Research on video games has yielded consistent findings that violent video games increase aggression and decrease prosocial behavior. However, these studies typically examined single-player games. Of interest is the effect of cooperative play in a violent video game on subsequent cooperative or competitive behavior. Participants played Halo II (a first-person shooter game) cooperatively or competitively and then completed a modified prisoner's dilemma task to assess competitive and cooperative behavior. Compared with the competitive play conditions, players in the cooperative condition engaged in more tit-for-tat behaviors-a pattern of behavior that typically precedes cooperative behavior. The social context of game play influenced subsequent behavior more than the content of the game that was played.

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Retro gaming and the renaissance of past video games has been an emerging area of interest for media research within the past years. Yet, there is little empirical research trying to explain the psychological effects and benefits of past-related gaming. This article explores how remembering of past video game experiences relates to nostalgia, a mixed emotion elicited via reflection on the past that shows positive associations to well-being. To this end, a mixed-methods approach was used to investigate prerequisites of nostalgic video game experiences, their nature, and connections to well-being. In a randomized online survey, participants were instructed to elaborate on past (vs. recent) and social (vs. solo) gaming memories. Quantitative analyses indicated that nostalgia was impacted (a) directly by past memories and intrinsic need satisfaction of competence and relatedness within the remembrance, and (b) indirectly by social memories that increased relatedness. Controlling for the associations between need satisfaction and wellbeing, nostalgia showed significant associations with present feelings of connectedness. Additional qualitative analyses indicated that past memories were more strongly associated with enjoyment and challenge, and social memories were likely to involve close others. These findings are discussed regarding the elicitation of video game nostalgia as well as the application of nostalgic gaming for well-being purposes. Public Policy Relevance StatementRemembering past video game experiences, especially those in which people felt competent (at the gameplay) and related (to other players), elicits nostalgia. This research shows that triggering nostalgia may be one way how video games can contribute to psychological well-being. This can help explain the general popularity of games that (re)create the look and feel of old games and the growing market for rereleased games and franchises.

Media psychology involves the scientific examination of the cognitive processes and behavior involved in the selection, use, interpretation, and effects of communication across a variety of media (e.g., via the Internet, television, telephone, film). Media are central to people's lives, with projections indicating that an average person spent over 3,515 hours using media in 2012. New technologies are increasing the importance of media. Data from two content analyses demonstrate the underrepresentation of media psychology in mainstream psychological literature and in undergraduate and graduate psychology course offerings. We argue for the importance of a psychological approach to the study of media because of its presence in people's lives and because psychologists use it in their research and their choices may affect the external validity of their findings. We provide a useful framework from which psychologists can approach the study of media, and we conclude with recommendations for further areas of scientific inquiry relevant to psychological science.

Previous research has demonstrated a positive influence of cooperative video game play on participants' cooperative strategies (tit-for-tat behaviors) in a modified Prisoner's Dilemma task (Ewoldsen et al., 2012). The current study tested whether these positive effects are applicable to ingroup and outgroup conflict. Eighty participants were assigned to play a violent video game cooperatively or competitively with a confederate posing as an outgroup or ingroup member. The main findings corroborate previous research on the beneficial effects of cooperative game play and suggest playing cooperatively can increase helping behavior. Furthermore, cooperation with an outgroup member can actually reduce aggression. Implications of findings for future research are discussed.