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No Evidence to Support Link Between Violent Video Games and Behaviour :
In a series of experiments, with more than 3,000 participants, the team demonstrated that video game concepts do not 'prime' players to behave in certain ways and that increasing the realism of violent video games does not necessarily increase aggression in game players.
The dominant model of learning in games is built on the idea that exposing players to concepts, such as violence in a game, makes those concepts easier to use in 'real life'. This is known as 'priming', and is thought to lead to changes in behaviour. Previous experiments on this effect, however, have so far provided mixed conclusions.
Researchers at the University of York expanded the number of participants in experiments, compared to studies that had gone before it, and compared different types of gaming realism to explore whether more conclusive evidence could be found
[...] "The findings suggest that there is no link between these kinds of realism in games and the kind of effects that video games are commonly thought to have on their players.
"Further study is now needed into other aspects of realism to see if this has the same result. What happens when we consider the realism of by-standing characters in the game, for example, and the inclusion of extreme content, such as torture?
"We also only tested these theories on adults, so more work is needed to understand whether a different effect is evident in children players."
Journal Reference:
David Zendle, Daniel Kudenko, Paul Cairns. Behavioural realism and the activation of aggressive concepts in violent video games. Entertainment Computing, 2018; 24: 21 DOI: 10.1016/j.entcom.2017.10.003
(Score: 5, Interesting) by meustrus on Monday November 19 2018, @08:13PM (12 children)
These results aren't necessarily comparable to previous results. The reason is that most previous studies were undertaken in America, and Americans and Brits are different.
This happens all the time in psychology. Usually, the impact is that psychological effects unique to Americans are improperly projected onto all of humanity. In this case, it raises a peculiar question: are Americans in any way more susceptible to 'priming' than Brits? And a follow-up: does this affect extend beyond video games into other media, such as TV, movies, cable news, or advertisements?
Perhaps what's really at play here is whatever force causes Americans to commit more gun violence per gun owner than any other nation in the world. But I'm not holding my breath for anyone to study inter-cultural differences in 'priming'.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 2) by splodus on Monday November 19 2018, @08:58PM (5 children)
Very much this!
I’ve never even seen a gun! Let alone fired one! I wouldn’t know where to get a gun – I don’t know anyone who could. For pretty much everyone in the UK – there simply are no guns.
So a computer game with guns is pure fantasy for us – ‘we’ (UK citizens) can’t be ‘primed’ to go out and shoot people, cos we can’t get guns with which to shoot people anyway…
(Personally, I doubt the video games make any difference anyway – but the demographic here should absolutely be taken into account...)
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday November 19 2018, @09:28PM
But watching too much Great British Bake Off causes you to attack each other with knives...
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19 2018, @10:28PM (1 child)
You've not been Christmas shopping in the past 2 years? Link: 1 [dailymail.co.uk] 2 [thesun.co.uk] Forgive the sources -- google it for multiple local papers covering this
You can't live in a rural area and have never seen a shotgun and I have no idea where you live in the UK but it doesn't sound like the country I live in. [parliament.uk]
(Score: 2) by splodus on Tuesday November 20 2018, @02:10PM
I've lived in rural Devon for 50 years - never been interested in going on a shoot so never seen a shotgun...
Your link to the report on gun crime puts Firearm Offences in the South West at 4 per 100,000 population!
I did just remember though as a kid seeing guns in a sports shop in Heavitree - not sure if they were shotguns or air-rifles, but maybe I have seen a gun after all? Ha!
(Score: 3, Funny) by bzipitidoo on Monday November 19 2018, @10:45PM
You don't know where to get a gun? Just 3D print one.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday November 20 2018, @04:35PM
Meanwhile, Americans and the rest of the world are mystified that Britons cannot watch the most tedious sport in the world without rioting, burning, and trampling innocent bystanders to death.
You're weird in your way, we're weird in ours.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19 2018, @09:19PM
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 20 2018, @12:26AM (4 children)
Remember that the high level of gun violence is due to young blacks shooting each other. They are kept in a parallel society, while the majority culture is ok with them killing each other, as long as they don't take their violence to white areas.
I guess the hope is they will eventually become extinct while being replaced by people from south of the border.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 20 2018, @01:25AM (3 children)
I am surprised that parent post hasn't been modded down already. But, he brings up an important bit of data. Overall, most shootings take place in impoverished inner cities, with blacks shooting blacks. At the same time, most nutcases who just open up, and start shooting random people are white. Just a couple things to think about.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 20 2018, @08:38AM (2 children)
Except for those that take place in impoverished Appalachian hell holes where people play banjo and ask you to squeal like pig. Or in the Ozarchs, where the Runaways doth lie. You are a racist bigot, Runaway, and I shoot in your general direction, just to see you hug the ground like the coward you are. No wonder you signed up for the Navy.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday November 20 2018, @04:36PM
Aristarchus, we all know it's you. Just own your words. Don't fear the troll mod. If you don't draw the foul you're not playing the game right.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 20 2018, @06:27PM
You're the racist, Ari. You don't think there are black people in Apalachia? Or the Ozarks? Speaking of squealing like a pig - do you have any new little boys to talk about? You Cretins know all about making little boys squeal!