Study Finds Gamers More Violent than Non-Gamers

[fitbabits]

In what is probably round 17,158,954 of the 'games are good/bad for you' debate, a recent study conducted by Bruce Bartholow from the University of Missouri-Columbia has shown that gamers are more violent than non-gamers.

Thanks to Next Generation (http://www.next-gen.biz) for the story (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1829&Itemid=2).

"Most of us naturally have a strong aversion to the sight of blood and gore,” he said. "Surgeons and soldiers may need to overcome these reactions in order to perform their duties. But, for most people, a diminished reaction to the effects of violence is not adaptive. It can reduce inhibitions against aggressive behavior and increase the possibility of inflicting violence on others."
Just who the heck is he trying to kid? Look at him - he has gamer written all over his nerdy face. He'd better hope that I never find out where he lives. I'd be apt to snipe him from afar, just like Sniper Elite. :rolleyes:

[AspectVoid]

So, let me get this straight, video games reduce our inhibitions to blood and such, but watching movies like Texas Chainsaw, Friday the 13th, etc, etc, don't? Or is it just that since the movie industry is old and established, people don't bother to do studies on it?

Personally, though, I think it was living in Jersey that desensitized me to violence. I mean, when you live 3 blocks from a motel that had a rape, murder, drug deal gone bad, etc for 8 years, you get rather used to things like blood stains and yellow tape.

[Royal Fool]

So by that logic, surgeons, soldiers, doctors... everyone that isn't immediately grossed out by the sight of blood is violent.

Congrats.

[OUX]

What I don't understand if all these guys are so damn smart and believe what they are spouting; why on God's green earth do they insist on picking on an entire subculture of "violent" people?

[captainspankypants]

I love how people so often mistake corellation and causation. Maybe instead of game players being more violent it's that violent people like to play games. Or maybe *gasp* the human condition is more complicated than either scenario.

[Citizen Philip]

I am totally with Fitabits. I am going to find this turncoat gamer and I am going to gib him with the most convient axe I can locate. I am also considering eatting the remains, I haven't decided. In any case, any gore and blood generated in the gibbing process will probably not make me queasy: I am a gamer, and ergo, impervious to such things.

[TrackZero]

I love how his entire thesis is based around the definition that ALL video games are violent. And we're supposed to respect his findings? Fuck off hoser.

[DiBiddilyBop]

I like how sending a gloating message and being less shocked at the sight of blood means these people are violent. Is there some tie-in between gloating and violence that I'm missing?

[Nite_Moogle]

Just who the heck is he trying to kid? Look at him - he has gamer written all over his nerdy face.
Even worse, he looks like a BAD gamer. I bet he got sick of getting owned and published this report as payback.

[fitbabits]

Even worse, he looks like a BAD gamer. I bet he got sick of getting owned and published this report as payback.
I'm pretty sure he has seen the word pwned on more than one occasion in his life thus far. I bet he even has a gamertag!

[MrMeatshake]

what the fuc is this shit!!?? that makes me so fucing mad. right, that's it, i'm gonna go stab someone in the face over the internet!

har-har.

[Cupelix]

Most of us naturally have a strong aversion to the sight of blood and gore Right, because that's why people hate watching horror movies, and they never slow down to peek at a car crash.

[Cerebus]

So I guess the time I saw a woman get dragged under a tow truck and splattered all over the road didn't effect me because I play GTA. Oh wait, I had nightmares for weeks. I guess that makes me a pansy who didn't get "trained" well enough.

[Abash Alarmist]

what the fuc is this shit!!?? that makes me so fucing mad. right, that's it, i'm gonna go stab someone in the face over the internet!

har-har.
Well, since your are British, you don't really count...

[IagoTheHunted]

THIS IS HORRIBLE!! I mean I didn't realise I was being so brainwashed until this wonderful man pointed it out!!! Now I must do violent things because I'm desensitized and violent like a surgion! (He makes it so clear, since surgions are also immune to the sight of blood and we all know they're violent murderers in their spare time, when I see a surgion I fucking run the other way before he cuts me open).
THE GOVERNMENT MUST DO SOMETHING TO STOP US ALL BEING BRAINWASHED!!! They should put out some sort of anti-propeganda to stop us from being violent. Like a video game that will stop us from hurting people. I think they have... I mean... it's called "americas army", and you kill people in the game... and then you join the army and they teach you to kill real people in real life... but... I bet it's just a trick. Probably the subliminal messages in the game make you all passive and pieceful. So good for them!!! Shame on all the other creative professionals trying to WARP OUR FRAGILE MINDS!!!!

