Media violence not linked to youth violence (Ferguson et al., 2009)

Via gamepolitics, Christopher Ferguson has published an article about the influence of violent video games, family, peers and depression.

Abstract

Objective

To examine the multivariate nature of risk factors for youth violence including delinquent peer associations, exposure to domestic violence in the home, family conflict, neighborhood stress, antisocial personality traits, depression level, and exposure to television and video game violence.

Study design

A population of 603 predominantly Hispanic children (ages 10-14 years) and their parents or guardians responded to multiple behavioral measures. Outcomes included aggression and rule-breaking behavior on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), as well as violent and nonviolent criminal activity and bullying behavior.

Results

Delinquent peer influences, antisocial personality traits, depression, and parents/guardians who use psychological abuse in intimate relationships were consistent risk factors for youth violence and aggression. Neighborhood quality, parental use of domestic violence in intimate relationships, and exposure to violent television or video games were not predictive of youth violence and aggression.

Conclusion

Childhood depression, delinquent peer association, and parental use of psychological abuse may be particularly fruitful avenues for future prevention or intervention efforts.

As before, this post is a detailed summary to Ferguson’s succinct summary, but I will be omitting some parts like the authors’ structural equation modeling analysis which is too much.

A flash game with a thought provoking “gray” message

For almost a year, I’ve spent much of my gaming time at Kongregate that I questioned, for a little while, my identity as a gamer. Perhaps I’m not a gamer anymore in the eyes of other gamers or perhaps I’m a different type of gamer.

Today, a game called “Gray” caught my attention when I felt like going for a little run on Canabalt. The game is at first confusing, all I could do is follow the game’s instructions and converted “white” rioters into “black” rioters. But then, my character suddenly seem to convert himself from black to white and I continued the process of converting rioters to “my” side,  which is how I interpret it as such.

I will stop at this point, I’ve given enough spoilers.  I recommend playing this game and when it ends I am sure that it leaves a thought provoking message about an age-old human problem. You can visit their forums and read what others think about this game’s message. This may seem like a viable research project in the future.

The link to this game is here. This game is developed by Intuition Games.

Video game motives in relation to school performance, sleeping habits, perceived health… (Wallenius et al., 2009)

School has started for many and will have to adjust their habits for the rigors of schooling and homework. That also means managing their time with video games. So I found this nifty article from Marjut Wallenius whom, by my knowledge, is one of the few concerned about the interaction between parenting (at least an aspect of it) and video games among children.

Abstract

The aims of this research were to describe Finnish adolescents’ different motives for digital game playing, and to examine relations between digital game playing and parent–child communication, school performance, sleeping habits, and perceived health. A questionnaire was used to assess a nationwide postal sample of 12–18-year-old Finns (6761 respondents response rate 69%) inwinter 2003. Among respondents, 4085 adolescents played digital games and answered questions on digital game motives. Two main motives emerged: instrumental (learn new things and procedures, have a common topic for conversation, use and develop game playing skills, experience different roles/worlds) and ritualized (pastime, entertainment; recover, relax; escape everyday life, forget worries). The importance of all motives increased for participants with longer playing times. Instrumental motives were more important to boys and younger respondents. They were associated with earlier bedtime, worse perceived health better mother communication, and better school grades, but only among boys. The importance of ritualized motives increased with age and was related to better school performance, worse sleeping habits, and worse perceived health in both sexes. Digital games seem to have the same basic functions as media in serving adolescents’ mood management and stimulation seeking among boys, gaming is part of the male socio-cultural communication context.

I’ve refrained myself from making a study review on video. After watching youtube videos from films for the fustilarian and Daniel Floyd, I’ve humbled myself into having realistic expectations.

Systematic review of children with emotional and behavioural problems with video games and television (Mitrofan et al., 2009)

Brought to you by the United Kingdom from Hetalia

I pulled this article out of the bottom of my studies’ barrel; it was dated on New Year’s Eve. This study, published from the United Kingdom, reviewed articles on the relation between children with behavioural and emotional difficulties and media use, mainly on television viewing and video game playing.

Abstract

Background

Possible associations between television viewing and video game playing and children’s aggression have become public health concerns. We did a systematic review of studies that examined such associations, focussing on children and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties, who are thought to be more susceptible.

Methods

We did computer-assisted searches of health and social science databases, gateways, publications from relevant organizations and for grey literature; scanned bibliographies; hand-searched key journals; and corresponded with authors. We critically appraised all studies.

