THE RECORD
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIDEO GAMES
Research shows that shooter games increase aggression .
BY INGA KIDERRA
MARK APPELBAUM doesn ’ t play video games , but the UC San Diego professor emeritus arguably knows more than anyone about their effects . As chair of the American Psychological Association ’ s ( APA ) Task Force on Violent Media , he spent more than two years leading colleagues on a cross-examination of the best research on video games and violence . Appelbaum recently spoke with Triton to discuss his conclusions .
* Sidebar data taken from the APA Task Force on Violent Media Technical Report on the Review of the Violent Video Game Literature .
In poring over all the research on video games and aggression , did you find anything surprising ? The findings over many studies , ranging from surveys to laboratory , were fairly consistent by the standards of behavioral research . What was surprising was the very wide range of interpretations that were given to these studies — some researchers saw cause for alarm in the data , others dismissed them as meaningless .
We found that active participation in firstperson shooter games is generally followed by an increase in aggressive behavior , feelings and / or ideations . This pattern is not found in every study , and the magnitude of the effect varies from study to study , but on average , it is there — taking the role of the shooter increases aggressive thought , feelings or behaviors . Yet there are many unanswered questions about consequence of this pattern — particularly questions about the consequences in our daily lives , including cumulative effects , any possible relation to long-term behavior and if there is a relation with criminally violent behavior .
It is also important to know that this class of media is protected speech as determined in a 2011 Supreme Court ruling — the content of these types of games cannot be controlled through legislation .
Is anything missing in the research ? What should scientists investigate now ? The effect of violent video game exposure on children remains a concern . Very little research has been conducted with children , and very little research has looked at cumulative effects of exposure over time . Nor has the research analyzed the effects for girls separately from boys , so we don ’ t know whether girls experience the outcomes differently .
We know a lot about risk factors for aggression , such as antisocial personality traits , delinquency , academic achievement level , parental conflict , child and parent aggression , and exposure to delinquent peers . But these factors , for the most part , have not yet been examined in the research on violent video game outcomes .
16 TRITON | WINTER 2016