Like the good or bad guy—Empathy in antisocial and prosocial games.

Happ, Christian; Melzer, André; Steffgen, Georges

doi:10.1037/ppm0000021

Cited by 27 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Conversely, empathy enhanced player aggression playing just roles, the effect of which was more obvious in the high empathy condition. This is consistent with the findings made by Happ et al (2013 , 2014 ) and shows that the effect of empathy in video games can be affected by game character features. A possible reason for this could be that the empathy materials, describing the features of the game characters, provided a basis for justifying the character’s aggressive behavior, thereby making players more inclined to judge the behavior of just game characters as being reasonable, and enhancing their aggression.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

The Influence of Empathy and Morality of Violent Video Game Characters on Gamers’ Aggression

et al. 2017

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According to the General Aggression Model, situational factors (such as the game characters) and personal factors both affect a gamer’s acquisition of aggressive behavior. Previous studies have found not only that the surface features of game characters, such as appearance and clothing, but also that their inherent characteristics, such as morality and identity, can influence a gamer’s attitude and behavior. Research has also shown that empathy, as a personal factor, can protect gamers from the impact of media violence. However, past research has focused primarily on single factors affecting the player rather than more comprehensive investigations. This study investigates the influence of the game character’s moral features and levels of empathy on the gamer’s aggression. The participants were 120 Chinese university students (61 females and 59 males) with ages ranging from 17 to 27 years. Participants first completed a series of questionnaires: a user experience questionnaire, a video game questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and a modified version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. All participants then had 5 min of practice playing a violent video game. They were then divided into three groups: a high empathy group, a low empathy group, and a no empathy group. After the practice, participants in the high and low empathy groups read empathy materials relating to the game characters; participants in the no empathy group began formal gameplay. All participants played the game for 20 min. Finally, participants were required to complete the Scale of Hostility Status questionnaire, the Implicit Aggression Test, and the Competitive Reaction Time Test. The results show that empathy and the morality of game characters both influence aggression, but empathy affected aggression differently in the participants playing justified roles (i.e., killing others for a moral reason in the game) compared to those playing unjustified roles (i.e., killing others for immoral reasons in the game). In the high empathy condition, the implicit aggression of justified players was significantly higher than those playing unjustified roles. However, high empathy does not always play a protective role, and its effect is restricted by the features of the game characters.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

The Influence of Empathy and Morality of Violent Video Game Characters on Gamers’ Aggression

et al. 2017

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“…The results of the current study offer support for the hypothesis that being in a state of motivational harmony leads to an inclination to engage in virtuous behavior. Although prior studies indicate a correlation between motivational harmony and prosocial intentions (Gaesser & Schacter, 2014; Happ et al., 2015; Pavey et al., 2012, ; Williams, O'Driscoll, & Moore, 2014), Study 2b indicated a causal relationship between motivational harmony and prosocial intentions. Furthermore, the indirect association between motivational harmony and organ donation registration intentions demonstrates that there is a mechanism at work to enhance prosocial behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Inducing motivational harmony to increase attitudes and intentions to register as an organ donor and engage in general prosocial behavior

Blazek

Siegel

Tan

et al. 2020

J. Theo. Soc. Psychol.

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Cornwell et al. (2020) recently introduced the construct of motivational harmony. As they explain, "Motivational harmony describes the degree to which an individual experiences his or her fundamental motives-truth (wanting to establish what is real), control (wanting to manage what happens) and value (wanting to have good results)-as working together effectively" (p. 2). Someone who is high in motivational harmony has a holistic experience of life going in the right direction. The goal of the current set of studies was to explore whether motivational harmony is malleable, and if increasing it offers a new means for increasing prosocial behavior. In the current set of studies, we focus on the influence of motivational harmony on a specific prosocial behavior (i.e., organ donation) and intentions to engage in more general prosocial behavior.

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“…Prosocial behaviors are also often portrayed in the media (e.g., helping, sharing, cooperation). Exposure to prosocial media content can increase prosocial behaviors, such as cooperating, helping others, and empathy (e.g., Gentile et al, 2009;Happ, Melzer, & Steffgen, 2015;Harrington & O'Connell, 2016), also demonstrated in meta-analytic reviews (Greitemeyer & Mugge, 2014;Mares & Woodard, 2005). Long-term effects of prosocial media use further increases empathy and helpfulness among youth (Prot et al, 2014).…”

Section: C-me2mentioning

confidence: 96%

Measuring Exposure to Media with Antisocial and Prosocial Content: An Extended Version of the Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME2)

Hamer

Konijn

Bushman

2017

Communication Methods and Measures

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The present research developed a measure for exposure to both antisocial and prosocial media content by revising and extending a previous Contentbased Media Exposure Scale (C-ME). The validity and reliability of the C-ME2 was tested in two independent samples (N = 678), among young adults (Study 1) and adolescents (Study 2). Results of Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed good fit, in both studies, for both antisocial and prosocial dimensions of media content, and for both males and females. Furthermore, the C-ME2 explains unique variance beyond previous measures of violent and general media exposure. Evidence is presented of reliability, discriminant and predictive validity of the C-ME2, measuring both frequency and exposure to specific content of media. The C-ME2 covers all media platforms, is easy to use in all research designs, and allows for standardization and systematic comparisons across studies. Antisocial and risk behaviors (e.g., swearing, stealing, fighting, binge drinking) are frequently depicted in the media. This type of media is also popular among youth and they are especially susceptible to its negative influence (e.g.,

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Like the good or bad guy—Empathy in antisocial and prosocial games.

Cited by 27 publications

References 72 publications

The Influence of Empathy and Morality of Violent Video Game Characters on Gamers’ Aggression

The Influence of Empathy and Morality of Violent Video Game Characters on Gamers’ Aggression

Inducing motivational harmony to increase attitudes and intentions to register as an organ donor and engage in general prosocial behavior

Measuring Exposure to Media with Antisocial and Prosocial Content: An Extended Version of the Content-based Media Exposure Scale (C-ME2)

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