Violent Video Games and Attitudes Towards Victims of Crime

2016 ◽  
pp. 704-722
Author(s):  
Lavinia McLean ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Young People ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
The Relationship

Previous research has indicated that playing violent video games may be associated with an increase in acceptance of violence and positive attitudes towards perpetrators of crime. This study is the first to investigate the relationship between playing violent video games and attitudes towards victims of crime. A total of 206 young people (aged 12-24 years) completed measures of attitudes towards victims and violent video game exposure. The results suggest that exposure to violent video games is associated with less concern being reported for victims of crime. Young people who play more violent video games reported less concern for general victims and for culpable victims, and these effects cannot be explained by gender or age differences. The results are discussed in relation to relevant research in the area, along with recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Violent Video Games and Attitudes Towards Victims of Crime

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavinia McLean ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Young People ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
The Relationship

Previous research has indicated that playing violent video games may be associated with an increase in acceptance of violence and positive attitudes towards perpetrators of crime. This study is the first to investigate the relationship between playing violent video games and attitudes towards victims of crime. A total of 206 young people (aged 12-24 years) completed measures of attitudes towards victims and violent video game exposure. The results suggest that exposure to violent video games is associated with less concern being reported for victims of crime. Young people who play more violent video games reported less concern for general victims and for culpable victims, and these effects cannot be explained by gender or age differences. The results are discussed in relation to relevant research in the area, along with recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Gamers’ Attitudes towards Victims of Crime

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavinia McLean ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
Game Players

Research on video game playing has focused mainly on the effects of such games in relation to aggression and attitudes towards perpetrators and towards crime. The present research was designed to investigate gamers’ attitudes towards victims of crimes and incidents that were designed to mirror those portrayed in violent video games. Vignettes were used during interviews to explore 50 participants’ attitudes towards different types of victims. The results indicate that long-term playing of violent video games appears to be associated with more negative attitudes towards victims of crime. This is the first study to directly explore attitudes towards victims of crime, in relation to violent video game exposure. Compared to nonviolent video game players, the violent video game players in the study reported less positive attitudes towards the victims in the study and attributed more blame to the victims. The implications of this finding in the context of previous research on violent video games, and on attitudes are explored. Directions for future research in the area are also highlighted.

Exploring the Effects of Violent Video Games on Healthcare Trainees

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-665
Author(s):  
Karlie A. Krause ◽  
Chelsie Smyth ◽  
Kate L. Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Distress Scale

Background. The prevalence of video game play has continued to increase. Previous literature has suggested negative emotional consequences related to violent video game play, such as an increase in aggression and decrease in empathy. Healthcare providers require high levels of empathy to effectively work with patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of video games on empathy on a sample of graduate-level healthcare trainees. Methods. A sample of 81 students on a healthcare campus completed a 30-item survey assessing video game habits and empathy levels. Participants were then placed into two groups (violent and non-violent) based on the amount of video game violence they are exposed to. Results. The results revealed no differences between healthcare trainees on overall empathy. A follow-up analysis examining individual subscales that comprise the overall empathy score, indicated the violent video game players had lower scores on the Personal Distress scale. Conclusion. Findings suggest that healthcare trainees who play violent video games do not experience decreased Empathic Concern or Perspective Taking, compared to individuals who do not play violent games. However, healthcare trainees who play violent video games indicated lower levels of Personal Distress. Given the intensity in healthcare settings, findings suggest violent video game play may be adaptive to healthcare trainees, as lower personal distress can lead to better decision-making and potentially prevent burnout. Further research is necessary to determine the role of video game play in healthcare professionals.

scholarly journals Moral Disengagement Strategies in Videogame Players and Sports Players

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Lavinia McLean ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Video Gamers ◽  
The Relationship

Research in the area of video game play and sports psychology has suggested that specific strategies are often employed by players to justify aggressive behaviour used during gameplay. The present study investigates the relationship between game play and moral disengagement strategies in a group of 605 adults who played violent videogames or regularly played competitive sports. The results suggest that sports players were more likely than violent game players to endorse moral disengagement strategies. The video gamers were more likely to use a specific set of moral disengagement strategies (i.e., cognitive restructuring) than the other groups and this may be related to the structural characteristics of videogames. The findings add to recent research exploring the mechanisms by which individuals engage in aggressive acts both virtually and in real-life situations. The results are discussed in relation to similar relevant research in the area, along with recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Pengaruh Perilaku Bermain Video Game Berunsur Kekerasan Terhadap Perilaku Agresi Remaja

