Experiencing Games: Investigating What Influences the Adverse Effects of Game Violence

• In Event: Not So Easy: Problematic Aspects of Digital Games

Abstract

The literature surrounding the effects of video game violence indicates disagreement. Contemporary work investigating experiential concepts and individual differences reveals that the effects of game violence are variable and context specific. However, much of the extant literature considers these concepts in isolation. The current experiment sought to extend work in this area by testing how a number of theoretically-relevant constructs affected the relationship between game violence and aggression-related outcomes simultaneously. Thus, the current study considered the relative influence of each of the included concepts to determine which variables matter most. An experiment (N = 302) determined that interactivity, skill, and transportation may increase aggression-related outcomes and flow may decrease such outcomes. Additionally, the subsequent interactions allude to the broader relationship between the concepts at hand.

Authors

• Nicholas L Matthews, University of Connecticut

• Teresa Lynch, Indiana University

• Glenna Lee Read, Indiana University