Are violent video

games a recipe for

aggression?
Research Report, GLC
Stijn Augustinus, 4VE, 01-06-15

Contents
Research question, hypothesis and goals of the project 3
Methodology

Results

Analysis and discussion of the results in relation to my

hypothesis
6
Conclusions drawn from my research

Bibliography and other reference sources

Research question, hypothesis

and goals of the project
Research question:
I have decided to research violent video games and the effect of them. At
the moment, there are a lot of violent video games. The most popular
ones are Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. The fact that 90% of the
children in the U.S. play video games and that more than 90% of those
games involve mature content that often includes violence made me think
of the effect of those violent video games. Violence in video games has
been a hotly debated topic since modern gaming was invented, and the
research into its effects is mixed. Therefore this project research question
is: Are violent video games a recipe for aggression?

Hypothesis:
Violent video games are a recipe for aggression.

Goals of the project:

My goals are to find out what exactly the arguments are from both sides
and to know the effects of violent video games.

Methodology
Before finding the actual articles in favour and against, I made the main
question and hypothesis and I came up with a general idea about the
content of my research project. I then found several articles about the
effect of violent video games. The majority of the articles state that
violent video games do lead to aggression but I also found some articles
that state that the duration of play is what matters. I ended up with 2
articles in favour of the main question and 2 articles against the main
question. I analysed them and drew a conclusion.

Results
Articles in favour of the main question:
Healthline: Study: Violent Video Games May Make Kids
More Aggressive, Brian Krans
The writer states in this article the study that surveyed the gaming habits
of 3034 children aged 8 to 17 in Singapore over a three-year period. The
results of this study suggest that violent video game play influences
aggressive behaviour by producing lasting changes in how a child views
violence. Furthermore there is the discovery that violent video gameplay
increases a childs long-term aggressive behaviour by producing general
changes in aggressive cognitions. However, the article states that the
children who were being studied could have introduced bias into the
results by exaggerating their aggression. Lastly the article states that only
a handful of defence attorneys have brought up violent video games when
trying to offer a justification for, as an example, mass shootings at a high
school. And no defendant has ever been acquitted in a U.S. courtroom
because of his or her gaming preferences.
This articles conclusion is as follows: Violent video games are like peanut
butter, they are harmless for the vast majority of kids but are harmful to a
small minority with pre-existing personality or mental health problems.

CNN: Violent video games linked to child aggression,

Anne Harding
According to the study in this article, kids in both the U.S. and Japan who
reported playing lots of violent video games had more aggressive
behaviour months later than their peers who did not. The researchers of
this study had as their main question: Do children become more
aggressive after playing violent video games or are aggressive kids more
attracted to violent video games? The study included three groups of
kids: 181 Japanese students aged 12 to 15, 1050 Japanese students aged
13 to 18 and 364 U.S. kids aged 9 to 12. In every group, children who
were exposed to more video game violence did become more aggressive
over time than their peers who had less exposure. This article states that
these findings are pretty good evidence that violent video games do
indeed cause aggressive behaviour. Furthermore this article states that
the label violent video games is too vague and that researches need to
do a better job at defining what is considered a violent video game. On
top of that, this article states that children get the message that it is
acceptable to treat one another rudely and even aggressively.

This articles conclusion is as follows: Kids should not play games where
hunting down and killing people is the goal. Which is the case in games
as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.

Articles against the main question:

Good therapy: Violent Video Games Dont Make Kids
Violent, Study Finds, Zawn Villines
This article states that a study published in Psychology of Popular Media
Culture suggests that violent video games do not increase violent
behaviour. Instead, the researchers argue, the duration of play is what
matters. Researchers interviewed 200 children aged 10 or 11 about their
video game-playing habits. They also asked the childrens teachers about
their classroom behaviour, problem-solving skills and academic
engagement. The children who played video games for less than an hour a
day showed lower rates of aggression than children who did not play them
at all. However, children who played for longer than three hours a day,
had higher levels of aggression and lower levels of academic engagement.
This articles conclusion is as follows: The way a video game affects an
individual child depends on a number of factors: parental involvement, the
childs personality, how much time the child spends on these games and
similar components of a childs environment.

Mirror: Theres no link between violent video games and

real-life aggression in kids, shows study, Olivia Solon
This article states that according to a new study, there is no link between
the nature of (violent) video games and the negative patterns of
behaviour in children. Just as in the last article, the time spent playing
video games has a much bigger impact on kids behaviour than the type of
games they play. This study relied on teachers assessing the behaviour of
200 pupils. The assessments were matched to a questionnaire that asked
the pupils how long they played games. Children who play for longer than
three hours per day are more likely to be hyperactive, get involved in
fights and not be interested in school. However, playing games for less
than an hour per day might even benefit behaviour.
This articles conclusion is as follows: Other factors in a childs life will
influence their behaviour much more in terms of how they progress
academically and their emotional wellbeing," says lead author Dr Andy
Przybylski.

Analysis and discussion of the

results in relation to my
hypothesis
Article

In favour

Article 1

Article 2

Against

Reason why
aggressive
behaviour

Reason why
no
aggressive
behaviour

Changes in
how a child
views
aggressive
behaviour.
Children
think that it
is
acceptable
to treat one
another
rudely

Article 3

Article 4

Other
factors
involved:
parental
involvement,
personality,
duration of
play and the
childs
environment
Duration of
play
matters,
gaming 3
hours or
more shows
aggressive
behaviour

My hypothesis: Violent video games definitely are a recipe for aggression.

I was partly correct about my hypothesis. This is because some articles
also prove that violent video games do not lead to aggression, but that it
depends on the duration of play. All articles are research reports, so we do
deal with facts and no opinions. Violent video games do affect the
behaviour of children, but only if underlying factors like environmental
influences and genetic characteristics are present. For example this is the
case when more than 3 hours of gaming per day is part of daily routine.

Conclusions drawn from my

research
Violent video games do affect the behaviour of children, but only if
underlying factors like environmental influences and genetic
characteristics are present. For example this is the case when more than 3
hours of gaming per day is part of daily routine.
I still think that kids should not play games where hunting down and
killing people is the goal.
I recommend the government to take active measures to find out if the
violent video games show aggressive behaviour or not and if so, to reduce
the use of violent video games by kids.

Bibliography and other reference

sources
Article 1: Healthline: Study: Violent Video Games May Make Kids
More Aggressive, Brian Krans
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/study-shows-video-games-cancreate-aggression-032414#2
Article 2: CNN: Violent video games linked to child aggression,
Anne Harding
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/03/healthmag.violent.video.
kids/

Article 3: Good therapy: Violent Video Games Dont Make Kids

Violent, Study Finds, Zawn Villines
http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/violent-video-games-dont-make-kidsviolent-study-finds-0414151
Article 4: Mirror: Theres no link between violent video games and
real-life aggression in kids, shows study, Olivia Solon
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/theres-nolink-between-violent-5440799