Brain differences in avid players of violent video games suggest they are “callous, cool and in control”

By guest blogger Helge Hasselmann Video games do not enjoy the best of reputations. Violent games in particular have been linked with aggression, antisocial behaviour and alienation among teens. For example, one study found that playing a mere 10 minutes of a violent video game was enough to reduce helping behaviour in participants. However, some experts are sceptical about whether games really cause aggression and, even if the games are to blame, it remains unclear what drives their harmful effects. Earlier studies identified empathy as a key trait that may be affected by violent gameplay. Now a study by Laura Stockdale at Loyola University Chicago and her colleagues in Social Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience has taken a closer look at how gamers and non-gamers differ at a neural level, uncovering evidence that suggests chronic violent gameplay may affect emotional brain processing, although more research is needed to confirm this. Participants were classified as frequent or infrequent players of video games depending on weekly usage – at least 30 hours of screen time per week was considered frequent, while no more than five hours a week was considered infrequent. Next, the scientists looked at the top three games their participants played, more specifically if the majority were either violent (for example, a shooter video game such as Call of Duty) or non-violent (for example FIFA). This yielded a sample of 30 frequent players of violent video games (gamers) and 31 i...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain Cognition Emotion guest blogger Technology Source Type: blogs