Video Game Aggression - Research Proves...

The Effect of Video Game Competition and Violence on
Aggressive Behavior: Which Characteristic Has the
Greatest Influence?
Paul J. C. Adachi and Teena Willoughby
Brock University, Canada


Objective: This study is the first to our knowledge to isolate the effect of video game
violence and competitiveness on aggressive behavior. Method: In Pilot Study 1, a
violent and nonviolent video game were matched on competitiveness, difficulty, and
pace of action, and the effect of each game on aggressive behavior was then compared
using an unambiguous measure of aggressive behavior (i.e., the Hot Sauce Paradigm)
in Experiment 1. In Pilot Study 2, competitiveness was isolated by matching games on
difficulty and pace of action, and systematically controlling for violence. The effect of
video game competition on aggressive behavior was then examined in Experiment 2.
Results: We found that video game violence was not sufficient to elevate aggressive
behavior compared with a nonviolent video game, and that more competitive games
produced greater levels of aggressive behavior, irrespective of the amount of violence
in the games. Conclusion: It appears that competition, not violence, may be the video
game characteristic that has the greatest influence on aggressive behavior. Future
research is needed to explore the mechanisms through which video game competitiveness influences aggressive behavior, as well as whether this relation holds in the
long-ter



http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/vio-1-4-259.pdf