[joruussuun]

So I guess the time I saw a woman get dragged under a tow truck and splattered all over the road didn't effect me because I play GTA. Oh wait, I had nightmares for weeks. I guess that makes me a pansy who didn't get "trained" well enough.
I think I'm going to have nightmares for weeks just because of the images in my head reading this post caused. Seeing it in a movie or game is nothing... you know it's not real. Imagining it happening to a real person makes me shudder.

[Beelzebud]

I'm going to kill this motherfucker!!!

Just kidding. :D

[see colon]

the best thing is that that study doesn't show that gamers are violent. it shows that thay aren't bothered as much by the sight of violence, and that they're more likely to gloat after winning a videogame.

this just in... NFL players are more likely to gloat after scoring a touchdown than non-nfl players.

george w bush is more likely to gloat after crushing an impoverished nation by using the most technologicly advanced military force on the planet than non-george w bushes

a human body is more likely to gloat by emmiting a foul oder and sound after eating beans than a non-bean eater

[Conner Dain]

This is the same kind of logic that was used to ban violent, graphic comics. All Juvenile Delinquents read comic books, ergo comic books must cause young people to become Juvenile Delinquents. Isn't it sad that we can't learn from our mistakes.

[The Iron Weasel]

OH MY GOD! I'm leaving home, my dads a doctor, hes going to kill me! Well if I dont kill him first! :rolleyes:

[OUX]

HA! Not only are we violent but we can track 30% more small children running around a playground than non-gamers. Linky link linkin (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html)

[see colon]

HA! Not only are we violent but we can track 30% more small children running around a playground than non-gamers. Linky link linkin (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html)
1+2=trouble

[spacerat100]

i'm in the military AND i play violent games. Clearly since I'm going to the middle east soon I need to up my weekly playing time so I can stand a chance of survival. I'd better tell my command I need to clock at least 20 hours a week into battlefield 2 (thats if I coudl ever get the #$*(#&*($&'n thing to patch correctly and let me install the expansion)

[agentgray]

Articles like this piss me off! I want to BEAT somebody!

@#$Q@#$!

Grrgh!

[fitbabits]

I think I'm going to have nightmares for weeks just because of the images in my head reading this post caused. Seeing it in a movie or game is nothing... you know it's not real. Imagining it happening to a real person makes me shudder.
If that made you feel ill, you may want to look away now:

When I was 12 or 13, my friends and I decided to play 'chicken' on one of the major roads in our town. We would run across the road right into the path of oncoming vehicles and see how close we could get to being hit. Anyway, it was my friend's turn and he was determined to win. So much so, in fact, that he mistimed his run in front of a speeding car and got hit square on. Time seemed to slow down as I watched him get thrown in the air and land head first on to the top of the car. His head simply exploded and we watched as he died in front of us. He was alert for about three minutes and the only coherent thing he said was that it hurt.

I've not played chicken since.

[rein]

Winners were allowed to send an unpleasant, loud blast to their defeated opponents. Game players were more likely to make their foes suffer than non-game players.

I want Xbox Live to implement this ability.

[Savok]

They never think that violent people like violent videogames do they?

[Atepsflame]

this just in... NFL players are more likely to gloat after scoring a touchdown than non-nfl players.

No crap. I'd like someone to do a study on proffessional athletes to show how violent sports make you and then compare those results to those of video game studies.

[rein]

If that made you feel ill, you may want to look away now:

When I was 12 or 13, my friends and I decided to play 'chicken' on one of the major roads in our town. We would run across the road right into the path of oncoming vehicles and see how close we could get to being hit. Anyway, it was my friend's turn and he was determined to win. So much so, in fact, that he mistimed his run in front of a speeding car and got hit square on. Time seemed to slow down as I watched him get thrown in the air and land head first on to the top of the car. His head simply exploded and we watched as he died in front of us. He was alert for about three minutes and the only coherent thing he said was that it hurt.

I've not played chicken since.


STOP PLAYING FROGGER!! it is a very bad influcence.

[see colon]

i read the other day that people that like the game "dukes of hazzard" are more violent. in fact, people who play the game "dukes of hazzard" are more likely to press a button in their car that emmits a unpleasant, loud blast of sound while whenever their car is airbourn. if that wasn't enough, there's usualy a bit of screaming involved. yeeeeeeeehhhaaawwww!

