Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Center for Lifespan Psychology, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
Mol Psychiatry. 2019 Aug;24(8):1220-1234. doi: 10.1038/s41380-018-0031-7. Epub 2018 Mar 13.
It is a widespread concern that violent video games promote aggression, reduce pro-social behaviour, increase impulsivity and interfere with cognition as well as mood in its players. Previous experimental studies have focussed on short-term effects of violent video gameplay on aggression, yet there are reasons to believe that these effects are mostly the result of priming. In contrast, the present study is the first to investigate the effects of long-term violent video gameplay using a large battery of tests spanning questionnaires, behavioural measures of aggression, sexist attitudes, empathy and interpersonal competencies, impulsivity-related constructs (such as sensation seeking, boredom proneness, risk taking, delay discounting), mental health (depressivity, anxiety) as well as executive control functions, before and after 2 months of gameplay. Our participants played the violent video game Grand Theft Auto V, the non-violent video game The Sims 3 or no game at all for 2 months on a daily basis. No significant changes were observed, neither when comparing the group playing a violent video game to a group playing a non-violent game, nor to a passive control group. Also, no effects were observed between baseline and posttest directly after the intervention, nor between baseline and a follow-up assessment 2 months after the intervention period had ended. The present results thus provide strong evidence against the frequently debated negative effects of playing violent video games in adults and will therefore help to communicate a more realistic scientific perspective on the effects of violent video gaming.
人们普遍担心暴力视频游戏会促进攻击性、减少亲社会行为、增加冲动性，并干扰玩家的认知和情绪。以前的实验研究集中在暴力视频游戏对攻击性的短期影响上，但有理由相信这些影响主要是启动的结果。相比之下，本研究首次使用大量测试，包括问卷、攻击性行为测量、性别歧视态度、同理心和人际交往能力、冲动相关结构（如感觉寻求、无聊易感性、冒险、延迟折扣）、心理健康（抑郁、焦虑）以及执行控制功能，来调查长期暴力视频游戏玩法的影响，在 2 个月的游戏前后进行。我们的参与者每天玩 2 个月的暴力视频游戏《侠盗猎车手 V》、非暴力视频游戏《模拟人生 3》或不玩游戏。当比较玩暴力视频游戏的组与玩非暴力游戏的组或与被动对照组时，既没有观察到显著变化，也没有在干预后直接进行基线和后测之间或干预结束后 2 个月的随访评估之间观察到显著变化。因此，目前的结果为经常被讨论的玩暴力视频游戏对成年人的负面影响提供了强有力的证据，这将有助于对暴力视频游戏的影响传递更现实的科学观点。
