Gamers Drawn to Challenge Not Violence, Says Research

Keane Ng

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Gamers Drawn to Challenge Not Violence, Says Research



Research by the University of Rochester [http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3303] shows that gamers are more drawn to challenge and problem solving than violence in games.


The research, which was conducted through two online surveys and four experimental studies, showed that "people stayed glued to games mainly for the feelings of challenge and autonomy while playing. Both seasoned gamers and novices preferred games where they could conquer obstacles, feel effective, and have lots of choices about their strategies and actions."

The studies asked more than 300 undergraduates to play versions of Half-Life 2 and The House of the Dead III, which the researchers had modified into violent and non-violent variations. For Half-Life 2, players had the choice of a "a bloody battle against computer-controlled adversaries or a low violence alternative, in which the robots were tagged and teleported serenely back to base." Meanwhile, The House of the Dead III was available with varying levels of violence, from no blood to excessive gore.

The results were fairly straightforward. "For the vast majority of players, even those who regularly play and enjoy violent games, violence was not a plus," Andrew Przybylski, the lead author of the study, said. "Violent content was only preferred by a small subgroup of people that generally report being more aggressive."

The research reinforces the idea that the only reason violence is so prevalent in games is because violent situations and activities are an effective vehicle for the challenge and problem solving that make games compelling. "Conflict and war are a common and powerful context for providing the experiences, but it is the need for satisfaction in the gameplay that matters more than the violent content itself," Richard Ryan, co-author of the research, said.

Which leaves us with the dilemma of how developers can start creating more games that manage to be satisfying and compelling without making them violent. Killing and bloodshed has always been profitable, many have assumed, because that's what gamers want. That's apparently not true, but will publishers see it that way when they look at the top of the sales charts [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88727-Wii-Play-Top-Seller-of-2008] and see almost every non-Nintendo game involves shooting up either gangsters, Japanese soldiers or aliens? Scott Rigby, another co-author of the research, would hope so. "Much of the debate about game violence has pitted the assumed commercial value of violence against social concern about the harm it may cause," Rigby said. "Our study shows that violence may not be the real value component, freeing developers to design away from violence while at the same time broadening their market."

[Via GameCulture [http://www.gameculture.com/node/1033]]

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PedroSteckecilo

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Feb 7, 2008
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Personally I would say I'm more into Fun Factor, Immersion and Story than I am into either Violence OR Challenge, hence why I really love the new Prince of Persia despite it's lack of "real" violence or challenge.
 

xitel

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Aug 13, 2008
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PedroSteckecilo said:
Personally I would say I'm more into Fun Factor, Immersion and Story than I am into either Violence OR Challenge, hence why I really love the new Prince of Persia despite it's lack of "real" violence or challenge.
Yeah, I have to agree with you, although for me challenge does add to the fun factor.
 

TheGreenManalishi

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Fun, challenge, violence. different games offer different experiences, just like films. why has no 'study' said this before?
 

NoSeraph

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I'm always a bit sceptical of studies like this. Of course, I didn't read through the entire study itself, but the article makes some rather vapid statements about their conclusions of video gaming (people enjoy challenges and accomplishing things). Well, naturally - who doesn't want to get things done and feel important about his or her role?

They did make one good point in this study, though: the reason that we see so many games based around war is that it makes for a good story/experience, not because we enjoy seeing limbs blown off (although this may contribute to the good experience).
 

stompy

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You know, Portal managed to drastically reduce the amount of violence in the game (there was a bit of blood), and it's praised by the majority of gamers.
 

Erana

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I'm sorry, but a resounding DUH DUCK is called for.
Gamers are not a bunch of bellicose neanderthals, but it is nice to see this being recognised as a study.
 

PirateKing

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This is an interesting little article.
I think it kind of explains why I don't like Left 4 Dead. I didn't feel like I was affecting the game world even thought it's pretty violent. But why I love Psychonauts even though it's fairly cartoony.
 

Sewblon

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In a single player context I expect either a good story, a fair amount of challenge and options, or preferably both. In a multiplayer context I expect manifold options and challenges to provide the potential for intricate tactics and fierce competition.
 

Jumplion

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I wholely disagree with this research data! I'm playing Fallout 3 right now and as soon as I got the bloody mess perk I started killing everyone! Who wouldn't like that kind of violence?
 

FalloutJack

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I will admit to liking violence. That being said, I'm something of an advocate that gaming violence is a necessary thing in this world. I believe that it's not so much the cause, as the conclusion. People get riled up and have frustrations. They need an acceptable outlet. Firing into a horde of zombies and demons is far more acceptable than going postal, which is why I say that the effect is theraputic.

Now, there are plenty of arguments, studies, and outcries that violent video games cause violence. And frankly, it's gotten so out of hand that even Yahtzee's commented, though wryly. My thought on the matter is this: It's not because there's something wrong with the game. It's because there's something about the gamer himself that flails out of control. I like violence, to a high degree. I think the idea of Death Race as a Christmas-time movie-sell was funny as hell, and fully believe that it SHOULD have been called Twisted Metal: The Movie. But I am also a well-to-do college graduate who has never broken the law or even been accused of a crime, helpful of others, and a good sport even while PLAYING.

There was a report of a guy shooting his parents because they took away his Halo. That would be a severe charge to the gaming issue, especially since he confessed that he didn't realize the consequences of his actions (due to his obsession), but that actually strengthens the case that it's not the game that's at fault. It's his head going off the wall. I may not like Halo, but it was the OBSESSION that did it, not the game itself.
 

WolfThomas

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Dec 21, 2007
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nathan-dts said:
mattttherman3 said:
Violence alone never makes a game fun I'm afraid.
Condemned and Manhunt beg to differ.
Condemned was fun, because it managed to capture a horror vibe perfectly. That said my favourite level was in condemned two was the hunting lodge (after the bear), where there was no supernatural stuff or crazy homeless, just a spooky lodge filled with enemy soldiers and I became the monster in the shadows picking them off. The role reversal was great.
 

Highlandheadbanger

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nathan-dts said:
mattttherman3 said:
Violence alone never makes a game fun I'm afraid.
Condemned and Manhunt beg to differ.
Sorry mate, as a Condemned fan, I was more drawn to the horror that the game so perfectly embodied. I loved the feeling of isolation and the sense of feeling hunted, especially in Manhunt.
 

Hunde Des Krieg

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I just like semi realism, and violence is part of reality. I don't know why the powers that be want to censor reality so badly.