Results

A total of 12 studies: three experiments with children with behavioural and emotional difficulties found increased aggression after watching aggressive as opposed to low-aggressive content television programmes, one found the opposite and two no clear effect, one found such children no more likely than controls to imitate aggressive television characters. One case-control study and one survey found that children and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties watched more television than controls; another did not. Two studies found that children and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties viewed more hours of aggressive television programmes than controls. One study on video game use found that young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties viewed more minutes of violence and played longer than controls. In a qualitative study children with behavioural and emotional difficulties, but not their parents, did not associate watching television with aggression. All studies had significant methodological flaws. None was based on power calculations.

Conclusion

This systematic review found insufficient, contradictory and methodologically flawed evidence on the association between television viewing and video game playing and aggression in children and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties. If public health advice is to be evidence-based, good quality research is needed.

Wait, 12 studies? I understand if it was video games, but there should’ve been more studies on television since it’s been in existence for more than a generation.

Violence over competition in violent video games (Anderson & Carnagey, 2009)

One of the labs I’m volunteering in has computers with two screens. I never got the chance in trying them out, but it would’ve been nice in reviewing studies: the journal article on one screen and my reading notes on the other; or flipping through blog entries, news, and emails.

Craig Anderson and Nicholas Carnagey of Iowa State University have published a violent video games effects study. The study’s focus is on a counter-argument used by many gamers: competition is also responsible for the observed aggression in video game studies. Their study revealed much of the role competition has in violent video games, however the study’s implications are limited by its methodology.

Abstract

Three experiments examined the impact of excessive violence in sport video games on aggression-related variables. Participants played either a nonviolent simulation-based sports video game (baseball or football) or a matched excessively violent sports video game. Participants then completed measures assessing aggressive cognitions (Experiment 1), aggressive affect and attitudes towards violence in sports (Experiment 2), or aggressive behavior (Experiment 3). Playing an excessively violent sports video game increased aggressive affect, aggressive cognition, aggressive behavior, and attitudes towards violence in sports. Because all games were competitive, these findings indicate that violent content uniquely leads to increases in several aggression-related variables, as predicted by the General Aggression Model and related social–cognitive models.

I suddenly have the urge to eat inarizushi.

Women and the time to play video games (Winn & Heeter, 2009)

Anime girl playing her PSP and talking on her cell

When this news article drop in the inbox, I was perpelxed as to how this study slipped past my alerts. It was Springerlink… again. Would not be so much trouble if the articles were arranged in chronological order or that the left side of the menu have more options and drop boxes? The search engine in that database is so frustrating to the point of considering of banning any journals from springerlink from my library.

Anyways, Jillian Winn  and Carrie Heeter from Michigan State University has a study on how much leisure time women and men could afford and its relationship to playing video games.

Abstract

This study of 276 US undergraduate students from a large Midwestern university provides the first research evidence of a relationship between leisure time availability and how much digital games are played  College students with less free time were less likely to spend time playing games. The findings suggest one reason women play fewer games than men is because they are required to fulfill more obligatory activities, leaving them less available leisure time, which in turn makes them less likely to “make” time for games. It was found that not only do women report having less free time than men, but their free time is available in smaller chunks, and they play digital games for shorter periods of time than men.

I’m too frustrated to read the article since it came from that user-unfriendly database. Instead, you can read from here.

Winn, J., & Heeter, C. (2009) Gaming, gender, and time: Who makes time to play? Sex Roles, 61, 1-13.

A flash game to measure multitasking skills

Multi-tasking at its extreme coolness

This image shows this guy in a train simultaneously listening to music, texting on his cell and playing on his DS. Thanks to Kotaku for posting this funny image a while ago.

This popped in my inbox via google alert. The New York Times created a game with help from psychology professors David Strayer and David E. Meyer.

The purpose of the game is not an exact replication of driving distraction in the real world, but one designed to ”give you a sense of how a distraction can decrease your ability to react quickly”.

Surely enough, I was concentrating more on the driving than the texting until I realize I have to text in order to complete the game. So be mindful about how good you are while texting and driving or gaming online. Hmm… I wonder if it’s possible to improve multitasking skills?

Here’s the link to gauge your distraction.

Parker Pope, T. (2009). A game to measure your multitasking skill. The New York Times.  Retrieved July 22, 2009 from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/test-your-ability-to-multitask/?em

List of possible graduate schools

After weeks scouring the internet, my quest for potential graduate advisors is nearly complete. So far, I’ve found six potential grad schools out of a planned seven and I will present these six in no particular order. I added cryptic comments pertaining to each grad schools, it’s as cryptic and fun as figuring out the advisors’ middle name.

