Syndey, Nov 2 (IANS) Video games make you insensitive and kill core human values such as warmth, open-mindedness and intelligence, claims new research that says people identify with the aggression they perpetuated in the virtual environment.
Brock Bastian from the University of Queensland School of Psychology and co-authors looked at whether the experience of cyber-violence had dehumanising consequences for players and their opponents.
Given his findings, it was not surprising that many people were concerned about the effects of playing violent video games, such as Mortal Kombat, especially regarding our behaviour, emotions, and cognitions, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology reports.
‘There are good reasons to be concerned: the negative effects of violent video games have been well documented and appear to be more significant than those associated with other forms of violent media,’ Bastian said, according to a statement from the university.
One reason violence within video games was more powerful than other forms of fierce media was that people identified with, and to some extent felt responsible for, the violence they perpetuated within virtual environments, Bastian explained.
The second part of the study had participants playing each game in collaboration with a co-player, such that both players were playing together against computer-generated avatars.
