Models for Aggressive Behavior: The Attributes of Violent Characters in Popular Video Games

Communication Studies, Dec 2005 by Lachlan, Kenneth A, Smith, Stacy L, Tamborini, Ron

As a whole, the findings can be considered in terms of Social Cognitive Theory (S.C.T.). SCT tells us that people imitate characters they find attractive. By examining the findings of this study we can get an idea of who may be most at risk in terms of exposure to certain types of violent video game content. However, implicit in these statements is the need for future research exploring the behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of these presentations in video game violence. The assumptions concerning the role of context in violent presentations utilized in the current study have been drawn from experimental research on more traditional linear media. While there are a number of studies linking video game playing to aggressive attitudes and behaviors (see Sherry, 2001), our knowledge of the moderating impact of these contextual variable in this particular medium is literally unknown. Given the current study's attempts at quantifying demographic characteristics, justification, and graphicness in popular video games, future behavioral and cognitive research should attempt to investigate the separate and combined impact of these variables on behavioral modeling and subsequent shifts in attitudes and behaviors. While this analysis informs us of the relative prevalence of potentially problematic interactive content, the degree to which players may identify with certain characters and the impact of this identification on player responses must be further explicated and validated.

Although this is one of the first few studies to assess the amount and context of violence in video games, it is not without its limitations. First, it only assessed violence and violent characters in popular video games. Decisions concerning which games to include were based on the most recent available marketing research at the time of data collection. As such, the data may already be antiquated with the release of new game systems and software. Second, it only assessed the first 10 minutes of game playing. As game time increases, video games tend to become more difficult, and this is often accomplished through increasing the number of hostile characters or acts a game player must contend with. As such, the frequency, context, and characters of violence may change as the game goes on, though the coding scheme employed in the current study provides a conservative estimate of the frequency of violence in contemporary video games.

Also, the increasing popularity of on-line gaming and its potential impact on violent content is largely unknown. It may be the case that the increased perception of competition and representations of interactive avatars may make game playing more life-like. If this is the case, the empirical question is then raised as to the impact of competitive and social game elements on both game content and on the potential for this content to contribute to social learning processes.

Finally, the sample was drawn from taped recordings of games played by individuals with approximately equal experience with home gaming systems. It is possible that individuals with different levels of experience and skill may be able to experience different amounts of violent content, depending on the parameters of the game in question. Further, it may be the case that game players with different personality characteristics (such as aggressiveness and hostility) and different levels of susceptibility to media immersion may produce different content in their interactive experiences. Currently, a series of studies are underway to investigate the role of individual personality characteristics, game playing experience, and telepresence tendencies on the amount and context of violent content in several video games (Lachlan & Maloney, 2004). Future content analytic studies addressing violent video game content should attempt to identify and control for these potential sources of variation in game content.