Just a game after all: Violent video game exposure and time spent playing effects on hostile feelings, depression, and visuospatial cognition

Research in the domain of video game violence continues to be contentious and debated. Scholars have examined both positive and negative effects of violent games, although results thus far have been inconclusive and systematic internal validity problems have been identified with past research. The current study adds to this growing literature by examining the effects of video game violence exposure and time spent playing on depression, hostility, and visuospatial cognition. This study improves upon previous research by matching game conditions carefully on confounding variables identified as problems by other scholars. In a laboratory setting, 100 participants were randomly assigned into one of six conditions based on two independent variables (time spent playing and type of video game). Results indicated that neither randomized video game play nor time spent playing a video game had any effect on depression, hostility, or, visuospatial cognition. Effect size estimates were below levels for practical significance. These results suggest that both positive and negative influences of violence in video games may be limited in scope.

► Considers the influence of video game violence on player behavior in an experimental setting.
► Outcomes related to hostility and depression, and visuospatial cognition were considered.
► Revealed that the influence of video games on player behavior were minimal.
► Previous statements about potential for video game violence to impact players were exaggerated.