Violent video games are frequently criticized for increasing young people's aggression. A new study from the Czech Republic calls this notion into question. According to a study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, there is no indication that playing violent video games causes physical aggressiveness in adolescents.
The debate surrounding the impact of violent video games on youth behavior has been ongoing for decades. Critics argue that exposure to virtual violence desensitizes young players and potentially leads to increased aggression in real-life situations. However, this new research challenges these long-held assumptions, suggesting that the relationship between gaming and aggressive behavior may be more complex than previously thought.
The study authors focus on both between-person and within-person impacts in their study of 3,010 Czech youths.
Between-person effects show that people who play more violent games had slightly higher scores on cognitive empathy and verbal hostility. Within-person effects, which look at how changes in an individual's gaming habits affect their behavior over time, demonstrate that violent video games had no substantial impact on aggression or empathy levels.
This nuanced approach to studying the effects of violent video games provides a more comprehensive understanding of their potential impact. By examining both between-person and within-person effects, the researchers were able to distinguish between general trends across the population and individual changes over time. This methodology allows for a more accurate assessment of the causal relationship between gaming habits and behavioral outcomes.
The analysis reveals some intriguing nuances. For example, participants who demonstrated greater empathy during the third stage of data collecting tended to play fewer violent video games by the fourth stage. Meanwhile, those who shown an increase in physical aggression in the third stage were more likely to play violent games in the fourth stage.
This finding may indicate a potentially hazardous consequence, but it should be approached with caution: According to the study, the only effect identified in this context was an increase in affective empathy, which was connected with a decrease in violent video games.
It emphasizes that these impacts may fluctuate depending on factors beyond the scope of this longitudinal study, such as exposure to other digital media, individual life events, and changes in the social context.
The researchers' findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences and contextual factors when examining the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior. It's possible that pre-existing personality traits, such as a tendency towards aggression, may influence both gaming preferences and real-world behavior. This suggests that a more holistic approach to understanding youth aggression is necessary, taking into account various environmental, social, and psychological factors.
According to the researchers, the association between violent video games and aggression is more nuanced, driven by a variety of individual and contextual factors. In essence, while adolescents with higher general aggression may enjoy violent video games, the study emphasized that increased engagement in such games does not necessarily lead to increased violence.
External variables, such as the pandemic, can also have an impact on the overall aggressiveness of young gamers. One possible explanation is the Covid-19 incident, which occurred during our data collection period. The crisis resulted in considerable behavioral changes, particularly among isolated children and adolescents, who reported increased gaming hours as a coping method for psychological discomfort and to reduce social isolation.
While data collecting took place from June 2020 to December 2022, only 1,052 of the original 3,010 respondents completed all four rounds of the study, with the majority being younger people, which may have skewed the study findings, the researchers note.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the study's findings cannot be overlooked. The unprecedented global situation likely influenced gaming habits, social interactions, and overall mental health of the participants. This unique context may have affected the study's results and highlights the need for further research to understand how external factors can moderate the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior.
The experts qualified the findings by pointing out that gamers were free to name the video games they played the most, with Minecraft leading the list, followed by Roblox, Fortnite, the Grand Theft Auto games, and Brawl Stars.
Some video games may have been omitted or forgotten by participants, and the time spent playing them was not measured. The researchers suggested that future studies should use objective measures of video game play and time spent on them.
While this study provides valuable insights into the relationship between violent video games and youth aggression, it also underscores the need for continued research in this area. Future studies could benefit from more precise measurements of gaming habits, including the use of objective tracking tools to record gameplay time and content. Additionally, investigating the potential positive effects of gaming, such as improved problem-solving skills or enhanced social connections, could provide a more balanced understanding of the overall impact of video games on youth development.
