Press Release
National
Institute on Media and the Family
Children Who Play Violent Video Games Are More Aggressive
Video
Game Exposure Makes Less Aggressive Kids More Likely to Fight than
Aggressive Children who Don't Play Violent Video Games
Contact:
Blois Olson or Heather Surat
651-221-1999 or 651 -276-1678
MINNEAPOLIS
- April 19, 2001. Groundbreaking new research by the National Institute
on Media and the Family suggests video game violence is a risk factor
for aggressive behavior among adolescents. The research will be
presented Friday, April 20th, at the Society for Research in Child
Development biennial meeting in Minneapolis.
The research
is significant because it is the first research that demonstrates
that children who are least aggressive in nature but are exposed
to violent video games, are more likely to get into fights than
children who are very aggressive but do not play violent video games.
The study finds
that children who play violent video games:
- See the world
as a more hostile place.
- Argue with
teachers more frequently.
- Are more
likely to be involved in physical fights.
- Don't perform
as well in school.
The research
indicates that parents play a role in their kids' exposure to violent
video games. Only 13 percent of adolescents say their parents "always"
or "often" put limits on the amount of time they're allowed to play
video games, while 43 percent say they "never" do. Thirty-one percent
of students think their parents understand the video game ratings
system, and only 15 percent say their parents "always" or "often"
check the ratings before renting or purchasing video games.
"We wanted
to know if there was a correlation between exposure to violent video
games and students' aggressive thoughts, attitudes and behaviors,"
lead author and independent video game researcher Paul Lynch said.
"It turns out there is. Violent video game players are more likely
to argue with teachers and get into physical fights"
Over 600 8th
and 9th grade students from four schools participated in the study.
"Our data show
that youth who play a lot of very violent video games view the world
as a more hostile place, and are more hostile themselves." National
Institute on Media and the Family Director of Research Douglas Gentile,
Ph.D. said. "This is even true for kids who are not aggressive by
nature."
The National
Institute on Media and the Family is accredited for developing the
nationally renowned Video and Computer Game Report Card that measures
the performance of the video and computer game industry in particular
areas such as marketing and advertising, ratings enforcement and
ratings education. The Report Card consists of several recommendations
by the Institute aimed at retailers to enforce policies prohibiting
the sale of adult rated games to minors.
Paul Lynch is
a third-year medical student at the University of Oklahoma College
of Medicine, and has conducted research on violent video games for
over 10 years. Lynch, the youngest presenter in the history of the
American Psychosomatic Society, was honored with that organization's
Scholars Award in 1999. Mr. Lynch has collaborated with the National
Institute on Media and the Family on designing and conducting multiple
research projects on the physiological and psychological effects
of violent video games for over two years.
Douglas A. Gentile,
Ph.D. is a child psychologist and the director of research at the
National Institute on Media and the Family, one of the country's
leading organizations that provides research, information and education
about the impact of the media on children and families
About the
National Institute on Media and the Family: The National Institute
on Media and the Family is an independent non-partisan, non-sectarian,
non-profit organization. The Institute's mission is to maximize
the benefits and minimize the harm of media on children and families
through research, education and advocacy. For more information visit
www.medaifamily.org on the Web or call 1-888-672-5437.
About the
Society for Research in Child Development: The Society for Research
in Child Development is a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, professional
association with an international membership of over 5,400 researchers,
teachers/professors, clinicians, physicians, nurses, lawyers, therapists
and policy makers.
The SRCD biennial
meeting runs from April 19 - 22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The conference gives researchers the opportunity to share cutting
edge research to fellow colleagues from around the world.
For a copy of
the full report, please contact the National Institute by
clicking here and request the video game report.
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