Science says: Game violence makes players relax

by Kyle Orland { Apr 2nd 2008 at 11:00PM }

The link between playing violent games and short-term increases in amorphous measures of "aggression" has been well-established by science. Or has it? Develop takes note of a new study being presented today that shows gamers tended to feel more relaxed after some good, old-fashioned online gaming.

The Middlesex University researchers studied 292 World of Warcraft players, asking them to fill out personality and aggression surveys before and after a two-hour play session. The results showed "higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the game," researcher Jane Barnett said, though she added that the results "did very much depend on personality type."

Barnett said she hopes the study will lead to a questionnaire that can identify "the type of gamer who is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life." Probably the same type of gamer who'd transfer their love of Pac-Man to a career in competitive eating, if we had to guess.

Tags: aggression, science, study, violence, world-of-warcraft, WoW

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

comtar @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:05PM

This picture would have even been more awesome if photoshopped with a background from a screenshot of Condemned 2 or something.

Shmil (Brawl Code 2621-2310-1994) @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:06PM

i wouldn't say its the violence that makes us relaxed
gaming is just a form of entertainment that happens to be interactive, some people read books, some people watch tv/movies, some build models, some write, etc...
gaming is a hobby, most people have hobbies to keep them sane from day to day life

Isaac @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:07PM

Not saying that these results are wrong but 292 players? Out of 8 million? Seriously? That can hardly be considered conclusive.

ChooChooCharlie (Brawl: 1504-5357-9285) @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:40PM

True.

I also wonder how large of a geographical / demographical pool they used to select their gamers. The results could easily vary with age, location, and socioeconomic status.

mian @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:34AM

500-1000 people out of 300 million makes up most of the national presidential polls (with 5% to 3% margins) you see. Doesn't mean this is legit, but the sample size doesn't screw it over.

rv @ Apr 3rd 2008 11:23AM

I'm not worried about the sample size, it has a 5.85% margin of error, which is not very large. I'm worried about the bs sampling method. The questionnaire is not a very good comparative measure. Its prone to bias of players, or the players might not be gauging their levels correctly.

RabbidMickeyMouse @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:10PM

Perhaps this has something to do with the risks of addiction associated with playing videogames?

Trickob @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:11PM

so, the results "did very much depend on personality type."?? gosh, does this mean that different people react to similar things differently? is she implying that maybe, just maybe, you can't take a group of people who enjoy a particular hobby (say gaming) and say that they're all going to react the same way to a particular stimulus (say, i don't know, playing a violent game)???

that's some ground-breaking science right there.

Sam406 @ Apr 3rd 2008 6:50AM

I'm trying really hard to add something witty to your comment but I'm too busy laughing, I agree completely.

After all, common sense is not common at all these days.

samfish @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:13PM

Perhaps that's what science says, but what does Frankie say?

lvl99ultrathug @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:21AM

Relax don't do it
When you want to to go to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
Relax don't do it
When you want to suck to it
Relax don't do it
When you want to come
Come-oh oh oh

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Apr 3rd 2008 3:29AM

*applauds*

thethirdmoose @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:13PM

I don't think it's violence... of course playing halo or whatever makes me relax. but so does playing non-violent games like racing games or sports games. I think more than violence, it's the aftermath of the adrenaline rush you get while playing.

tmacairjordan87 @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:21PM

I tell ya, nothin makes me drift off easier than slaughtering entire villages in oblivion.

Microswirl @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:22PM

Violence aside, I tend to feel more relaxed when I chainsaw a buncha dudes in Gears of War... when I'm on the recieving end, however, I get pissed off.

Aludra @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:40PM

We have Tenchu Wrath of Heaven hooked up in the break room at work just for this reason. If we're ticked off at someone in the warehouse, and will be arrested if we did anything harmful, we play Tenchu to let stress out. Of course, in our minds, we pretend its the people who ticked us off on the screen.

We have tetris too..but it seems to make me more stressed out in 15 minutes playing it than its supposed to relax.

sikantis @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:58PM

The reason for people to be aggressive isn't gaming, the reason is before that. Aggression arises out of life: disappointment, humiliation, lack of esteem.

Darren Tilley @ Apr 2nd 2008 11:59PM

Now I have absolutely no belief in the allegation that games leads to violence, but could somebody seriously do a proper study without screwing it up, so that we can actually site real sources?

