Bloodlust spell from bloody video games (Barlett et al., 2008)

There are a variety of choices for my latest post and things I should do:

1- My comparison of the Byron Report with the NIMF’s and other reports, mainly on the presentation of the research on video games and their recommendations.
2- My post on the connection between violent video games and violent behaviours of people, i.e. violent crime and such. I thought of writing it for weeks, thinking of expanding on what is currently known, but never had the spare time.
3- An overhyped journal article about first person shooters and the third person effect.
4- My seminar paper for my class on Nick Yee’s Proteus effect.
5- Writing up my C.V. for a part-time job.
6- My reading of an issue in the American Behavioral Scientist.

However, compelling circumstances lead me to post about an interesting article from Christopher Barlett, a grad student at Iowa State University.

Abstract

The current study utilized the General Aggression Model, with an emphasis on aggression-related priming, to explore the different effects on hostility, physiological arousal, and state aggression in those who played a violent video game (Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance) with differing levels of blood (maximum, medium, low, and off). Simple effects analyses showed that those in the maximum blood and medium blood conditions had a significant increase in hostility and physiological arousal, while those in the low blood and no blood conditions did not have such an increase in arousal and hostility. Further analyses indicated that those in the maximum and medium blood conditions used the character’s weapon significantly more often than those in the low and blood absent conditions. Implications and future research are discussed.

Playing violent video games and aggressive political opinions (Eyal et al., 2006)

Reasons why I shouldn’t be writing this blog at this moment:

1. Writing my draft for my thesis paper
2. Writing my detailed opinion piece on the Byron Report (due last week)
3. Writing my seminar paper
4. Finding a part-time job

But the one reason I’m writing is because I’m worried that I would forget the eureka moment I had during my seminar class when someone talked about political conservatism as a motivated social cognition and the mechanism behind, one of them on priming. Since VG research also touches on priming, I found one interesting article that deals with such relations. Hope someone writes me a summary.

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between young people’s exposure to media violence and their aggressive political opinions (APO), which were defined as support for positions that involve forceful resolution to social or political issues. Students from 2 U.S. universities completed surveys assessing their APO, exposure to violent media, authoritarianism, trait aggressiveness, political leaning, personal experience with crime, and demographics. Results revealed that violent television exposure significantly predicted several forms of APO above and beyond the control variables. Playing violent video games, however, predicted only a few aggressive political opinions. The results of this study support the reliability and validity of the APO measure, shed light on the relationship between exposure to violent media content and political opinions, and suggest some important differences between television and video game content in the effects process.