Research: Aggressive Children Enjoy Violent Games

A new study conducted by academics from two German universities says that "aggressive children" ages 8 - 12 years-old have a preference for violent video games.

The study found that the games preferred by problem boys and girls who were identified as "at-risk" were also more violent than those of their less-troublesome peers. The research suggested there is a risk that the preference for violent video games would become entrenched in these children. Researchers also said that they found no evidence that violent computer and video games led to increased aggression in real life. The study also showed that aggressive primary school pupils preferred games which contained blood or violence.

"This is the good news from our study into the educational effects of media," said Jens Vogelgesang of Hohenheim University. "But it should be noted that this applies expressly only to the group of 8-to-12 year olds that we looked into in a study on the effects."

"We are unable to rule out the possibility that an entrenched preference for violent computer and video games might over the course of a game-playing career lead to greater readiness to commit acts of violence," said research team leader Maria von Salisch.

"Less aggressive pupils certainly also experiment with violent games, but they more rarely develop a preference for this kind of game," said Vogelgesang.

Around 91 percent of 8-to-12 year olds indicated they had at least one favorite game. In the second sampling after a year, there were often completely different games at the top of the list of preferences.

"Most children start out by trying out different types and then over the course of time develop a preference for a particular game or type of game," said Von Salisch.

Source: Monsters & Critics

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