[joruussuun]

If that made you feel ill, you may want to look away now:

When I was 12 or 13, my friends and I decided to play 'chicken' on one of the major roads in our town. We would run across the road right into the path of oncoming vehicles and see how close we could get to being hit. Anyway, it was my friend's turn and he was determined to win. So much so, in fact, that he mistimed his run in front of a speeding car and got hit square on. Time seemed to slow down as I watched him get thrown in the air and land head first on to the top of the car. His head simply exploded and we watched as he died in front of us. He was alert for about three minutes and the only coherent thing he said was that it hurt.

I've not played chicken since.
I'm sorry, maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time, but that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Let's go run across the road and try not to get hit by speeding cars! How could that possibly be considered good times? The stupidest game I played as a kid was we each took turns riding a bike while the other kids threw rocks at the spokes. I ended up flipping over the handlbars and kissing pavement. I still have a scar on my lip and slight scars on my wrists.

[The Iron Weasel]

If that made you feel ill, you may want to look away now:

When I was 12 or 13, my friends and I decided to play 'chicken' on one of the major roads in our town. We would run across the road right into the path of oncoming vehicles and see how close we could get to being hit. Anyway, it was my friend's turn and he was determined to win. So much so, in fact, that he mistimed his run in front of a speeding car and got hit square on. Time seemed to slow down as I watched him get thrown in the air and land head first on to the top of the car. His head simply exploded and we watched as he died in front of us. He was alert for about three minutes and the only coherent thing he said was that it hurt.

I've not played chicken since.

My god....thats....horrible....I'm sorry.

[fitbabits]

I'm sorry, maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time, but that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Let's go run across the road and try not to get hit by speeding cars! How could that possibly be considered good times? The stupidest game I played as a kid was we each took turns riding a bike while the other kids threw rocks at the spokes. I ended up flipping over the handlbars and kissing pavement. I still have a scar on my lip and slight scars on my wrists.
Yep, the stupidest thing ever. Yet people still do it everywhere. Maybe not with cars, but I've seen kids do it with trains, etc.

To answer your question on how it could be considered good times - you had to be there. There was a definite bond between us and the friendship we shared was beyond words. I say was because that was the last day we hung out together.

[TheKeck]

I love how his entire thesis is based around the definition that ALL video games are violent. And we're supposed to respect his findings? Fuck off hoser.

The study actually mentions that non-violent games have no effect, and specifically mentions that FPS do.

(I'm not supporting the guy, but at least get the facts straight.)

[Vulture]

I was recently back with the Deptarment of Public Safety instructors here in Texas for recertification. And they pointed out an interesting trend. Most trainees had never been involved in a real fight. We are talking assault and battery with someone besides your brother/cousin/family member.

So as part of an officer training they have to "desensitize" [DPS wordage] new troopers. They do this not with video games or simulators but with hands on.
Not quite Fight Club but free style sparring with gloves and pads.

They also take them out on the range and teach them to shoot thru car windows. Because they are not used to the noise, glass ricocheting, etc.


Now this is Gen Y people we are talking about. Somehow I think they played a video game or two. Yet they have to physcially trained to enact force against people.

[TheKeck]

He'd better hope that I never find out where he lives. I'd be apt to snipe him from afar, just like Sniper Elite.
I am going to find this turncoat gamer and I am going to gib him with the most convient axe I can locate. I am also considering eatting the remains, I haven't decided. In any case, any gore and blood generated in the gibbing process will probably not make me queasy: I am a gamer, and ergo, impervious to such things.
that's it, i'm gonna go stab someone in the face over the internet!
I'm going to kill this motherfucker!!!

Just kidding.
Well if I dont kill him first!
HA! Not only are we violent but we can track 30% more small children running around a playground than non-gamers.
I want to BEAT somebody!


Here's my question, when are they going to do a study about the effects of gaming on being sarcastic? :p

[Xerxes]

I did this study where kids with lawnmowers are more inclined to cut grass than kids with lawn men. Odd thing is based on Desperated Housewives that lawn man maybe you dad.

But honestly we gamers are a little more acclimated to violent type things. I mean with the gaming culture we are linked to anime, action/scifi movies, comics, and other things. These things usually involve alot of simulated blood and gore. I wouldn't say this makes us more violent. I mean we'd all probably freak if we saw someone in real life get a sword jammed in there stomach and watch the blade continue to slash threw them. And if we were that capable of actually doing such a thing we wouldn't be playing games or watching these things. I donate blood reugarly. Just blood ain't nothing to freak out about. It's the pieces of brain that get in your mouth you have to worry about.

