Repeated and Excessive Violent Game Usage on Personality, Aggression, Attitudes, and Long Term Effects

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Purpose of the Study3

Aim of the Study3

Problem Statement3

Rationale of the Study4

Research Question4

Significance of the Study5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW6

Theoretical Perspectives6

Correlational Studies on Aggression and Video Game Usage7

Social Learning Theory8

The General Aggression Model9

Research on motion-interactive games and realism12

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY15

Research Method15

Hypotheses15

Participants16

Data Collection17

Video game questionnaire17

Demographics questionnaire17

Post-game questionnaire17

Competitive Reaction-Time Task18

Procedure18

Data Analysis19

Ethical Considerations20

Projected Timetable20

REFERENCES21

APPENDICES26

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Understanding the history of video game development is important when reviewing current and past research, because it allows the reader to place studies in context. Videogames have changed so dramatically over the last 30 years that generalising results of past studies to the current phenomenon is extremely difficult (Griffiths, 2004). Development of new game genres (such as when the first person shooter was developed) or technology change (such as when game visuals moved from 2 dimensional graphics to 3 dimensional graphics) has the potential to completely change the effect that games have on players (Griffiths, 2002). Continuing research will always be necessary to understand what effects future changes in video game design will have on players, and a historical review can help illustrate how significant some of the changes in past have been (Selnow, 1984).

Since the 1970's the only consistent data collected about video games has been demographic data about video game players. These demographic studies will be reviewed in this section to illustrate that, as games have changed over time, so have the populations playing them (Grady, 1995). Population shifts have the potential to confound conclusions about the effects of video games, since it is widely considered that certain segments of the population (particularly children) may be more susceptible to any possible effects (Lepper, & Gurtner, 1989). Since the middle of the 20th Century, media technology has become an international business. From the television first being introduced at the 1939 World's Fair to today's technology of being able to rewind and playback live television, media has changed significantly. Over the past three decades, video games have quickly become one of the favourite types of media, and activities, for youth in America, Europe, and Australia. Video games and gaming systems have evolved from Atari to today's Play Station 3™ and Xbox 360™. Regardless of a recession, the video game industry sold a record AUD 9 billion in 2001 (Sherry, 2001).

Video game researchers have been studying video games since their creation. While a significant amount of research has been done on the topic in general, there has been little consensus or agreement as to the positive or negative effects of playing video games. One of the main reasons it is difficult to say anything definitive about video games is that the games themselves evolve over time (Gee, 2003).

The demographics of video game players have also changed over time, sometimes rapidly as new products hit the market that appeal to a population that did not previously play or have access to ...