Macbeth and the Joystick: Evidence for moral cleansing after playing a violent video game

Gollwitzer, Mario; Melzer, André

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.07.001

Cited by 72 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Movies are known for the exceptional emotional effects they have on their recipients (e.g., Gross & Levenson, 1995). Due to the fact that the video clip also transports a moral conflict and that video games are capable of inducing moral responses in the players (e.g., Gollwitzer & Melzer, 2012;Hartmann et al, 2010), the effect of inducing empathy for the virtual opponent was tested in Study 2. Empathy was expected to be higher in participants who had watched the empathy clip than for those who had watched the neutral clip.…”

Section: Study 2: Perpetrator Vs Victim In An Antisocial Game With Imentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Happ

Melzer

Steffgen

2015

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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Evidence suggests that violent media influence users' cognitions, affect and behavior in a negative way, whereas prosocial media have been shown to increase the probability of prosocial behavior. In the present study it was tested whether empathy moderates these media effects. In two experiments (N=80 each), inducing empathy by means of a text (Study 1) or a video clip (Study 2) prior to playing a video game caused differential effects on cognitions and behavior depending on the nature of the subsequent video game: The induction had positive effects on participants' behavior (i.e., decreasing antisocial and increasing prosocial behavior) after a prosocial game (Study 1), or when participants played a positive hero character in an antisocial game (Study 2). In contrast, empathy increased antisocial behavior and reduced prosocial behavior after playing a mean character in an antisocial game (Study 1 & 2). These findings call attention to the differential effect of empathy depending on game type and game character, thereby questioning the unconditional positive reputation of empathy in the context of video game research.

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Section: Study 2: Perpetrator Vs Victim In An Antisocial Game With Imentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Happ

Melzer

Steffgen

2015

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

Self Cite

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“…specifically, the justification given for violent acts (Hartmann, Toz, & Brandon, 2010;Hartmann & Vorderer, 2010;Lin, 2010), the dehumanization of opponents (Gollwitzer & Melzer, 2012;Lin, 2011), and portrayal of consequences of violent actions (Hartmann & Vorderer, 2010), influence how users respond affectively to virtual violence. For example, Hartmann and Vorderer (2010) found that users felt less guilty when shooting virtual characters for a justified reason, as compared to an unjustified reason.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Violent Video Games Communicate Violence: A Literature Review and Content Analysis of Moral Disengagement Factors

Hartmann¹,

Krakowiak

Tsay-Vogel

2014

Communication Monographs

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Mechanisms of moral disengagement in violent video game play have recently received considerable attention among communication scholars. To date, however, no study has analyzed the prevalence of moral disengagement factors in violent video games. To fill this research gap, the present approach includes both a systematic literature review and a content analysis of moral disengagement cues embedded in the narratives and actual game play of 17 top-ranked first-person shooters (PC). Findings suggest that moral disengagement factors are frequently embedded in first-person shooters, but their prevalence varies considerably. Most violent video games include justifications of the portrayed violence, a distorted portrayal of consequences, and dehumanization of opponents. Implications of the findings for research on violent games are discussed.Mechanisms of moral disengagement in violent video game play have recently received considerable attention among communication scholars, for two reasons. First, moral disengagement factors may help explain why users enjoy violent video games. Experiments and in-depth interviews revealed that their presence in violent video games effectively reduces feelings of guilt

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“…As a matter of fact, studies have shown that empathy (a construct related to both prosocial behavior and agreeableness) could be an important mediator on this phenomenon (Greitemeyer, 2013;Prot et al, 2013). Furthermore, the fact that higher scores on this trait were related to prosocial behavior only in the violent conditions tends to support the relation between actions in-game and threats to self-concept (Gollwitzer & Melzer, 2012;Jin, 2011): when the behavior in-game tends to harm another character, participants with a more agreeableness tendency tend to "compensate" in subsequent actions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In this sense, prosocial behavior could be elicited as a reaction to the violent behavior manifested in the game as an attempt to balance individual's self-concept (Gollwitzer & Melzer, 2012;Jin, 2011) and to compensate for the eventual negative state elicited by those violent behaviors in-game. Also, the differences found regarding participant evaluation of game frustration and diffi culty could also negatively infl uence how participants perceive themselves; the prosocial behavior could be a reactive attempt to restore a positive perspective.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The No-Effect of Player Role in Digital Games on Prosocial Behavior

Sarmet

Pilati

2017

Temas Psicol.

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In the past few years, several studies addressed the relation between game content and prosocial behavior. Although several evidences were found, the relation between those variables is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different roles played on prosocial behavior. In experiment 1, participants played either a violent or a prosocial role on the same game, and helping behavior and intention were measured. Results did not show the expected relation based on the evidence of the literature. In order to further investigate the evidence found, a second experiment was designed to test the effect of role played on both prosocial behavior and accessibility to prosocial thoughts. Again, results were not consistent with previous studies. Both experiments suggest the consideration of alternative interpretations, and raise questions about the relevance of the role played, game content and moderation variables on the explanation of this effect.Keywords: Prosocial behavior, video games, General Learning Model. Ausência de Efeito do Papel do Jogador de Jogos Digitais no Comportamento Prosocial Resumo

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Macbeth and the Joystick: Evidence for moral cleansing after playing a violent video game

Cited by 72 publications

References 25 publications

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

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

How Violent Video Games Communicate Violence: A Literature Review and Content Analysis of Moral Disengagement Factors

The No-Effect of Player Role in Digital Games on Prosocial Behavior

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