Research confirms a link between violent games and aggression

In the latest controversy over violent games: Research shows players can become more aggressive.

An international study of 17,000 people aged 9 to 19, from 2010 to 2017, found that violent games increased aggression over time.

Analysis of 24 studies from countries including the US, Canada, Germany and Japan found that people who played violent games like “Grand Theft Auto”, “Call of Duty” and “Manhunt” often exhibited behaviors like was sent to the superintendent’s office (principal) for fighting or hitting a non-family member.

“While there is no definitive research project, the goal of our research was to provide clear, up-to-date feedback on the key issues in this topic,” said Jay Hull, who led the published study. published this past Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

“Based on our findings, we feel violent games are closely related to an increase in aggressive behavior,” says Hull – Hull is chair of the social sciences department. at the Dartmouth Colloge and is a professor of psychology and brain science.

Violent games have always been a hot topic for more than a decade of gaming. Research on the potential for increased violence in video games has increased dramatically after Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two young men who participated in the Columbine school massacre, both played the shooter game. The first is named “Doom.”

But the Supreme Court in 2011 overturned a decision banning the sale of violent video games to minors in California. Court owner Antonin Scalia found no link between the game and aggression. “These studies were rejected in court for one reason: They did not prove violent video games made adolescents more aggressive,” Antonin wrote.

Since then, the American Psychological Association has reported in 2015 that found a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior in players, but there was not enough evidence to conclude that video games lead to crime.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump held a video game conference a month after the February massacre that killed 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland. Before the meeting, Trump said, “I’m hearing more and more people say that the level of violence in video games is shaping young minds.”

The Darmouth researchers wanted to reduce the confusion in this study – including the controversy surrounding the link between violent games and aggression – with a clearly structured analysis.

“Those who participated in the study who had played violent video games, regularly or not, were likely to have increased aggressive behavior.” This study coincides with previous research by Hull that violent video game play doubled the likelihood of being called to the supervisor’s office (principal) for fighting during the eight-month study period.

“The link is quite small, but the statistics show it’s believable. That the influence persists,” said Hull.

While the study did not show that violent games lead to criminal behavior, previous Hull research has shown that players may engage in risky behaviors such as careless driving and excessive alcohol consumption. , smoking and unprotected sex.

“A lot of people ask, do games like this really make children more aggressive? I’d say it’s possible,” Hull said. “The other possibility is if it really is a very bad signal. If your child plays these games, either these games influence what behavior is right and wrong behavior or they make your child form a new right/wrong idea and that’s why they are rejected. fascinated by these games. Either way, you should be concerned about them.”

In the study, Hull and the authors hope these findings will help research move beyond “the question of whether violent video games increase aggression, and towards questions about why, when, and who will suffer those effects.”