The Effect of Violent Videogame Playtime on Anger

Abstract

Studies have found evidence that, after playing violent videogames for 20 min, people experience a mean short-term increase in aggression, hostility, and anger. The current research investigated whether or not players habituate during longer, more realistic lengths of play. Participants (N = 98) were randomly assigned to play the game Quake III Arena for either 20 or 60 min. Participants in the long condition showed a smaller change in state anger (CSA) from pre-to post-gameplay than those in the short condition, although this did not reach significance. Change in scores for gamers (not novice players) showed that short gaming led to a larger increase in anger ratings than long gaming. When the results for violent videogame players were analysed separately, there was no significant increase in anger post-gameplay-irrespective of length of time playing. Results also supported the hypotheses that females would show a significantly larger CSA than males and that participants previously unexposed to violent videogames would show a significantly larger CSA than exposed participants.a p_8 98..107

Digital poison? Three studies examining the influence of violent video games on youth

“…Although debate is likely to continue on this issue and it is recognized that scholars could make good faith arguments both for and against the view that violent games increase aggressive behaviors, based on different pools of data, the current results fit with an increasing number of studies which indicate that the impact of violent games on aggression or other associated negative outcomes is minimal (e.g. Ballard et al, 2012;Bean and Groth-Marnat, in press;Charles et al, 2013;Devilly, Callahan, & Armitage, 2012;Parkes, Sweeting, Wight, & Henderson, 2013;Przybylski et al, 2014;Tear & Nielson, 2013). Coupled with a steady decline in youth violence by nearly 90% during the years in which video games soared in popularity (Childstats.gov, 2013) data is beginning to converge to suggest that perhaps there may be more productive avenues to consider when investigating youth's involvement with media rather than to focus on the moral issue of violent content.…”

“How Do You Feel?”: Emotions Exhibited While Playing Computer Games and Their Relationship to Gaming Behaviors

“…The existing literature lacks identification of different emotions exhibited by computer game players while participating in a competitive environment such as an Internet café. Further, most of the literature (e.g., Demirok et al, 2012;Devilly et al, 2012) were focused on a single dimension of emotions expressed while playing computer games. Also, previous investigations (e.g., Hussain and Griffiths, 2009;Bringula et al, 2012;Peols et al, 2013) assumed that gamers had prior emotions (e.g., boredom) that triggered gamers to play computer games.…”

Does Playing Video Games Make Players More Violent?

“…Thus, there was evidence that failed to demonstrate harmful violent video game effects (e.g., , there were analyses that presented alternative perspectives for explaining youth violence infl uences (Olson, 2004 ) and then there were studies that offered alternative explanations for violence than that of the 'violence' in video games (Adachi & Willoughby, 2011a. Strong challenges have emerged toward the causal agency position of video games in regard to their ability to condition or trigger aggression (Devilly, Callahan, & Armitage, 2012 ;Grimes, Anderson, & Bergen, 2008 ;.…”

“…In a test of this phenomenon, Devilly, Callahan and Armitage ( 2012 ) assigned video game players to play for 20 and 60 minute sessions with the violence-themed game, Quake III Arena . Players' anger states were measured before and after playing.…”