Developers need to make sure that they create easier ways to progress

Apr 11, 2014 01:16 GMT  ·  By

A study from the Oxford Internet Institute and the University of Rochester suggests that gamers who express rage during or after they engage with video games are doing so not because of the violent content, but because of the frustration that they experience when they are unable to progress.

Basically, the classic case of Call of Duty rage that many have witnessed is not linked to the conflict the game portrays and the amount of blood pictured, but by the fact that the difficulty level is too high and does not allow players to move at their preferred pace through the experience.

Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester, a co-author of the research, is quoted by VentureBeat as saying that, “The study is not saying that violent content doesn’t affect gamers, but … the aggression stems from feeling not in control or incompetent while playing.”

The current research seems comprehensive, with six separate studies designed by the team in order to make sure that their results are as close to reality as possible.

One of the tests used a modified version of the Half-Life 2 engine, which eliminated traditional mechanics with a new marketing system that caused enemies to disappear.

Despite the changes that eliminated violence, the level of aggression remained the same, because the challenge level of the Valve title was the main cause.

The researchers also noticed that gamers who went through a good tutorial experience before playing were less likely to show their aggression.

Dr. Andrew Przybylski from the Oxford Internet Institute adds, “Players have a psychological need to come out on top when playing. If players feel thwarted by the controls or the design of the game, they can wind up feeling aggressive. This need to master the game was far more significant than whether the game contained violent material.”

As always when it comes to the link between video games, violence and aggression, the research needs to be replicated and criticized by other teams before we can safely say that it reflects the way real players approach their experiences.

The fact that frustration linked to difficulty tends to lead to behavioral changes might also mean that in the future, developers for popular titles will offer more options in order to make sure that the game adapts to the skill level of the player and allows him to progress without meeting very tough obstacles.