Beyond Violence : Investigating the Impact of Competition on Arousal and Aggression in Violent Video Games
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2025 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Media Psychology |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| www | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15213269.2025.2573472 |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2573472 |
| Klíčová slova | video games; agression; arousal; competitive gaming; violent video games; experiment |
| Popis | Aggression in the context of violent video game playing is a frequently studied topic. The direct connection between violence in games and aggressive behavior, however, remains disputable. Most previous studies are limited by using unequal game titles selected to induce required levels of violent context, which also differ in other aspects, such as competition. This study builds on previous research while resolving the addressed methodological limitations. In the between-subjects experiment, participants played either a competitive or noncompetitive version of the same game, where the exact level of competitiveness was successfully manipulated, and behavioral responses were precisely measured together with follow-up psychological tests. Results suggested that competitive tasks increase sympathetic activity and reduce complexity, and competitive players demonstrated more pronounced physiological responses. Furthermore, our findings show that competitiveness enhances performance and physiological arousal and limits the ability to achieve a calm and relaxed state. Here, arousal happened to be a significant mediator of the influence of the competition on aggressive behavior. Our work contributes to the current literature and highlights the importance of considering the competition factor in games when concluding the influence of violence on subsequent aggressive behavior. |
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