According to the study, short-term video game violence does not numb you

Violent video games do not dull compassion. Research by Viennese researchers shows that there is no visible change in the brain after playing – at least not after seven hours of playing spread over two weeks.

For their research, the research team led by the University of Vienna had 89 adult men play an extremely violent variant of the well-known video game “Grand Theft Auto V” (GTA 5), which includes torture sequences, for a total of seven hours for two weeks. Play a version of the same game without the violence. The condition for participation in the study was that the participants had little or no previous experience with these types of video games.

The 45 subjects from the violent group killed an average of 2,844.7 people in the virtual space during this period. Before and after investigating the different variants of ‘Grand Theft Auto V’, the scientists invited the participants for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While images were being taken of what was happening in the brain, they saw images of people apparently receiving electric shocks – a classic scientific experimental setup to draw conclusions about people’s compassion (empathy).

There were no statistically significant changes in the reaction to the tortured people in the images. However, the researchers noted in a statement from the University of Vienna that this result contrasts with other studies and theories. This is probably mainly due to the fact that in many studies empathy was tested immediately after playing.

The scientists further emphasized that the results of the study cannot be concluded that they also apply when people play violent video games for a long time. It is also possible that the effect of such games on children and young people is greater than on the adults tested. (saw/sda/apa)