Poll: Aggression and Video Games

[Fdzzaigl]

I definitely think video games cause an increased amount of aggression, especially competitive multiplayer ones. That said, many things in life cause an increased amount of aggression, yet they're not constantly pointed at as potential brain-washing tools.

The problem with studies on this, is that I've literally never seen a single study that compared aggressive behaviour when playing video games to aggressive behaviour when playing something like a football match, or even to kids playing together in the garden. If you've ever observed kids or even adults playing together like that, you'd know that there's usually a ton of aggression involved with that too. It's not logical to draw a conclusion which somehow assumes a screen between the players makes the effects worse.

Next to my workplace we have a small football (for you Americans, I mean soccer) field which is often claimed by kids from around. Every night at 20:00 we have to close the field, which is invariably followed by aggressive kids, screaming and yelling and cursing. Not unlike the videos you see when parents try to interrupt their kids who are just in the middle of a raid in WoW.

It's up to the kids to learn to channel that aggression and up to the parents to spend enough time with them to teach them how to do so.

 

[Kyrian007]

I guess I can only speak for myself, but I had to vote no. I deal with a lot of pointless corporate BS in my job. Sometimes after I get done I have to head to the batting cages, or a driving range to dent the crap out of the cart guy's cart, or just go into my garage to work over my heavy bag. In other words: I have to hit something... lots. My job and some of the people I have to deal with while doing my job without any doubt causes aggression. I often have a lot of aggression after work and have to concentrate to not let it ignite into road rage on the drive home. However; I get home and fire up a violent videogame and indulge in a "spree" of some kind of violence...

And after 15 or so minutes I'm content and getting sleepy. Kind of the opposite of aggression. More of a pacification. If there was a poll asking if videogames decreased aggression... I'd have to vote yes.

 

[DementedSheep]

Whenever you see a study that is about whether X causes Y it usually doesn't mean in 100% of cases. It means dose it increases the frequency of Y? Even if you don't match it that doesn't mean the study is automatically BS. On top of that very few people are going to answer yes to a question like do you have Y negative personality trait and was it caused by X.
For my personal opinion, do violent or competitive video games increase aggression? probably but so do a lot of things. I don't think it's bad enough to be a problem.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

It does quite the opposite for me... I find focussing my efforts on a game can relax me if I am already in a foul mood.

Saying that, however; I don't play online or against any live opponents. Exerience will show that you are unlikely to calm down when human error or imcompetance is brought into the equation effecting your own. At least if I mess up a game it is on me... I can hardly see my stress levels depleting when faces with foul-mouthed strangers, with irritating accents and a severe lack of decent vocabluary!

 

[MHR]

After some serious mutilation in a game like doom I can feel pretty pumped. Pumped isn't aggression though.

Annoyance/Rage/bad mood can be induced by a variety of multiplayer games for me, but I'm not an aggressive person, and video games haven't changed that. The worst I'll do is be moody and snap at people. The next logical step from that must be a full on psychotic rampage, so I guess I better watch my step, rite?

 

[Phasmal]

Perhaps.

Though I must say I kind of don't get why we collectively care so much.
Let scientists run studies on whatever they want, when we all get so pearl-clutchy and defensive about how WE'RE TOTALLY NOT AGRESSIVE EVER HOW VERY DARE YOU- it just makes us look insecure.

Personally, I think video games might make someone prone to aggression more aggressive.
Or at least, being bad at video games perhaps. It's frustrating when you can't get past something because of a lack of skill on your part.
So we should all hold our heads high and just git gud.

 

[Something Amyss]

WE'RE TOTALLY NOT AGRESSIVE EVER HOW VERY DARE YOU- it just makes us look insecure.

Yes, but I'm not sure that's untrue.

And I think it's particularly telling ho aggressive we get in making this point.

Did you ever read Calvin & Hobbes? There was a strip where Calvin said something to the effect of "TV doesn't cause violence. And I'd like to shoot whoever said that."

Every time one of these studies comes up, that's exactly what it looks like to me. It doesn't matter if the research is good, or even what the research actually says, people will try and shoot it down. Often for things the research doesn't say. Anyone who read that GameRant article from the first post without looking up what the APA said on the subject is misinformed, period.

The reality is there is some very solid evidence for a causal link between video games and aggression. This is not the end of the discussion, mind, but it pains me to see people voting against the consensus by roughly 3:1.

 

[Something Amyss]

After some serious mutilation in a game like doom I can feel pretty pumped. Pumped isn't aggression though.

Actually, for these intents and purposes, it is. For more information, look at Gethsemani's post.

Aggression doesn't mean "FUCK YEAH! NOW I'M GONNA GO OUT AND KILL AND RAPE IN REAL LIFE!"

