...bs_bs_banner Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2013, 43, pp. 1862–1868 The changing face of aggression: the effect of personalized avatars in a violent video game on levels of aggressive behavior Jack Hollingdale1, Tobias Greitemeyer2 1 2 University of Sussex, UK University of Innsbruck, Austria Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jack Hollingdale, University of Sussex, Pevensey Building, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK. E-mail: j.hollingdale@sussex.ac.uk doi: 10.1111/jasp.12148 Abstract Video game developments allow players to design their own personalized avatars. Previous research has shown that this capability increases levels of aggression within socially acceptable forms of violence. Using the general aggression model (GAM), the current study examined the effect of avatar personalization on behavioral aggression within a violent video game. Participants who played a violent video game and designed their own avatars were significantly more aggressive than those who played the same violent video game with a generic avatar, and were also more aggressive than those who played the nonviolent video game, regardless of whether or not they designed their own personalized characters. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Games present opportunities to behave in ways that are exhilaratingly wicked and dangerous—out of reach in real life. Freedom from consequences, and hence a feeling of escaping, is...
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...Do Violent Video Games Influence Youth Violence Noel Averruz EN1420 ITT-Technical Institute Ever Since Violent Video Games were invented People have been trying to prove that they influence Violence in Juveniles. Although many prospective studies have been done on video game violence and the affect they have on the youth, none have been able to completely validate the claim that violent video games do influence the youth to become violent in their everyday lives. Out of the many studies that have been done to examined video game violence and the influences it has on player aggression none of the results necessarily tap well into serious aggression or violence. One of these studies was performed by Dr. Ferguson who recruited 302 mainly Hispanic youth between the ages of 10 and 14 years. Dr. Ferguson recruited these youth from some of the most at risk areas for these youth which included places that had neighborhood problems like gangs and rebellion against authority figures. The youth were interviewed twice, once at the beginning of the study and the second time 1 year later. Dr. Ferguson took many variables into consideration like exposure to violence through violent video games and violent TV shows and movies. He also took into consideration the effects of negative life events, negative relationships with adults, negative or delinquent peers. Dr. Ferguson also looked at the youth’s life at home. He took into account how the youth’s communicated with their parents and...
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...television and video games. As individuals in society display more aggressive behaviours in everyday life, researchers have endeavoured to identify the extent of how much violence portrayed in the media affects an individual’s thought, feelings and behaviours. While there is still debate as to whether there is a casual link between media and aggression, or that engaging with it maybe be cathartic, it has become evident that exposure to violence portrayed in the media can have short-term and long-term effects. This literature report will concentrate on reports and research focused on the influence of different types of media on aggression and the levels that these can be interpreted psychologically. Influences of Different Media on Aggression Exposure to violent media and the effect that this can have on an individual has been a topic that has interested researchers and society alike for decades. The likelihood of aggressive behaviour, thoughts and emotions is increased with short-term exposure to violent video games and films. (MVC 2012:337; Anderson 2004:2). Reasons provided for this increase by the Media Violence Commission (2012:337-8) and Myers (2013:378) is neural processes known as priming and mimicry. Priming is a concept in which images can activate thoughts and behaviours. With this theory in mind, when a person is exposed to violent scenes in the media and video games this can trigger aggressive behaviours, feelings and thoughts. For example, after playing a video game...
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...Violence and Children CHAPTER 7 Violent Video Games: The A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND Newest Media Violence Hazard PROFESSIONALS Douglas A. Gentile and Craig A. Anderson Hazard Edited by Douglas A. Gentile In creating this electronic reprint, we have attempted to keep the style, pagination, and format as close to the published form as possible. Nonetheless, some errors may have occurred. If you discover a substantial error, please contact Craig Anderson using the following email address: caa@iastate.edu. Please note that this electronic reprint is provided as a courtesy. Please do not post or distribute this reprint in any fashion that may violate the copyright of the original publisher or the authors. Thank you for your interest in this work. In 1972, a new form of entertainment became commercially available with the release of the video game Pong. In Pong, two players tried to "hit" an electronic "ball" back and forth. From these humble beginnings, a revolution in the entertainment industry was born. Interactive game revenues are now significantly greater than the domestic film industry ("Industrial Strengths," 2000). Worldwide video games sales are now at $20 billion annually (Cohen, 2000). The PlayStation video game console, which began as a side project at Sony, now represents $6 billion of the company's $20 billion in annual sales (Cohen, 2000). It is reasonable to question whether video games may have similar effects to the effects...
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...Effects of Video Game Aggression on Adolescence Aggression Adrienne Nichole Abercrombie Research Methods PSY: 326 Prof. Jennifer Madsen January 7, 2013 The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of video game violence on adolescence aggression. Over the years, the gaming industry has become more advanced and influential. Video games in the past years have advanced with better graphics and more capabilities than ever before. The increasing growth of video game industry has left many of its customers questioning most of the contents of the games that are being purchased. The main concern of many of these customers is the violence that is associated with the games. There have been several studies that have examined the effects that violent video games have on aggression. Huesmann, (2010) conducted a study on violent video games. The studies from this meta-analysis found that violent video games stimulated aggression in the players in the short run and increased the risk for aggressive behaviors by the players later in life. The effects occur for both males and females and for children growing up in Eastern and Western cultures. Konijn, Nije, and Bushman, (2007) conducted a study to examine if violent video games increased aggression if the player identified with the violent game characters. The authors concluded that the most aggressive participants were those who played a violent game and wished they were like a violent character in the game. These results...
