New research seems to suggest that violent video games make it more likely that players will engage in violent behavior and drug abuse than non-violent video games.
A study carried out by Dr Sonya Brady, of the University of California San Francisco, and Professor Karen Matthews, of the University of Pittsburgh on 100 undergraduate males aged between 18 to 21 has revealed some interesting findings. Participants were asked to play a game that involved taking homework to school on time or another game featuring violent beatings with a baseball bat.
Those who played the violent game were more likely to interpret the behavior of others towards them as hostile. You're kind of on the lookout for other people being rude to you, Dr Brady said.
The same study also examined participant attitudes regarding marijuana and alcohol use and appears to suggest that the young men that played the violent game were more likely to consider the consumption of such drugs as acceptable. What this study suggests is that they might increase any type of risk-taking behaviour, said Dr. Brady.
This study is not what you may consider definitive as the sample was small, participants did not try both games and we are not clear on what games were used and their real world relevance. The study does however, raise some interesting questions regarding the effect of gaming, questions which need to be addressed in similar studies and in fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) studies which may tell us exactly how gaming may affect brain chemistry.
