Phew!: Waggle doesn't produce murderers

Crumbled? The myth will be stronger than the proof (until something newer comes along, that is). In my humble opinion, thinking that something like scientific proof will stop illogical people that blame long existing problems like violence on new things... um... well, let's just say these people won't just put the pitchforks and torches down and walk away calmly.

Wow, talk about a useless study. The participants played the game for twenty minutes. I'm not sure that anyone was worried about the effects of twenty minutes of video gaming on college students. The suggestion that this is science is laughable.

I'm pretty sure what people are worried about is that a continual involvement with violent video games might lead to psychopathy. This study has not addressed this concern at all.

I understand that this is a boon for us pro-gaming people, but honestly we cant simply rely on what science tells us. I mean its silly to say "Hell if Science says it, it must be true". We have to look at this study as accurate to those 118 college students but is it necessarily accurate for an entire race? Is it accurate for a younger audience? Is it accurate for a mental disturbed man? I dont know. Im just saying we cant simply close the book cause science does one test.

I for one, disagree. I was enjoying my rented copy of Godfather: The Blackhand Edition but the hand motions required and force-feedback offered when strangling someone with a garrote felt far more realistic and intense than if I'd performed the same action with buttons. I didn't like the feeling.

It's not to say I'd become a violent psychopath by playing it, but I can definitely see how hours and hours (and years) of playing games like that would desensitize you, and the waggle was a key difference for me.

I love that pic. Lollipop killer!

Think biggest problem with this study is that they measured thoughts, not behavior. No one would really predict a difference in the level of aggressive thoughts or feelings b/n a waggle and no-waggle game. The major difference b/n these two games, afterall, is in the behavior. So you would really need to look at behavior as your outcome variable.

As for the people arguing that for 99% of people games have no effect - I would disagree. In our studies we find effects for a good proportion of people. But the effect isn't a big effect. Violent games don't turn people into murderers. Rather they make them more likely to argue with others and maybe, at the most extreme hit someone else. So yes, for 99.99999% of the population, violent games do not make them into murderers. But it does increase the level of "normal" aggression. And although it's more normal, it still can damage interpersonal relationships. Which I don't think anyone really wants.

Also, to calcprogrammer1 - You might be interested to know that the same theory that predicts increases in aggression also predicts (and tests have confirmed) that violent passages from the bible (in the actual study they used bible passages, but any violent narrative would do the same) can increase aggressive behavior as well.