An update on the effects of playing violent video games

This article presents a brief overview of existing research on the effects of exposure to violent video games. An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescence (London, England.) England.), 2004-02, Vol.27 (1), p.113-122
Main Author: Anderson, Craig A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Affective Behavior
Aggression
Aggression - psychology
Aggressiveness
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Cognitive Processes
Computer & video games
Correlation
Exposure
Humans
Influences
Medical sciences
Meta Analysis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Risk factors
Social behavior disorders. Criminal behavior. Delinquency
Systematic review
Video Games
Video Games - adverse effects
Video Games - psychology
Video Games - statistics & numerical data
Violence
Violence - psychology
Violent videogames
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Summary:This article presents a brief overview of existing research on the effects of exposure to violent video games. An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping behaviour. Experimental studies reveal this linkage to be causal. Correlational studies reveal a linkage to serious, real-world types of aggression. Methodologically weaker studies yielded smaller effect sizes than methodologically stronger studies, suggesting that previous meta-analytic studies of violent video games underestimate the true magnitude of observed deleterious effects on behaviour, cognition, and affect.
ISSN:0140-1971
1095-9254
DOI:10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.009