14 DAY TRIAL // According to a new scientific research, the satisfied expression on the faces of those who just blasted a virtual opponent out of the screen in a video game doesn't come from them satisfying their blood-thirsty instincts, but from the fact that they are satisfied for mastering the challenge the game placed before them. In fact, the same study concludes that blood and violence in games usually decrease their “fun factor” and actually make less people willing to buy them. The researchers say that game manufacturers should be aware of this trend before producing the next generation of games.
"For the vast majority of players, even those who regularly play and enjoy violent games, violence was not a plus. Violent content was only preferred by a small subgroup of people that generally report being more aggressive," says University of Rochester graduate student Andrew Przybylski, the lead author of the research, published online in the January 16th issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The survey was the result of a collaboration between this university and player experience research firm Immersyve Inc.
"Much of the debate about game violence has pitted the assumed commercial value of violence against social concern about the harm it may cause. Our study shows that the violence may not be the real value component, freeing developers to design away from violence while at the same time broadening their market," says Immersyve president Scott Rigby, who was also a co-investigator in the current study.
"Video games are enjoyable, immersive, and motivating insofar as they offer opportunities for psychological need satisfaction, specifically experiences of competence and autonomy, to which violent content per se is largely unrelated," say the two, after studying over 2,670 men and women while playing their favorite video games.
"Conflict and war are a common and powerful context for providing these experiences, but it is the need satisfaction in the gameplay that matters more than the violent content itself," concludes University of Rochester motivational psychologist Richard Ryan, also a co-author of the research.