Study says video games desensitize gamers from violence

Video games seem to be the favorite topic of discussion when child and teen violence is concerned, and video games have also prompted several researches and studies to focus on the topic of gaming. So what’s new in this latest research? According to a psychologist from Omaha, violent video games desensitize gamers from real violence. Check out the details in the full article.

Dr. Greg Snyder, a psychologist at Omaha’s Children’s Hospital, said that playing violent games increases aggressive thoughts, but that it also “increases pro-social behavior and increases general arousal.” As proof, their studies showed that kids who had longer exposure to virtual violence had lower heart rate and skin response when being shown videos of the real thing.

“The more normal it is, the more likely it is they’re going to activate or engage in those behaviours when provoked or even unprovoked,” said Snyder, whose insights echo those of Iowa State University, Kansas State University and the National Institutes of Health.

However, it is also true that other types of media, such as movies, books, as well as television shows elicit the same type of response when they depict violent scenes. “Just like any new media, it gets attacked. When any new genre of music comes out, it gets attacked. TV will, of course, get attacked. I’m sure, way back when, books got attacked,” said Ryan Miller, manager of general operations of the Gamers in Omaha group.

Gamers and parents in Omaha also jumped into the defense of video games. Some local kids said that playing violent games for hours on end did not make them even more violent. The parents also added that a time limit as well as talking with their children about the types of games that they play helps more than restricting the types of video games the kids play.