“Playing video games can increase aggressive behavior and thoughts while at the same time lessening empathy and sensitivity toward aggression.”² The interactive and encompassing nature of video games provides stimulus that increase players aggression in the short and long term. “In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. As the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts [they] become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise.”¹
In a study published in the American Psychological Association Journal they found that even brief exposure to violent games can increase aggressive behavior in all participants no matter their age, gender, or length of time playing the game. One of the reasons for this is that video games have the player identify with the aggressor.² There is a positive correlation between increased aggression and the use of violent video games.³
Violent Video Games can Increase Aggression¹ Karen E. Dill, PhD - American Psychological Association
“They are interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor"
“...even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants."
“In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts."
"Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting…as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that...become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise."
The Relation of Violent Video Games to Adolescent Aggression³ Rong Shao and Yunqiang Wang - Frontiers in Psychology
“For all individuals a positive correlation was found between personal aggression and violent video games”
“For those with good family situations violent video games only affected aggression but those with more unstable families reported a change in aggression as well as impacting their normative belief about aggression”
“Exposure to violent video games significantly predicts adolescent aggression”
“According to Bandura’s social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1989), violent video games can initiate adolescents’ observational learning. In this situation, not only can they imitate the aggressive behavior of the model but also their understanding and acceptability about aggression may change. Therefore, normative beliefs about aggression can also be a mediator between violent video games and adolescent aggression.”
“Violent video games can make teenagers acquire, repeat, and reinforce aggression-related knowledge structures, including aggressive beliefs and attitude, aggressive perceptual schemata, aggressive expectation schemata, aggressive behavior scripts, and aggression desensitization. Therefore, aggressive personality is promoted, increasing the possibility of aggressive behavior.”
Study confirms link between violent video games and physical aggression
Mike Snider - USA TODAY
A study conducted over a 7 year period looking at 17,000 adolescents confirms that violent video games increases physical aggression.
“If your kids are playing these games, either these games are having a warping effect on right and wrong, or, they have a warped sense of right or wrong and that’s why they are attracted to these games. Either way you should be concerned about it."
Violent Video Games Are Linked to Aggression² Alexandra Sifferlin - Time
The American Psychology Association (APA) task force reviewed over 100 studies on violent video games and found that playing video games can increase aggressive behavior and thoughts while lessening empathy and sensitivity toward aggression.
“The link between violence in video games and increased aggression in players is one of the most studied and best established in the field.”
To view original APA press release click here
Violent Video Games and Aggression Lauren Goldbeck and Alex Pew - National Center for Health Research
“Playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both the short-term and long-term. Violent video games can also desensitize people to seeing aggressive behavior and decrease prosocial behaviors such as helping another person and feeling empathy (the ability to understand others)."
"The longer that individuals are exposed to violent video games, the more likely they are to have aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.”
“The American Psychological Association (APA) considers violent video games a risk factor for aggression.”