14 DAY TRIAL // The problem of violence, ever more present in all video games, seems to be much more serious than previously thought. According to Reuters, a recent study undertaken by Professor Klaus Mathiak from the University of Aachen suggests that the brain's reactions towards violent video games are the same as in the case of real life violence.
The tests targeted a number of 13 men, aged between 18 and 26, which have been connected to a scanner and asked to play a very violent game.
Mathiak has noticed the fact that, as violence became imminent, the cognitive parts of the brain became active and that during a fight the emotional parts of the brain were shut down.
This model resembles the one generated by the brain in other cases of simulated violence, Mathiak stating that video games are a form of "training for the brain to react with this pattern".
It's hard to say whether the games exert such an important influence on the players' behavior and push them towards violence, although several recent studies have demonstrated that people playing this kind of games do tend to exhibit a more aggressive behavior.