abstract
One of the main complaints that has consistently been made against video games is that most of the games feature aggressive elements. This has led many people to assert that this may have a detrimental effect on players and observers of the games. Despite continuing controversy for over 15 years, there has been little systematic research that addresses the issue. Research methodologies have included free play, self-report methods, and experimental studies. The one consistent finding of the majority of studies that have involved very young children, in contrast to those that have involved subjects in their teens and older, is that the children become more aggressive after either playing or watching a violent video game. The measures of aggression, however, have been applied only for a short term immediately after playing or watching a violent video game. All of the studies that have reached this finding, however, have been based on the observation of a child's free play immediately after involvement with the video game. This raises the issue of whether the social context of playing, i.e., whether playing in groups or individuals, with or against each other, may affect the results. Further, there are many different types of video games, each with distinctive qualities. The author concludes that because the available literature is relatively sparse and conflicting, with methodological flaws, it has not yet been determined whether video games promote aggressiveness. 4 tables and 45 references