Further Investigation of Violence and Gaming

Several psychologists, conducting a research study on the short-term effects of violent video games on kids, recently told the American Psychological Association that inborn traits are more likely to induce aggressive behavior in children than the direct affect of violent games, Reuters reports. The psychologists studied 25 boys and 10 girls between the ages of 10 and 12 to understand their video game and PC game playing habits. After completing questionnaires, the kids were asked to play both violent and relatively non-violent video games for a period of 15 minutes. Following this they were each presented with hypothetical situations and judged on their responses to these scenarios.

Although the psychologists admit that more studies are necessary, they were able to conclude from this particular study that playing violent video games did not induce aggressive responses in kids in the short term. However, the study did show that kids who were innately aggressive chose to play the more violent games.

Similar studies are under way investigating the relationship between aggressive behavior in kids and violent content presented in the media, including films, TV, and video games. A recent study done by John Colwell at Middlesex University professor showed opposite results as it claimed that there is definite link between casually playing violent games and aggressive behavior. This latest study seems to contradict those findings.