Why should video games be any different than violent movies or TV shows? And, in fact, the third-person shooter games may represent even more of a problem. There are thousands of studies linking media violence to real-life aggression, and only a handful showing no influence. Rates of interpersonal aggression have risen dramatically around the world. ![]() Ferguson also cites 14 articles that show that video games have no impact, but 4 of them are by him! And crime rates may not reflect aggression, as David Grossman points out in his excellent (and Pulitzer-Prize nominated) book, ON KILLING. The authors DID account for baseline aggression - read the article! All of the "third variables" that Ferguson wants to be included would be covered in that baseline figure. The fact is that the general body of research on aggression effects of viewing violent content on TV or of playing violent video games has been peer reviewed in the most carefully monitored journals in psychology and by review committees composed of scientific professionals in major funding agencies.Īs one of the reviewers for this manuscript, I feel compelled to point out how off-base Chris Ferguson and Michael Sangirino are. Indeed, the care in the design of these studies, and of this one particularly, indicate a sophisticated knowledge of methodology and statistical procedures. If one puts these patterns of behavior into a broader context of social learning effects to humans, it seems clear that the Anderson et al studies as a whole point to a significant social problem. The results are also in keeping with the data from many studies of the effects of simply viewing violent TV content and later aggressive tendencies. It seems clear that Anderson et al have been extremely sensitive to a variety of alternative explanations and have built in statistical and experimental controls to allow one to make reasonable inferences about the causal connection between the playing of violent video games and subsequent aggressive tendencies. Our careful reading of both the Anderson et al article Longitudinal Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Japan and the United States published in Pediatrics, and the critique by Ferguson leads us to the acceptance of the significance of the findings reported by the Anderson group of researchers. As a whole, the research strongly suggests reducing the exposure of youth to this risk factor. These longitudinal results confirm earlier experimental and cross-sectional studies that had suggested that playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behavior and that this violent video game effect on youth generalizes across very different cultures. Multisample structure equation modeling revealed that this longitudinal effect was of a similar magnitude in the United States and Japan for similar-aged youth and was smaller (but still significant) in the sample that included older youth.ĬONCLUSIONS. Those who played a lot of violent video games became relatively more physically aggressive. Habitual violent video game play early in the school year predicted later aggression, even after controlling for gender and previous aggressiveness in each sample. The third sample consisted of 364 United States 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-graders ranging in age from 9 to 12 years. A second Japanese sample consisted of 1050 students ranging in age from 13 to 18 years. One sample consisted of 181 Japanese junior high students ranging in age from 12 to 15 years. In 3 independent samples, participants’ video game habits and physically aggressive behavior tendencies were assessed at 2 points in time, separated by 3 to 6 months. ![]() We hypothesized that the amount of exposure to violent video games early in a school year would predict changes in physical aggressiveness assessed later in the school year, even after statistically controlling for gender and previous physical aggressiveness.ĭESIGN. We tested whether high exposure to violent video games increases physical aggression over time in both high- (United States) and low- (Japan) violence cultures. Previous research suggests that such exposure can increase physical aggression. Youth worldwide play violent video games many hours per week.
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