REVIEWS   

Minerva Psichiatrica 2004 March;45(1):1-8

Copyright © 2004 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Violent video game exposure and aggression. A literature review

Carnagey N. L., Anderson C. A.

Over the last 30 years, the video game industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar business. More children and adults are spending time playing computer games, consoles games, and online games than ever before. Violence is a dominant theme in most of the popular video games. This article reviews the current literature on effects of violent video game exposure on aggression-related variables. Exposure to violent video games causes increases in aggressive behavior, cognitions, and affect. Violent video game exposure also causes increases in physiological desensitization to real-life violence and decreases in helping behavior. The current video game literature is interpreted in terms of the general aggression model (GAM). Differences between violent video game exposure and violent television are also discussed.