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...of Video Game Violence and Profanity in Children and Young Adults Monika Woods Anderson Introduction This paper will discuss research findings on the potential effects of violence and profanity in video games on the children and young adults that play them. I will discuss various research findings, both positive and negative; as well as what conclusions can be drawn from these findings and whether or not additional research could prove to be beneficial in the future. The issue of violent content in video games has become a growing concern over the years to parents as well as scholars and medical professionals. Since the first computer-based video game made was created in 1958; the computer and video game industry has grown tremendously and sales have grossed billions of dollars worldwide. According to our textbook, as many as 67 percent of American heads of households play video games. Technological advancement has changed these games quite a lot in terms of realism and content variety. As games look more and more realistic and present players with real-life situations; People are becoming more worried about whether or not there is any real link between violent content and/or profanity in games and an increase in aggression and/or violent actions in the individuals that play video games. The majority of research examined for this paper concern video game violence in general; but there are also limited studies that explore the prevalence of profanity in video games...
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...playing video games and aggressive behavior between young kids. I believe this article is true about how kids that play violent video games tend to be more aggressive compared to kids that didn’t in a controlled environment. My main question about this article is that they prove that there is a strong correlation between the studies but they also left out other factors like the child’s development of social development and they didn’t have an even amount kids in the same age group so the fact that they used more kids in one age group might of effect the study in their favor to get the results that violent video game do tend to lead to aggressive behavior. Also, the interesting things that I think that they should do is what are the effects long term and short term. 2. I learned that girls in game condition was not related to aggression but, specifically for boys, playing a violent video game lead to more aggression than watching television violence. Which also comes into the development of each sex because boys are more open to the environment of aggression and girls on the other hand are more of the non-aggression and would rather place with dolls. Boys are more open to be aggressive with each other most because of gender roles and the development of hormones. Another fact that I haven’t paid that much attention to because of the acceptance of technology is that the time children spend on media is ten times as much as the time they spend on reading for pleasure. The violent nature...
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...Watching Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior Richie McGinnis Front Range Community College (Psychology 101-004) Required Research Paper Abstract: Ever since video games were created there was a concern about the effects it would have on developing children, there is a fear that the violence contained within these games would cause violent behaviors and increased aggression in children. The experimental study conducted by the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, investigated the claim that there is a difference in aggressive behaviors when children play violent video games versus when they watch violent video games. Fifty-seven children that ranged in age from 10-13 played a violent video game, watched a violent video game, or played a non violent video game. The children were allowed a free play time with the other children after playing the video games to measure any increase in aggressiveness. The results showed only a small increase in aggressiveness with boys who played the violent video games, compared to the boys who did not play. The results showed no significance between video games and aggression in girls. Study of Different Effects of Playing vs. Watching Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior When video games were created, arguments started about what effects they would have on children. Some people suggest video games have no effects on children, and others question how it could not have some sort of a consequence. Video games were created...
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...The changing face of aggression: the effect of personalized avatars in a violent video game on levels of aggressive behavior. Analysis 1.1 Alexis Walker Selitto Playing a video game is a good stress reliever it works especially well when you can immerse yourself in a world of fantasy. Being able to go a step further and create a likeness of yourself makes the experience all the more entertaining and relaxing. There are groups who say that making a likeness of yourself in a video game has a negative effect on a person even when playing a non-violent game they say that the effects on children are worse than in adults. It is said that because one has a likeness in the game they can carry out violent tendencies that would in the real world be illegal. When the player has stopped playing the game their mind is still focused on what they did when playing wither it was raiding a village, killing hordes of demons or suplexing someone from behind. Having an avatar that looks like the player does not cause one to become violent it is the fact that people with aggression problems pick games that would allow them to express their anger and aggression and can not come back to reality once they have been playing and they carry this over into other activities in their lives such as school...
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...The Misconception of Juvenile Video Game Violence The Misconception of Youth Video Game Violence A teen walks into a school with loaded weapon in hand. A young boy steals a vehicle and drives recklessly causing severe harm to others. A young girl sets her house on fire with family members inside. What do these seemingly uncommon crimes have in common? Each juvenile in these examples has played violent video games. Our media that covers these violent crimes is quick to make that point known. Often times they also erroneously blame the playing of violent video games as the root cause of these crimes. Research suggests that violence in video games does not contribute to violence in today’s youth because juvenile crimes have declined as video game popularity has increased; they in fact provide an outlet to express aggression without causing physical harm, and juvenile violence has been more commonly linked to exposure of family violence. When looking at research from the FBI, crime rates involving juveniles over the past 30 years have declined. In fact, in most violent crime categories the crime rate among our youth is at an all-time low (Butts, J. 2013). At first, this information may be hard to believe. It shouldn’t however, because violence among youth commonly ends up making headline national news. For this reason, we end up being exposed to the details on many of these youth related violent crimes. This can make it difficult to put actual facts into...