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Nadia Itona Siregar ◽  
Pudji Muljono
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Video Game Playing ◽  
Violent Video Game

 The development of today's technology so rapidly, this development affects the audio-visual media one of which is video games. The aim of this study are: 1) to analyze the differences influence the level of violent video game playing element to the level of adolescent aggressive behavior, 2) to analyze the influence of personal factors as differences in behavior-forming element violent video games to the level of adolescent aggressive behavior, 3) to analyze differences in the effect of factors situational as forming behavior of violent video game playing element to the level of adolescent aggressive behavior. The analysis in this study uses cross tabulation, the statistical test Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis with a 5% significance level. The results showed that there are differences in the level of situational and gender differences on the level of play behavior element violent video games; and there are differences in the level of playing video games behavioral element of violence against adolescent aggressiveness level.Keywords: audio-visual media, development of technology -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRAKPerkembangan teknologi saat ini begitu pesat, perkembangan ini mempengaruhi media audio-visual salah satunya adalah video game. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah: 1) untuk menganalisis perbedaan yang memengaruhi elemen tingkat kekerasan bermain video game ke tingkat perilaku agresif remaja, 2) untuk menganalisis pengaruh faktor pribadi sebagai perbedaan dalam elemen perilaku pembentuk video game kekerasan untuk tingkat perilaku agresif remaja, 3) untuk menganalisis perbedaan pengaruh faktor situasional sebagai pembentuk perilaku bermain video game unsur kekerasan ke tingkat perilaku agresif remaja. Analisis dalam penelitian ini menggunakan tabulasi silang, uji statistik Mann-Whitney dan Kruskal-Wallis dengan tingkat signifikansi 5%. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada perbedaan dalam tingkat perbedaan situasional dan jenis kelamin pada tingkat perilaku bermain elemen video game kekerasan; dan ada perbedaan dalam tingkat bermain video game unsur perilaku kekerasan terhadap tingkat agresivitas remaja.Kata kunci: media audio-visual, perkembangan teknologi

scholarly journals Exploring the Mediating Effect of Psychological Engagement on the Relationship between Child-to-Parent Violence and Violent Video Games

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2845
Author(s):  
Ana Ruiz-Fernández ◽  
Miriam Junco-Guerrero ◽  
David Cantón-Cortés
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Psychological Engagement ◽  
The Relationship

Research into the effects of violent video games on levels of aggression has raised concerns that they may pose a significant social risk, especially among younger people. The objective of this study was to analyze, through structural equation models, the mediating role of psychological engagement in the relationship between the consumption of violent video games and child-to-parent violence (CPV) against the mother and the father. The sample consisted of 916 students from the third and fourth grades of compulsory secondary education, first and second grades of high school, and first cycle of vocational training (483 males and 433 females), of whom a total of 628 were video game players, aged between 13 and 19. The exposure to video games was assessed through an author-elaborated questionnaire, engagement was evaluated with the game engagement questionnaire, and CPV was assessed through the child-to-parent aggression questionnaire. The structural equation models indicated that exposure to violent video games was related to lower rates of CPV against both parents. Conversely, the flow (a sense of being in control, being one with activity, and experiencing distortions in the perception of time) dimension of engagement positively correlated with the level of CPV against the mother, whereas the flow and absorption (total engagement in the current experience) dimensions correlated with CPV against the father. In conclusion, the results confirm the role of violent video game consumption, reducing CPV rates against both parents, a role that is offset to the extent that these violent games provoke engagement in the user.

