Videogame violence: Driving you mad?

New study finds driving games leave you feeling more agitated and aggressive than violent shoot 'em ups.

This is the finding of Dr. Simon Goodson and Sarah Pearson from Huddersfield University who presented their findings at the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference this week in Brighton.

Previous research has supported a link between violent videogames and aggression by measuring the physical and mental reactions of the players. However, the choice and complexity of the videogames were limited. This study used one of the latest consoles (Xbox360) and three different game genres; a first-person-shooter (FPS), a driving game (Project Gotham Racing) and a 3D table tennis game.

Thirty participants, aged from 18 to 45, took part in the study and were measured for changes in their physical responses (EEG, breathing and heart rate) and mental responses (aggression) before and after playing.

The driving game induced the greatest change in heart rate and brain activity and surprisingly the FPS induced the smallest change.

Dr. Goodson and Sarah Pearson commented: "Previous researchers have made sweeping generalisations about the nature of videogames. This study is one of the first to use one of the latest games consoles that have a much higher level of realism. Surprisingly the results showed that the driving game made participants more agitated and aggressive than the game with graphic violence. Given the high levels of realism in modern games a re-evaluation of the relationship between videogames and violence is needed."

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Comments

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  I'll vouch for that, especially when the real roads are full of idiots as well. :P

  Hells Zargon, 30-11--0001 at 00:00