[see colon]

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/index.html

just so everyone knows, violent crime has decreased both in volume and per capita in the US since 2000. 2000 also happened to be the launch year for the PS2. 2001 was the most violent year in the last 5 years. at the end of 2001 (oct) a game called grand theft auto 3 was released. violent crime has dropped steadily since.
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/images/content_images/2.2.gif

[[Jez]]

Only time a video game has made me feel violent is when I was playing Harry Potter and the cup of matches, I wanted to hurt the Devs after 20mins

[rein]

See Colon: what is that ingrediant list for in your sig? Looks like some kind of pickled sausage or something. LOL!

[joruussuun]

Rein, I was wondering that myself...
I did a Google search... I think it's some kind of Armour Potted Meat Product? Heh...

[TheKeck]

Rein, I was wondering that myself...
I did a Google search... I think it's some kind of Armour Potted Meat Product? Heh...

Also wondered about the see colon's ingredient list but was too afraid to ask.

(I should write a book. "101 Things You've Always Wanted to Know About See Colon's Ingredient List, but Were Too Afraid to Ask.")

[Citizen Philip]

Here's my question, when are they going to do a study about the effects of gaming on being sarcastic? :p

Rawr! I ought to club you and eat your bones for such insolence!

[fitbabits]

See Colon: what is that ingrediant list for in your sig? Looks like some kind of pickled sausage or something. LOL!
I'm guessing it's a hot dog recipe! Whatever it is, it makes me very happy to be a vegetarian! :D

[Vulture]

[Monty Python voices] Spam! Spam! Lovely Spam!

[TheKeck]

Rawr! I ought to club you and eat your bones for such insolence!

Who eats bones?!! ;)

[TheKeck]

[Monty Python voices] Spam! Spam! Lovely Spam!

Actually, the ingredients for spam are simply "Ham", and then a few preservatives. I LOVE the stuff. :D

[Evil_SPanKY]

Here's my question, when are they going to do a study about the effects of gaming on being sarcastic? :p

SARCASM FTW!!11!!1

Its not games that make us more inclined to be sarcastic, its the gaming websites forums/comments sections that do it!

Could there be a coorelation between us (gamers) and violence, ALL due to the websites.....

DISCUSS....

[joruussuun]

Well.. the Armour Potted Meat Product did match the list exactly...

[TheKeck]

Well.. the Armour Potted Meat Product did match the list exactly...

Ha ha ha ha! Sick.

[rein]

I think we have officially hi-jacked the thread.... ...Armour Pork Brains in Milk Gravy? OMG! do people really eat this shit?

[see colon]

alas, it is for armour potted meat food product. i prefer the ingredients list for the hormel brand better, but it's over 200 characters. but it has mechanically sperated chicken in it. that doesn't sound too gross, but the reason why it's seperated mechanically is because it's bones and cartilage (beaks and feet?) with some meat, mechanically beaten and seperated so it has a more meat-like texture. i haven't eaten the stuff since the 80's when i was too little to know what was in it. and just a little fyi about me, i've been vegetarian for about 10 years, and vegan for more than 6.

[OUX]

Who eats bones?!! ;)
Paris Hilton

[bapenguin]

SPAM = Squirrels, Pigs And Mice

[see colon]

speaking of sig's, OUX's sig shows up as small asian letters for me in opera, but in english in both IE and firefox. stranger than that, if i copy the text in opera and then paste it, the pasted text is in english.

[51|RandoM]

SPAM = Squirrels, Pigs And Mice

don't know what mice taste like, but squirrel is pretty good and some pork is ok.

[Citizen Philip]

don't know what mice taste like, but squirrel is pretty good and some pork is ok.


http://www.eathufu.com

[TheKeck]

don't know what mice taste like, but squirrel is pretty good and some pork is ok.

Squirrel tastes like chicken. And I'm not being snarky, I've tasted it and it's true!

[Dirty Harry]

I love how his entire thesis is based around the definition that ALL video games are violent. And we're supposed to respect his findings? Fuck off hoser.
Yeh, fuck that footplaying hoser.

[Chiron]

it has mechanically sperated chicken in it.

McDonalds chicken nuggets anyone? They've switched to real chicken only very recently. Gag.

[AversionFX]

I had to do a research paper for my English course, and because I'm a gamer, I opted to do a paper based on the negative effects of video games. Here's some of the source information I found saying that yes, games do negatively affect people:

Myth 8. Unrealistic video game violence is completely safe for adolescents and older youths.

