Attachment Issues: The Ideological Divide in Research on Violent Digital Games and Aggression

• In Event: Top Four Competitive Papers in Game Studies

Abstract

Scores of studies on effects of violent video games’ impact on aggression, part of a broader body of research on effects of violent media, have produced extensive findings, but equally intense debate over their interpretation. This debate has been marked my numerous claims and speculation from researchers that scholars with different opinions are influenced by biases ranging from funding sources to interest in video games as an avocation. This study was an analysis of survey data from N = 544 scholars from several disciplines involved in research on video games exploring their opinions about video games’ possible beneficial and harmful effects. Results indicate inconsistent relationships between demographic variables, academic background, and video game familiarity and perceptions of effects, though self-identification as a games researcher was consistently associated with more belief in beneficial effects and more skepticism about harmful effects. Possible interpretations and implications for the field are discussed.

Authors

• Malte Elson, Ruhr University Bochum

• James D. Ivory, Virginia Tech

• Jens Vogelgesang, U Muenster