Well, I mean, it can. Those ar still aggressive acts. They're just not the sum total of aggression.

 

[Phasmal]

WE'RE TOTALLY NOT AGRESSIVE EVER HOW VERY DARE YOU- it just makes us look insecure.

Yes, but I'm not sure that's untrue.

And I think it's particularly telling ho aggressive we get in making this point.

Did you ever read Calvin & Hobbes? There was a strip where Calvin said something to the effect of "TV doesn't cause violence. And I'd like to shoot whoever said that."

Every time one of these studies comes up, that's exactly what it looks like to me. It doesn't matter if the research is good, or even what the research actually says, people will try and shoot it down. Often for things the research doesn't say. Anyone who read that GameRant article from the first post without looking up what the APA said on the subject is misinformed, period.

The reality is there is some very solid evidence for a causal link between video games and aggression. This is not the end of the discussion, mind, but it pains me to see people voting against the consensus by roughly 3:1.

Absolutely, I agree. That's kinda what I was trying to say. Poorly, mind you.

I'll freely admit I don't really keep up with these studies except when we have articles about them which are always met with the usual hand-waving. I'd heard of studies finding a decent correlation but not much on causation- though I would not be surprised if there was proof of causal link, I'm just not one for keeping up with the studies because I'm not a scientist nor particularly invested in arguing the point either way.

I mean, as a group we really should think on why we react like this- so what if video games increase aggression? So do things like football, right? And no one's brought the banhammer down on that. It's not the end of the world if it's true.

 

[Something Amyss]

Absolutely, I agree. That's kinda what I was trying to say. Poorly, mind you.

In fairness, not everyone can be as awesome as me.

I'll freely admit I don't really keep up with these studies except when we have articles about them which are always met with the usual hand-waving. I'd heard of studies finding a decent correlation but not much on causation- though I would not be surprised if there was proof of causal link, I'm just not one for keeping up with the studies because I'm not a scientist nor particularly invested in arguing the point either way.

Admittedly, I don't have a psychological background, but I do have enough of an academic background to filter through papers and the like when I care. Of course, the flip side, is I often don't care, and am just looking at these papers to address claims made by people I'm not sure actually read them. The histrionics from gamers gets my attention, so I'll check them out, and the findings are often radically different from what's reported by games "journalists" or complained about by gamers. My super power, basically, is the tool kit to actually research things before I talk about them.

The downside is that I don't have the time to look through the APA's report (note: I keep calling this a study, but I mean report. Any uncorrected use of study for the APA report is simply an oopsie) and all the source studies, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't. But looking at it from a bare bones perspective, it makes a solid link between aggression and video games. The report references studies which have controlled for other factors and find a marked increase in aggression with the sole commonality being video games. There's also been a body of prior work that at least covers temporary increases in aggressive behaviour which is pretty well-established.

The final thing I'd note is that the people behind the study are at least fairly prominent and respected. The value of academic papers is based upon what you can actually demonstrate and academia can be somewhat ruthless when it comes to bad papers, and that can kill a career fast. I'm inclined to believe these studies are legit because the people behind them would be torn to shreds if someone could simply demonstrate the flaws people are claiming. I suspect this is why those two hundred experts signed a letter rather than trying to publish in academia. Basically, they're trying to end-run peer review and the risks associated by appealing to social pressure.

Which works, because gamers are so reactionary. But at the same time, this is a cornerstone of young-Earth creationist apologetics.

I mean, as a group we really should think on why we react like this- so what if video games increase aggression? So do things like football, right? And no one's brought the banhammer down on that. It's not the end of the world if it's true.

Unfortunately, self-reflection doesn't seem to be much of an option. I'm still arguing with people who are trying to tell me that She Who Must Not Be Named is coming to take away their toys, despite three years of inaction and a lack of any foundation or evidence to demonstrate it. And I don't see that changing.

I've spent 30 years listening to rhetoric about how the liberals are going to take America's guns away any minute now. It started, at least as I can recall back under Ronald Reagan, who is responsible for some of California's strict gun laws--and he was a Republican--and has carried on up to Obama being a secret lizard man who's going to declare martial law, then personally go house-by-house removing guns. Now, I'm not here to debate gun controls, or whether liberals or conservatives are right, but the pervasiveness and effectiveness of this kind of scare tactic is incredibly obvious when you look at this.

Perpetual outrage is a useful manipulative tool, and one doesn't need to look too far to see it in action.

 

[Metalmacher]

I think competitive GAMES cause aggression. I don't think it really matters if it's chess, football, or a video game. It's a short term thing, and it seems harmless.

Competition leads to increased aggression and a desire and drive to win. Who'd have thought it?