Facts: Cartoonish and fantasy violence is often perceived (incorrectly) by parents and public policy makers as safe even for children. However, experimental studies with college students have consistently found increased aggression after exposure to clearly unrealistic and fantasy violent video games. Indeed, at least one recent study found significant increases in aggression by college students after playing E-rated (suitable for everyone) violent video games.

Myth 9. The effects of violent video games are trivially small.

Facts: Meta-analyses reveal that violent video game effect sizes are larger than the effect of second hand tobacco smoke on lung cancer, the effect of lead exposure to I.Q. scores in children, and calcium intake on bone mass.

Most. Retarded. Claims. Evar.

[Goronmon]

All the study shows me is that people who don't have a problem with violence don't mind playing violent video games.

Facts: Meta-analyses reveal that violent video game effect sizes are larger than the effect of second hand tobacco smoke on lung cancer, the effect of lead exposure to I.Q. scores in children, and calcium intake on bone mass.
Of course, this statement could just mean that the effects of the aforementioned are a lot smaller that people assume.

[IagoTheHunted]

Myth 8. Unrealistic video game violence is completely safe for adolescents and older youths.

Facts: Cartoonish and fantasy violence is often perceived (incorrectly) by parents and public policy makers as safe even for children. However, experimental studies with college students have consistently found increased aggression after exposure to clearly unrealistic and fantasy violent video games. Indeed, at least one recent study found significant increases in aggression by college students after playing E-rated (suitable for everyone) violent video games.


Haaaahahaha. Retarded indeed. I love how psychological "studies" compleately ignore common-sense psychological assumptions. It's as if the people conducting the research have never actually talked to other human beings before. The fact is that you can prime people unconciously to be slightly more violent/passive/thoughtful/happy/anything by exposing them to related words on a sheet of paper, or images, or pretty much anything. uh... DUUUUHHHHHHH!!! Of course you can, if we didn't experience those sensations and shifts in mood than entertainment in all forms would be compleately moot. You feel scared exposed to scary movies, loveing when exposed to romantic books (I'll go out on a limb and guess this group would rather settle for "horny when exposed to porn magazines"), and excited and aggressive when exposed to FPS games. geee, Y'THINK? REALLY? WOW!

[Suicidal ShiZuru]

There are a lot of really stupid people in the world, as its been proven multiple times in this thread. Cry now or play GTA and get over it.

[Rirath]

Ya know, I can play the bloodiest of games and often get a good laugh from them. Heck, I cheered when gibs first appeared in Quake. Etc etc... point is, last time I had blood drawn, I literally passed out in the chair. I'm not proud of it, but seeing a tiny needle stuck in my arm pulling out blood suddenly caused things to start getting dark and distant, then I woke up in a bed. So much for that theory.

That said however, I have to admit playing RE4 for extended periods or watching a horror movie does have a tiny, tiny effect on me... as I would almost hope it'd have on just about anyone not absolutely numb to such things. Take for example Sin City... a movie so dark and twisted that it's nice when it's over to take a couple of deep breaths and remind yourself: "At least my life isn't THAT f*cked up." Does it make me want to start shooting people? Of course not. If anything, it makes me never want to see it. But as IagoTheHunted keenly points out, that's the whole point of the 'horror' genre.

Personally, I don't know how people can watch the ER dramas and medical programs on TLC and keep their lunch down. I've seen my GRANDMOTHER watching things more bloody than I've ever seen in a game WHILE EATING. I can see the headlines now... "GRANNIES DESENSITIZED TO BLOOD, WE'RE DOOMED!"

[Onea]

This has probably already been said, but I'll throw in my 2 cents.

We cannot make ANY conclusions from this study, because the author is clearly inept at experimental design. Small sample size, failure to control lurking variables such as participant background, and vaguely defined terms; this researcher did nearly everything wrong.

Finally, the author clearly has no understanding of the difference between "correlation" and "causation." IF the author had not made so many mistakes in setting up the experiment, the best he could have concluded was that there was a CORRELATION between video games and aggressiveness. However, he seems to believe that he can conclude that video games CAUSE aggressive behaviour. This is not so, since there are clearly far too many lurking variables that could account for the causation.

If I see someone referencing this study in the future, I'm going to be pissed.

[IagoTheHunted]

If I see someone referencing this study in the future, I'm going to be pissed.

Well I wouldn't worry about us since we all seem to agree it's crap. But I'm sure Hilary and Liberman will trot it out along with all the other bullshit excuses to violate the first ammendment.