Violent Video Games Prime Both Aggressive and Positive Cognitions

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Bösche
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Associative Structure ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
History Of ◽  
Positive Cognitions

Previous studies have shown that violent video games prime aggressive thoughts and concepts. Interestingly, positively valenced test stimuli are rarely used in this field, though they might provide useful information on the nature of the emotional response to virtual violence and its associative structure. According to the General Aggression Model (GAM) and its extensions ( Carnagey, Anderson, & Bushman, 2007 ), normal negative reactions to violence are expected. Alternatively, playing violent video games might be construed as engaging in positively valenced playful fighting behavior. To test the potential of violent video games to prime positive concepts, N = 29 adult males played either a violent or a nonviolent video game for 20 minutes and were subsequently tested in a standard lexical decision task consisting of positive, aggressive, nonaggressive negative, and neutral target words. The data show that the violent video game primed aggressive concepts as expected, but also raised positive concepts, and did so independently of the participants’ history of playing violent video games. Therefore, the results challenge the idea that violent video games inherently stimulate negative concepts only.

Playing Video Games Cooperatively Increases Empathic Concern

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 408-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Greitemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Video Game Play ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Cooperative Team

Two studies addressed whether playing video games cooperatively in a team would increase emphatic concern toward others in need. Study 1 showed that cooperative team-play ameliorates the negative effects of violent video game play on empathy. Both those participants who had played a violent video game cooperatively in a team and participants who had played a neutral video game on their own reported more empathy than participants who had played a violent video game on their own. Study 2 showed that cooperative teamplay does not only ameliorate negative effects of violent video games, but may also foster consideration for others. In fact, playing a neutral video game cooperatively in a team (relative to single-play) increased empathy.

scholarly journals Violent video game engagement is not associated with adolescents' aggressive behaviour: evidence from a registered report

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 171474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. Przybylski ◽  
Netta Weinstein
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Aggressive Behaviour ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Nonlinear Parabolic ◽  
Game Engagement ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Robust Evidence

In this study, we investigated the extent to which adolescents who spend time playing violent video games exhibit higher levels of aggressive behaviour when compared with those who do not. A large sample of British adolescent participants ( n = 1004) aged 14 and 15 years and an equal number of their carers were interviewed. Young people provided reports of their recent gaming experiences. Further, the violent contents of these games were coded using official EU and US ratings, and carers provided evaluations of their adolescents' aggressive behaviours in the past month. Following a preregistered analysis plan, multiple regression analyses tested the hypothesis that recent violent game play is linearly and positively related to carer assessments of aggressive behaviour. Results did not support this prediction, nor did they support the idea that the relationship between these factors follows a nonlinear parabolic function. There was no evidence for a critical tipping point relating violent game engagement to aggressive behaviour. Sensitivity and exploratory analyses indicated these null effects extended across multiple operationalizations of violent game engagement and when the focus was on another behavioural outcome, namely, prosocial behaviour. The discussion presents an interpretation of this pattern of effects in terms of both the ongoing scientific and policy debates around violent video games, and emerging standards for robust evidence-based policy concerning young people's technology use.

scholarly journals Stop or Go? Playing Violent Games Reduces Inhibitory Control in Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Miedzobrodzka ◽  
Frederick Waiyaki ◽  
Jacek Buczny ◽  
Elly Konijn
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Violent Video Game ◽  
Control Study

Despite growing body of research on video games effect on enhanced cognitive functioning, a relationship between violent video game exposure (VVGE) and inhibitory control is still poorly understood. Investigating inhibitory control mechanisms in relation to VVGE may help to better explain processes underlying aggression. This holds especially for adolescent players, who often play M-rated violent video games, and whose ability to inhibit responses is still developing. In two studies performed in adolescent samples we examined how habitual VVGE may be related to inhibitory control (Study 1; N = 151) and whether inhibitory control can be affected by 30-minute violent video gameplay (Study 2; N = 63). Inhibitory control in both studies was measured with well-validated Stop-Signal Task. Results of the Study 1 showed that VVGE was related lower inhibitory control. Results of the experimental Study 2 supported a causal relationship: participants who played a violent video game showed reduced inhibitory control compared to those who played a non-violent game. Our findings bring new theoretical and empirical insights into violent video games research and highlight the importance of studying inhibitory control as a possible mechanism underlying aggression in adolescents. Based on the current correlational and experimental evidence, future studies should also investigate long-term effects on VVGE on development of inhibitory control in adolescents.

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