In other words, I fully agree with this post. Its not "video games", its competition. I know I personally am pretty much totally relaxed when playing single-player, but if I play multiplayer nerves can fray a bit. Look at the average football match and how wound up people can get. Especially the Ultras which can result in people getting STABBED for supporting the opposing team [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/4808246.stm].

You don't get angry when playing single players? Really? You don't get angry when you play an old school platformer, or a souls game, or a Ys game, or Monster Hunter or whatever other hard games are out there? I call bullshit.

 

[Wakey87]

Depends on your personality, I'v played games with my mate and he can get proper pissed off when things don't go his way while I'll just take it with a pinch of salt. I don't think games can give you that personality trait tho.

 

[BarkBarker]

Not everyone can deal with loss well, though my most fuming moments are when a good game suddenly has a bad moment. Not hard, just bullshit. Love turned to hate is powerful. I think games CAN cause aggression...just like most things can in the right person.

 

[major_chaos]

Actually, the effects of violent media upon aggression is fairly well established from reliable sources on a scholastic level.

So here is my honest question for you: If games undeniably cause aggression, how can you support them, let alone play them? If violent media causes aggression isn't it by definition extremely detrimental to society and something that needs to be cast aside? I'm just trying to understand how one can say media has a negative effect without also condemning it.

 

[DEAD34345]

Short term aggression? Of course it does. Anyone who's ever shouted at their TV or monitor can attest to that.

In the long term though, I really doubt it. Actually, if I were to guess (and it really would be nothing more than a guess), I'd say that having a common and easy to access outlet for aggressive feelings probably decreases the compulsion to actually act on those feelings for real.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Yes games can cause aggression. But so can work, relationships, driving, sports, religion and every other thing that causes anger, negative feeling and irritability in a person. Thing is gaming has rarely been linked to violence and its normally and secondary thing anyway. Where as people have beaten or killed over work, relationships, driving, sports and religion. Yet people only pick gaming as its an easy target.

 

[Taggart3131]

I guess it matters on the person themselves not the video game if somebody play a game and then afterwards is mad and wants to cause violence then its the person not the games. If you are so competitive that you just loose it during or after a game then its your fault. I just tired of hearing people on the news say he is aggressive and/or violent because of the games he plays and in my opinion I feel some of the tests might not be thorough enough because you have to look at the persons life and how they control aggression.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Actually, the effects of violent media upon aggression is fairly well established from reliable sources on a scholastic level.

So here is my honest question for you: If games undeniably cause aggression, how can you support them, let alone play them? If violent media causes aggression isn't it by definition extremely detrimental to society and something that needs to be cast aside? I'm just trying to understand how one can say media has a negative effect without also condemning it.

Is aggression negative? I touched on this in my earlier post in this thread, which seems to have gone unnoticed, probably due to its' wall of texty nature. The thing is that most aggression is short-lived, you get pissed at the AI cheating in Civ 5 or the grenade chugging noob in CoD, you curse some and shut the game down in frustration and that's it. After a few minutes you feel better. Aggression also arise from all manners of things, from violent movies to competitive sports to physical discomfort and the list is almost endless.

Aggression is a natural human reaction to threats, challenges and setbacks, it is one of the main motivators we have for getting things done beyond pure survival. Whatever it is aggression meant to incite us into defending against an attacking lion, aggression to make us take back what someone else stole or aggression to protect our group from slander, all aggression is a protective reaction, it is our sympatic nervous systems way of telling us that it is time to do stuff, to set things right.
In modern society the ability to control ones' aggression is paramount, it is arguably on of the most important aspects of self-control that we all have to practice daily. Hence, allowing oneself "controlled aggression" in a safe environment, like your living room, can be argued to be positive. It is far better that you post a rant on the Escapist about how Civ5's AI is a cheating bastard then that you go out, drink too much and pick a fight to vent the same frustration.

We all feel aggression, every day. Aggression on its' own is not dangerous. Aggression can become dangerous when it escalates into conflicts with other people, which is when aggression might lead to violence. The thing that most often connects people who go "postal" is that they had a deep-rooted hatred for something, they had engaged in a conflict with whatever the target of their aggression was (their job, their boss, women, black people etc.) and it was their constant escalation of that conflict pattern that eventually drove them to killing people. Not that they had indulged in some pastimes that served as temporary aggressors.

So how can I play games and still be convinced they can cause aggression? Simple, I don't think some aggression is dangerous. Especially not when taken out on virtual worlds in the confines of my own home.

 

[FalloutJack]

I'm just trying to understand how one can say media has a negative effect without also condemning it.

I'm trying to understand how one can say media has a negative effect with so little evidence of it.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Not any more than any other medium that requires high concentration and can frustrate people when interrupted(if they suffer from poor emotional management).

All games ever do for me, and it's a personal thing, is make me verrrrry lazy.

Still got into the Uni I wanted though, hehe!