Researcher Links Violent Video Games To Moral Maturity Development

[Caiphus]

To all: THERE IS NOTHING FUCKING WRONG WITH THE SAMPLE SIZE. Jesus Christ you can do good statistics at n=10 if the effect size is strong enough, n=45 is fine. Small sample size issues don't even work that way, the problems you can get from small sample sizes are incorrect effect size estimates (not reported here, so not an issue) and false negatives (so for example it's possible nonviolent games have the same effect, but because the effect is weaker it was not detected).

I came into the comments to query this because, yeah, my limited stats knowledge (I did stats 108, makes me a pro, I know) was at odds with OP's article. 109 kids seemed like a reasonable sample size. It'd be nice to get a link to the actual study though, you're absolutely right.

It's difficult to tell with the correlation =/= causation stick. It is overused on the internet to handwave stats, but I'm not sure if it's entirely invalid in this case, although you didn't necessarily suggest that it was. It could simply be that children who happen to be morally underdeveloped (whatever that means) are more likely to enjoy and play violent video games.

Edit:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523987.2013.836367

 

[Not Matt]

Spoiler: The reaction of both gamers and anti-gamers at this point

WHY!?! Why do people insist on making these stupid video games=violence researches. killing is bad, we know, we've known that for a long time now. we learned that shortly after we crawl out of our mothers and learn to speak. Get on with it and research something new that might do some good damn good.

 

[Slash2x]

I do not even read these things anymore. This week some team that was paid to be against video game will release a study. Next week a team that was paid to be FOR a study will release a report that says the exact OPPOSITE. How about this, make your own mind up about what violence in games does and tell the reports to screw off.

 

[Scorpid]

See I had the exact opposite thought. When I was playing the first Dawn of War, I had this epic 8 hour battle as tau vs IG and it was the single most bloody grueling fight in my gaming experience. I had like war flashbacks at night anyway that got me to thinking about World War I and if anyone ever really studies that war, you can't come back as anything but a pacifist assuming you're not a psychopath.