Society
Aggression and Violent Media
by Cindy Wagner
Playing video games may lead to more violence than watching TV.
Young people are now spending
more time playing video games than watching television. For parents and educators
concerned with children's exposure to violence, this is not necessarily good news.
A new Michigan State University survey of youths from grade five through
university level found that all are spending as much or more time playing games as
watching television, and that boys spend about twice as much time playing video games as
girls do.
But the violent content of those games, particularly those favored by
males, is of growing concern to families, schools, and policy makers. Gaming is
participatory while television viewing is passive, so the risk may be greater that
exposure to violent games will result in violent behavior, suggests a recent study led by
psychologist Craig A. Anderson of Iowa State University.
"The impact of exposure to violent video games has not been studied
as extensively as the impact of exposure to TV or movie violence," the researchers
write in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. "However, on the whole,
the results reported for video games to date are very similar to those obtained in the
investigations of TV and movie violence."
Among the effects of violent game playing are increases in physiological
arousal and physically aggressive behavior, such as hitting, kicking, and pulling clothes
or hair. Studies also have found a reduction in helpful behavior among youths exposed to
violent video games.
Males tend to prefer action-oriented video games involving shooting,
fighting, sports, action adventure, fantasy role-playing, and strategy, according to the
Michigan State survey. Females prefer classic board games, trivia quizzes, puzzles, and
arcade games.
Electronic game playing gets young people involved with technologies and
opens up opportunities in high-paying tech careers, notes communications professor Bradley
Greenberg of Michigan State.
"It is believed that these opportunities accrue to boys because
they spend more time working with electronic games and computers," says Greenberg.
"If girls become more involved with technology at an early age, it is likely that the
interest in technology will continue into the work world."
If females do become more involved in technology fields, including game
development, they may create less-violent games that promote cooperation rather than
aggression.
Video games are in 80% of U.S. homes with children; they generated $6
billion in 2000 and $11 billion by 2003.
"All indications are that the industry will continue to grow at a
healthy clip," says Greenberg. "The emerging market is for games designed more
with girls in mind that engage them for longer periods of time and force them to
investigate more the technology behind the games. The next frontier involves transferring
video-game technology to educational settings and using the young people's fascination
with the games to involve them more with innovative teaching technologies."
Until that day comes, however, more awareness is needed of the impacts
of violent games on young people's behavior, Anderson and his colleagues conclude.
Sources:
Michigan State University, Division of University Relations, 403 Olds Hall, East
Lansing, Michigan 48824. Web site newsroom.msu.edu.
"The Influence of Media Violence on Youth" by Craig A.
Anderson et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest (December 2003),
Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853. Contact
Anderson at Department of Psychology, W112 Lagomarcino Hall, Iowa State University, Ames,
Iowa 50011. E-mail caa@iastate.edu
