Nintendo World Report

New studies on video game players dispel the violence connection but find neuroticism and lack of extraversion in game addicts.

One new study suggests video game players are less aggressive and even calmer after playing violent online video games. The British Psychological Society presented Middlesex University's findings on video game research this week at their Dublin-based symposium. This is an interesting finding that contradicts the limited studies already conducted.

The University study questioned players before and after hostile game play. Most studies in this field are conducted through questionnaires that measure a player's level of aggressiveness before and after playing video games. The new study found that "There were actually higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the [violent] game as opposed to experiencing anger but this did very much depend on personality type." The researchers also hope this study will pave the way to finding the "personality type" that is more likely to "transfer their online aggression into everyday life." Their aim is a public health policy that addresses troubled young people, not video game players at large.

The study contradicted the general trend of previous studies on the subject. A 1983 Gibb Study questioned players before and after they played games in an arcade. That study found a correlation between aggression and gameplay, but found it insignificant when combined with other factors. As video games became more realistic in their depictions of violence, studies continued to confirm one thing: signs of aggression and anxiousness in players directly after playing violent games. In 2000, the University of Central Lancashire conducted a study that concluded teenage players had "higher ratings on hostility and anger after playing the [violent] games."

This weeks' Dublin symposium also found similarities between video game addiction and Asperger's syndrome, a form of high functioning autism. The University of Bolton and Whitman College claimed, "Our research supports the idea that people who are heavily involved in game playing may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who have no interest in gaming." The "high engagement" players also shared negative personality traits. The most common personality traits of "video game addicts" match the most common traits of Asperger's syndrome: neuroticism, lack of extraversion, and agreeableness. The researchers agreed these avid game players do not have autism, but they do find it easier to communicate with a machine than other people.

As video games continue to be part of everyday life, the studies will likely continue. The studies thus far should be viewed as exploratory, not scientific, and rely heavily on surveys and qualitative judgments by researchers in defining and measuring what constitutes aggression.

Les Thomas, INACTIVE