Video Gaming Don’t Provoke Violence — Report
A new report on video game players’ habits and game effects has found that the vast majority of gamers reject the notion that video games encourage people to be violent in real life or that they have become desensitized to violent acts.
The paper, published by the British Board of Film Classification added that while there is an appeal associated with being able to inflict violent acts without fear of reprisal, gamers know that they are playing games and don’t misconstrue the act as real life.
David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said: “There is no question that video games are an important form of entertainment for an ever increasing number of people.
“This research provides some valuable insights into why people play video games and what effect they think playing has on themselves and friends,” he continued. “It has also highlighted parental attitudes to video games and online gaming. We hope that it will provide some food for thought for the industry, and everyone who has an interest in the impact of games and we will be taking the research outcomes into account as we review our games classification policies over the coming months.”
He concluded “As the technology improves the games will become more and more realistic and it is important that games are properly rated to protect younger players from the games with adult content, which the BBFC does.
Other findings included: The interactive nature of game playing means players are less likely to forget they are playing a game than they would be to forget they are watching a film or TV show.
Negative press coverage has an adverse effect, with titles portrayed negatively often proving highly popular, and people view game playing as a risk-free means of escapism and feel in control of game experiences as opposed to real life.
Tags: Online Gaming News, Video Games, Video Gaming Effects, Video Games and Violence