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... ENG 101-001 04-09-2014 Violent Video Games and Their Alleged Effect Douglas A. Gentile writes that there are positive and negative aspects of video games. If you take video games that do not involve violence, but education instead, you find a positive outcome. Video games could very well be the new form of education to a certain degree. Things like coordination skills, memorization, and even learning a foreign language could be possible outcomes. Violent games on the other hand are a different story in and of themselves. Violent video games are defined as, any game where players can self- inflict harm on something (or someone) in the game. Time is also a huge factor. Putting a school aged kid in front of a violent video game, and allowing him to play for hours a day, will most likely decrease their ability to fulfill academic goals. The answer to this problem is to just limit the amount of time in front of a screen to one or two hours a day (non-academic). Also, limit the amount of violent games and encourage the more educational ones. “The conclusion I draw from the accumulated research is that the question of whether video games are “good” or “bad” for children is oversimplified” (Gentile). The discussion on whether video game play affects sociable behavior could be a matter of dialogue. Several argue that aggression and violence are plagued by video game play, whereas this stance is debatable by others...
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...Name Professor Course Name Date Research Paper Outline Video Games Promote Violent Behaviour in Boys 1) Introduction a. Thesis: Video games promote violent behavior in boys b. Prevalence of violence attributed to video games c. Proportion of boys who are chronic video gamers 2) What is known about violence and video games d. Relationship between video games and aggression e. How video games affect the brain f. How video games have contributed to school shootings g. Other moral concerns concerning video games that promote violence 3) What is not known about video games and violence 4) How to address the problem h. Minor's access to the video games/content i. Other approaches to address the problem 5) Conclusion Video Games Promote Aggressive Behavior in Boys Video games have become an acceptable alternative of leisure, especially with the boys. The video gaming industry has been defined by robust growth over the last decade to a point it has now become an acceptable norm in the society. It is purported to be one of the major gross earner industry racking about 87 billion in 2012 (Robinson 414). Major players within the industry release numerous graphic video games into the market to garner a large customer niche. With advances in technology so does the content in most games become more realistic. This trend worries most social players ranging from parents, teachers, legislators...
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...Video Games and Their Effect on Childhood Development: Exploratory Essay It is no surprise that in the digital age of today- many, if not most children have access to some form of video games. In fact, 48% of American households own some sort of device that can be used for gaming. These devices include computers, video game consoles, smartphones, wireless devices, and handheld gaming systems (Logfren). The number one selling game of 2017 thus far is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, which is a tactical shooting game, number two is For Honor, a combat battle game, and holding on strong four years after initial release, Grand Theft Auto V- an action game based on three criminals, comes in at number seven (Morris). All three of the previously...
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...children who play video games more likely to be violent?” My hypothesis is “Kids who violent video games increases aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, and physiological arousal, and those who play non-violent will lead a happy life. Prior research has found common trends among children's video game play as related to gender, age, interest, creativity, and other descriptors. This study re-examined the previously reported trend by utilizing principal components analysis with variables such as creativity, general characteristics, and problem-solving methods to determine factors that predict greater time spent playing video games among children. Fourth and fifth grade students reported their video game play habits and took a creativity assessment. Principal components analysis revealed factors that predict a child will play video games for greater amounts of time. While previous results showed that video game play does not lower a children creativity, results of this analysis build on these results to show that the most creative children do not tend to play video games as often; other characteristics associated with greater video game play include familiarity with gaming, greater practical but less creative problem-solving strategies, and being less likely to be learning academic content. Implications of these findings are discussed. Another perspective, one less entrenched in debates over the methodology of studying the behavioral effects of video games, comes from Gary...
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...ages 8 to 16 play video games, some spend up to 13 hours a week doing so (Harding). Most of the video games out now include some form of violence. This is a very controversial issue. Some people of the older or “Baby Boomers” generation would blame this on the parents of those children. These violent video games and movies can cause children to desensitize the violence and also cause aggression, but violent video games do not cause violent behavior. Debates about video game violence and player aggression are likely to continue for some time. “…As video games have become more widespread over the past few decades, the incidence rate of criminal youth violence has declined…” (Ferguson 390) In order to keep from behavior becoming an issue with children, parents have to step up and teach them right from wrong and what is good and what is bad. If a television show is on that is provoking violence, then someone needs to point out to the child that it is wrong to fight, curse, etc. Most children learn from experience. As long as they are told what is acceptable from what is not they should have standard morals to know what to do when the parent is not around. It is the parents’ job to be the ones to teach their children the ethics and principles that they want them to follow. When Rihanna’s music video for “Man Down” was released, it sparked a whole new controversy. In her video she shoots the man who raped her while promoting empowerment and self-awareness. Her video did turn out to...
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