A Comparative Study of Violent and Non-violent Video Games on Aggression and Irritability in College Students
Ponam Saba, Haiwen Qi, Zhixiao Ye, I-Jun ChenObjectives:
The psychological impact of violent video games remains controversial. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of playing violent versus nonviolent video games on aggression and irritability, examining the roles of gender and gameplay duration.
Methods:
A repeated-measures experimental design was employed. The final sample consisted of 210 participants (102 boys, 108 girls), who were assessed before and after playing either a violent (Counter-Strike) or a non-violent (Candy Crush Saga) game for three different durations (20, 40, 60 minutes). Aggression was measured using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) and irritability using the Caprara Irritability Scale (CIS).
Results:
Analysis revealed a significant association between playing violent video games and heightened aggression and irritability. A significant main effect of gender was observed, with male students scoring higher on both aggression and CIS dimensions following exposure than female students (F(1, 206) = 21.897, p < .001, η²p = .096), indicating a moderate effect size. Furthermore, extended gameplay time was also associated with a stronger rise in aggression levels (χ²(1) = 46.787, p < .001, Cramér's V = .472).
Discussion:
The findings of this work suggest that exposure to violent video gaming is significantly linked to enhanced aggression and irritability in college students. These effects increase with the duration of time spent gaming. In addition, the effect was more pronounced among male participants than females, indicating greater susceptibility in males.
Conclusions:
Compared to nonviolent video games, violent video games increase aggressive behavior in college students.