GTA V won’t make you aggressive and violent

GTA V. © Rockstar Games.

This is the conclusion of a long-term study that was just published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. At a time when too many people, including the President of the United States, think that video games are a part of the cause of violence among youth and bloodshed in schools, this is a conclusion that might indeed be welcomed. Previous experimental studies have focused on the short-term effects of violent video games. The current study, however, is the first to examine the long-term effects of violent video games using an impressive battery of tests: behavioural measures of aggression, sexist attitudes, empathy and interpersonal skills, predisposition to boredom, risk-taking and procrastination, mental health assessments (depression, anxiety), all before and after two months of daily video-game playing. Each day for two months, participants either played the ultra-violent Grand Theft Auto V, or a non-violent video game, Sims 3, or no video games whatsoever. No significant changes were observed among any of the three groups, not the daily violent video-game players, the daily non-violent video game players, or the control group that played no games at all.

⇨ Ars Technica, “Two months of daily GTA causes ‘no significant changes’ in behavior.”

⇨ Molecular Psychiatry, “Does playing violent video games cause aggression? A longitudinal intervention study.”