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Do video games make you violent or aggressive? It is an endless debate that is not ready to be resolved. However, scientists are still trying to answer this question, and this is the case of this study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
To see more clearly, the Researchers gathered a sample of 166 participants with an average age of 25 from around the world (although a majority were from the United States). All had to actively play video games.
They completed questionnaires on the length of their gaming sessions, but also the type of games they preferred. A battery of psychological tests was also included in this research to assess their level of aggression, narcissism, and their self-esteem.
Surprising results
Among the main conclusions of this work, it can be noted that participants who played violent video games presented higher levels of verbal aggression. Quoted by Psypost, Szymon Olejarnik, a doctoral student at the University of Nottingham, and one of the authors of this study, underlines:
This suggests not only that aggressive behavior depends on personality traits, but also that playing violent video games could be an additional factor that could contribute to aggressive behavior.
He adds: “The more violent video games you play, the more likely you are to be hostile and verbally aggressive in your behavior. This is also true for people with low self-esteem and/or high narcissism. It also appears that players choose violent video games to immerse themselves in undesirable roles, such as thieves or killers.”
The scientist, however, wishes to bring a significant nuance to these conclusions. He explains in fact that they have no proof that violent video games are at the origin of verbal aggression. Clearly, they are linked, but a factor other than video games could also explain the existence of this behavior.
Let us finally remember that no scientific study has ever been able to find a formal link between playing video games and physical violence. In 2021, the researcher, Agne Suziedelyte, from the City University of London, carried out a study on this subject with young boys aged 8 to 18.
She explained in particular:
Taken together, these results suggest that violent video games may agitate children, but that this agitation does not translate into violence against other people – which is the type of violence we are most concerned about. more.
And the researcher warns policies: “Restrictions on the sale of video games to minors are unlikely to reduce violence.“ 8221;
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