Politicians and parents for years have warned of the potential danger of violent video games, claiming that teenagers who play them become more aggressive in their adolescent and adult lives. A new study seemingly flips that notion on its head.
The research, published in the Computers in Human Behavior journal, outlined scientists' findings after observing more than 3,000 Czech adolescents ages 13 to 17. To reach their conclusions, the team measured physical and verbal aggression as well as cognitive and affective empathy.
The study found that adolescents scoring higher on physical aggression tended to play video games that are more violent in nature. However, the study didn't find any evidence that changing how much a person plays violent video games can impact future physical aggression.
"Early studies often reported a link between playing violent video games and increased physical aggression in children. This link has raised concerns, particularly given that many of the most popular video games contain violent content. Yet, it remains unclear whether violent video games make players more aggressive or whether individuals who are already more aggressive are simply more drawn to these types of games," the team explained in the paper.
"While the effects of [violent video games] on increased aggression and aggressive behavior, as well as decreased empathy and prosocial behavior, have been frequently examined in prior research, the evidence is still mixed," they added.
Simply put, the scientists didn't observe any changes in aggression or empathy following an increase in violent video game consumption. "On the within-person level, an increase in the level of [violent video games] was not associated with a change in aggression or empathy," they stated.
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When it comes to how these video game players interact with others, the researchers noted that those who exhibited "higher levels of verbal and physical aggression" would "tend to engage more with [violent video games], particularly with a more pronounced effect observed for physical aggression."
"This observation aligns with traditional perspectives regarding [violent video games] as a potential trigger for aggression," they acknowledged. "However, it is critical to emphasize that this association does not necessarily imply causality. While previous studies have often overlooked the within-person level, where fluctuations in aggression and [violent video game] engagement occur over time within individuals, this study acknowledges the influence of both within-person and between-person effects."
"In essence, while adolescents with higher general aggression may prefer [violent video games], it is not indicative that increased engagement in [violent video games] leads to heightened aggression," they concluded. "These findings challenge the portrayal of [violent video games] as a significant contributor to heightened aggression and decreased empathy in adolescents."
Essentially, while the study suggests that playing these types of games doesn't necessarily cause someone to become more aggressive, those who did exhibit more outward aggression were more likely to play these games. Correlation doesn't equal causation, of course, and the team emphasized the need to do more research into these phenomena.
Whether your teenager spends all day playing Call of Duty is up to you.