They probably spent a bunch of time setting this study up and then went and used World of Warcraft as their "violent game". Could they not have found as many CoD4 players or something? Anything but Wow.

ugg.tryptophan @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:08AM

I did notice awhile back when playing half life(ok a long while back) with the blood disabled it seemed scarier because there was no conformation that the target had been hit, the red mist is like a sign that tells you that you've accomplished the task and can move on to complete the next task.

reppy @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:19AM

The reason the players felt calm and relaxed is because they're addicted to World of Warcraft and received a dopamine release from playing it. (I'm joking, but not really..)

Besides, I'd hardly consider World of Warcraft a "violent" game.

Anticrawl @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:19AM

Working with people is pretty stressful at times because one wouldn't think a world renowned doctor would have trouble loading paper into a printer so often times when I go back to my office I fire up Unreal Tournament 2004 on my laptop and hop on my manta and slice some fools in half to quell the rage inside. It is very relaxing, much like squeezing those stress balls is. You know people imagine those stress balls are a customers/loved one's neck to keep them from actually performing the act to the person. Video games works the same for me. If anything "violent games" keep me from commiting violent crimes.

mian @ Apr 3rd 2008 12:38AM

Bingo. That's exactly my experience. Traffic, idiot teachers, idiot fellow students, idiot food preparers, random idiots with no relation whatsoever, more traffic, and then there's a decision to made. Kill video game characters, or kill (or at least maim) idiots. I kill video game characters. Then I wake and do it all again the next day with a minimum of fuss.

ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Apr 3rd 2008 1:33AM

The sensation of aggressiveness and relaxation can coexist.

When you're aggressive, you perform aggressive actions to relieve yourself from your current frustration, thus your aggressiveness generates a feeling of relaxation afterwards. It's the principle of venting.

The problem with venting is that it encourages the recall of the aggressive state at any minor frustration, instead of waiting it off and cooling down.

I'm not saying that violence in videogames should be banned, because when you know the difference between reality and virtual, you know that your ingame actions and emotions don't translate into real-life.

Abscissa @ Apr 3rd 2008 2:25AM

"the type of gamer who is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life."

Umm, yea. That would be otherwise known as "the type of person who is already unstable to begin with."

Alan @ Apr 4th 2008 7:23AM

I think the study itself and the quickness of the gaming media to point to it as evidence proves only thing... both sides of the debate have a vested interest, personally, politically, or financially, in convincing us they're right. Common sense tells you that when Fox News trots out Mass Effect as an example of pornographic gaming, Fox News has a vested interest in convincing their viewers that video games are a debasement of society.

Common sense also tells you that when you yourself are sitting in front of the TV fragging 12 year olds in Call of Duty 4, screaming "die mother fu@#er, DIE!", the game you are playing is probably raising your agression level a little. I think both sides of the debate need to be intellectually honest with the public, both general and gaming.

Mass Effect is by no means pornographic (though I had small hopes), and conversely, playing fast-paced, violent games will probably, at least temporarily, raise SOME people's personal agression level (not defining agression as a likelyhood to axe-murder someone). If you don't believe that, ask yourself what kind of music you'd like to listen to while playing such a game. I have a feeling there aren't a whole lot of gamers listening to Mozart while chainsawing a buddy in Gears of War. It's just not that relaxing.

If both sides of the debate seem unreasonable at times, it's because both sides are trying to fool you. 'VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES ARE GOOD FOR SOCIETY'... that's what one of the most unscientific and moronic studies I've ever heard of (or at least Joystiq's parading of it) is trying to lead you into believing. You can argue until you're blue in the face, but one thing we can all agree on is that violent video games are in no way GOOD for society. They are quite often, however, a whole lot of fun. :)

Rob @ Apr 3rd 2008 7:30AM

I would say that this is only true if you are actually winning. Also have you ever played Halo? How can you relax with all those little kids screaming profanities in your ear.

Farseer (GDI) @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:30AM

It's about time. Seriously, we can conduct inconclusive studies on a very subjective topic just as well as the naysayers can.

Farseer (GDI) @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:30AM

It's about time. Seriously, we can conduct inconclusive studies on a very subjective topic just as well as the naysayers can.

Farseer (GDI) @ Apr 3rd 2008 9:31AM

Crap.

Gurei @ Apr 3rd 2008 10:50AM

FLASH NEWS!
PLAYING GAMES CHILLS!

Who would have thought that entretainment,such as games,tv,movies,music or other activitys one can enjoy,would have relaxing effects? WOW

Seriously,all these researchs and stuff is just a waste of money,tell me something i dont know or find something useful like the cure of cancer WICH btw...games are helping to find.