Video games linked to aggression in boys

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Most studies done on violence and
video games support the conclusion that violent video games can
increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents,
especially boys, researchers said on Friday.

An analysis of 20 years of research shows the effects can
be both immediate and long-lasting.

“The majority of the studies would suggest there are
effects,” said Jessica Nicoll of Saint Leo University in Saint
Leo, Florida, who worked on the study.

One study showed that children who played a violent game
for less than 10 minutes and then took a mood assessment test
rated themselves with aggressive traits and aggressive actions
shortly after playing.

Teachers of 600 8th and 9th graders, aged 13 to 15, said
children who spent more time playing violent video games were
more hostile than other children and more likely to argue with
authority figures and other students.

The findings, presented at an annual meeting of American
Psychological Association, prompted the group to adopt a
resolution recommending that all violence be reduced in video
games and interactive media marketed to children and youth.

“Additionally, the APA also encourages parents, educators
and health care providers to help youth make more informed
choices about which games to play,” the Association said in a
statement.

BAD EXAMPLE

Video games set a bad example and may be particularly
influential because a player takes on the roles of heroes and
villains, violent and otherwise, the APA said.

Perpetrators of violence go unpunished 73 percent of the
time in all violent scenes, the group said. “Showing violent
acts without consequences teach youth that violence is an
effective means of resolving conflict,” said psychologist
Elizabeth Carll, who helps direct the group’s Committee on
Violence in Video Games and Interactive Media.

Nicoll said in an interview that “only a handful” of the
studies she and colleagues examined found no connection between
violence and violent video games.

The findings are similar to those seen for violent
television shows. Joaquim Ferreira of the University of Coimbra
in Portugal and colleagues studied more than 800 youngsters
aged from 9 to 14 and found the biggest factor linking
television violence and actual aggression was the child’s
understanding of the violence.

“It is the way you perceive the violence and how you deal
with the kids and help them understand reality,” Ferreira, who
also presented his findings to the APA meeting, said in an
interview.

Parents can sit with children and explain cartoons or
television shows to them — something the APA and other groups
recommend doing. But this is more difficult to do with video
games, Ferreira said.

“You are part of the thing,” he said. “You get involved in
the violence because you are doing it.”