Australian Study "Confirms Dangers of Violent Videogames"

[The Critic]

But Dr. Brock Bastian of the University of Queensland's School of Psychology says fears about the influence of violent games are well-founded, as his new study has found that people who play these games tend to see their opponents, and even themselves, as "lacking in core human qualities such as warmth, open-mindedness and intelligence."

Apparently he's never used the internet!

That's a really good one.

Think about it, if you replaced "videogames" with "the internet" in this study, would the results make more sense?

But seriously, a lack of warmth is being blamed on videogames? Isn't that caused by, you know, being misanthropic, angry, frustrated, alienated, irritated, or teenaged (the "all-of-the-above" option)? How do you even measure human warmth, anyway?

 

[theriddlen]

Oh, you silly university people. You are saying it's bad that players don't recognize their enemies in games as humans. From my point of view it would be wrong if players thought of them as humans and proceeded to kill them with that mindset - but they don't, they are fully aware of difference between the real world and the game world, they know that npcs are not humans, but mere polygon models with human-ish looking texture stretched over them. I wish those people who are so quick to attack games would also be able to distinguish real life from the imaginative one.

 

[Gyron]

I've always thought the USA was a little backward on that one.

Canada too. Excessive violence, whatever, but a single exposed nipple and 300 boycott groups rally with the slogan "Think of the Children". The Hypocrisy always astounds me.

 

[LordFisheh]

"diminished one's humanity"

Anyone using those words in a rational study needs their brain looking at. Subjective nonsense such as 'being human' has no place in science.

I'm also interested in the idea of in game opponents being 'dehumanised' - of course they're being gorram dehumanised. Not only are they not human anyway, but dehumanisation is a naturally ingrained instinct against any opponent. If the study is right and it is triggered in games too, that still doesn't suggest it carries over to non-hostile situations in real life or reduces empathy.

Then there's not only that playing multiplayer and single player look and sound incredibly similar but that anyone with a basic grasp on reality knows that even in multiplayer, the thing being 'killed' is a picture, not the other player in the flesh.

 

[tavelkyosoba]

"The findings of Study 2 also showed that simply playing a violent game with another person did not affect perceptions of their humanity. Ratings of other people's humanity were only lowered when the other was the target of cyber-violence, not when the other was a co-perpetrator of that violence," Dr Bastian said.

I wonder how playing a video game stacks up against playing any competitive sport in this regard.

Exactly what I was thinking. As far as I can tell, they didn't do a non-violent but still highly competitive control like a racing game.

I also want to know if they tested for both immediate and lingering "loss of humanity."

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

"New research by Dr Brock Bastian from UQ's School of Psychology has found evidence that playing violent video games leads players to see themselves, and their opponents, as lacking in core human qualities such as warmth, open-mindedness, and intelligence." (From one of the linked articles)

How do they measure how lacking in core human qualities these people think they are, because apparently that's the independent variable? Seems kinda screwy to me. Do they use a survey, psychoanalysis of some sort, or just regular observances? It all seems a bit too subjective really, and considering that he looks like he had a bias going into this that subjectivity is pretty damning. And what kind of correlation does a diminished belief in one's own humanity have with violence? Strong or weak? Positive or negative? They should give us some more of this guy's information.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

"lacking in core human qualities such as warmth, open-mindedness and intelligence."
Wow, videogames cause lacking open mindedness? This must mean anti videogame groups, such as hardliner republicans, are playing Mortal Kombat 24/7!

:O

 

[DrunkWithPower]

Don't quote me on this but the last time I read a history book, I'm pretty sure there was violence back then too. Give a person a stick and I'm sure they'll find a reason to beat the ever loving shit out of the person next to them.

I'm waiting for the study that concludes that we are all stone cold nuts, with or without any incentives.

 

[tavelkyosoba]

I found the paper at my university library. The "equally competitive" non-violent game is Top-Spin.


Top Spin. Let that sink in.

To quelch your curiosities on what "humanness" is...

"Humanness: Participants then rated themselves [immediately following a 15 minute play session] on 8-items adapted from Bastian and
Haslam (2010) assessing the attribution of Human Nature (4-items; e.g., ―I felt like I was
open minded, like I could think clearly about things‖, ―I felt that I was emotional, like I was
responsive and warm‖, ―I felt superficial like I had no depth‖ (reversed),... "


The cooperative part used the Call of Duty 2 co-op campaign, and had the same results as the first part.


Title: Cyber-Dehumanization: Violent video game play diminishes our humanity
Authors: Brock Bastian, Jolanda Jettena, Helena Radkea
Journal: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (in press, accepted manuscript available online)


I have to point out that the study only examined short-term effects, i.e. mood changes, and did NOT study if the violent impressions were enduring. The questionnaires were given immediately after the play sessions, and were not repeated again at a later time for control purposes. I find that the most eyebrow raising part of the study, especially considering that publicity for the document doesn't point this out.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

It's true! I just got done playing Dark Souls and I recently lost all my humanity.

*Cry*

Ok, that was hilarious. Bravo.
OP: Wait till peer review.

 

[Pyramid Head]

I suppose "Australia releases another biased and half-assed study declaring the dangers of video games" would have been too confrontational of a topic title. If he didn't release the specifics of the studies and his methods and shows a clear bias, he can't be trusted. And seeing as how the study was done only with two games, you're free to argue that he didn't do anywhere near enough work to come to a proper conclusion.

 

[ResonanceGames]

How do you even measure human warmth, anyway?

When you're doing science this shoddy, you probably just measure their aura with a dowsing rod.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

What a stupid ****. Dangers of video games? Video games are a common thing today, like television. So why aren't we all mindless killers then? These idiots act as if everything was peachy in the world before video games were invented.

 

[Hydro14]

The specifics of the study weren't revealed

In other words it hasn't been subject to peer review and has bypassed due academic process. Nothing to see here. Just another alarmist with no credibility; though it's rather concerning that a university appears to be able to get away with such tactics just because it's video games they're bashing.

 

[Xariat]

the study is Australian, of course it "confirms" the danger of voilent videogames, if it busted the theory about how voilent videogames makes us violent it would have been a much more interesting story.

 

[tavelkyosoba]

The specifics of the study weren't revealed

In other words it hasn't been subject to peer review and has bypassed due academic process. Nothing to see here. Just another alarmist with no credibility; though it's rather concerning that a university appears to be able to get away with such tactics just because it's video games they're bashing.

It's not hidden

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.320938-Australian-Study-Confirms-Dangers-of-Violent-Videogames#13119565

 

[marurder]

I'd want to hear specifics, but I think the author of this article (Andy Chalk) also had some preconceptions before he wrote that post...

 

[tavelkyosoba]

I'd want to hear specifics, but I think the author of this article (Andy Chalk) also had some preconceptions before he wrote that post...

It's like I read your mind right?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.320938-Australian-Study-Confirms-Dangers-of-Violent-Videogames#13119565

 

[Sectan]

I'm guessing when radios became mainstream there were people against them and how they destroyed people in some way. Same with television with the same people demonizing television, but just forgetting about how terrible the radio was. Now it's Vidya Games.

 

[sheah1]

How do you even measure human warmth, anyway?

When you're doing science this shoddy, you probably just measure their aura with a dowsing rod.

Really? I thought it was similar to what they do with dogs. You know, hands near genitalia.