• University of Connecticut: Communications department, Kristine Nowak (Kirstie Cope-Farrar), the technical side of video games, presence, would be playing around with the uncanny valley, moe anthropomorphism,

• Iowa State University: psychology department, Douglas A. Gentile (Craig A. Anderson), Shibuya-sensei and Sakamoto-sensei, Jamie Ostrov, longitudinal studies, Katawa Shoujo, H-games, Promoting Positive Videogaming (PPVG), reflexive games,

• Michigan State University: Communications department, John L. Sherry, Ron Tamborini, many faculty members are studying video games, Katawa Shoujo, Gundam, Avatars, Multiplayer FPS longitudinal project, character attachment and likability (tap Jason Rockwood), content analysis,

• University of Massachusetts-Amherst: Communications department, Erica Scharrer, Comstock, may safely study bishounens and bishoujos, psych department has eye-tracking equipment, media literacy, Stereotype threats, internet television,

• The Ohio State University: Communications department, Chad Mahood (Amy Nathanson, David Ewoldsen, Emily Moyer-Guise, Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick), genres of violence, mediation factors and other faculty members are studying parental mediation, Ohayocon, must tap Matthew Eastin, Multiplayer FPS longitudinal project, emergent vs. non-emergent narration,

• University of Wisconsin-Madison: Journalism and mass communication, Karyn Riddle, worked on cultivation theory, Katawa Shoujo, media socialization, video game culture and participatory culture, Constance Steinkuehler, memes on a personal level, Serious Sam vs. Shadow of the Colossus, internet television,

• The seventh school has yet to be found. Suggestions will be appreciated.

Update (21/07/09):  I’ve hit some snags, some universities don’t accept applicants who has a three-year bachelor degrees. Coming from Quebec, I am seriously ticked off that they don’t consider it comparable to American standards. They’ve should look at our situation (mostly political), us Quebec graduates, that we in-province residents, MUST attend pre-university CEGEP (a sort of community college) before going into university. Due to this fact, we get a year off, if we don’t get that year discount, then it means we have an extra year of schooling than the Americans do. Going into rant, most first-year students, here or in the U.S. take classes from different kinds of discipline in order to determine their major, well in CEGEP, that’s what we do (and cheaply by comparison to a university). First-years (in the U.S.) take introductory classes for whatever their major subject is, that’s the same in CEGEP. The teachers in CEGEPs are taught by individuals who hold either a Master’s or a PhD! Must I go on?

Experiment on the role of suspense in video game enjoyment (Klimmt et al., 2009)

Oh! The suspense is killing me!

I’m reluctantly considering taking the GRE again, after hearing the advice from one of my potential grad advisor. Given my verbal score is 450, quantitative score is 630 and the writing score is 4.5, it just means that I’m at the borderline of being accepted. However, is it an indicator of academic success? Must I spend a lot of money on this, again?

Christoph Klimmt, Albert Rizzo, Peter Vorderer and company had published a small (i.e. 4 pages of text) experimental study in Cyberpsychology and Behavior on the role of suspense in video game enjoyment.

Abstract

Based on theoretical assumptions from film psychology and their application to video games, the hypothesis is tested that suspense is a major factor in video game enjoyment. A first-person shooter game was experimentally manipulated to create either a low level or a high level of suspense. Sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions; enjoyment was assessed after playing by a 10-item rating scale. Results support the assumption that suspense is a driver of video game enjoyment.

 If more elements from film psychology are found in video games, then from the arts’ point of view, video games would be increasingly being considered works of art.

Time perception during video game play by adolescents (Tobin & Grodin, 2009)

So far I’ve managed to contact four potential advisors who are willing to take in a grad student. I still got three more to find, but it’s a daunting task, going through the research literature, combing the faculty lists and googling around. What I discovered that there are more video game researchers from communications studies than psychology.

Many gamers had at least one experience of losing track of time, and there are some who have ended up playing until the next day. I certainly experienced this loss of time tracking during my gaming sessions. Simon Tobin and Simon Grondin, from Université Laval, decided to do an experiment on time perception and video gaming. It should be mentioned that there were previous studies of this type.

Abstract

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that adolescents might underestimate time while playing a video game. To test this hypothesis, 116 adolescents (14–15 years old) had to judge prospectively or retrospectively the duration of three consecutive tasks: a 8 min and a 24 min task of playing video game (Tetris) and an 8 min task of reading on a computer screen (control task). The main hypothesis received support: for a same duration, the video game task was estimated as shorter than the reading task. Moreover, participants with a game-inclined profile showed a stronger underestimation of time while playing. Finally, the short durations were overestimated and the long duration underestimated. The main findings are accounted for by an attention-based explanation.

 I’m not very good in psychophysics, but I am curious on rather bizarre topics.