How Violent Video Games Communicate Violence: A Literature Review and Content Analysis of Moral Disengagement Factors

Mechanisms of moral disengagement in violent video game play have recently received considerable attention among communication scholars. To date, however, no study has analyzed the prevalence of moral disengagement factors in violent video games. To fill this research gap, the present approach includes both a systematic literature review and a content analysis of moral disengagement cues embedded in the narratives and actual game play of 17 top-ranked first-person shooters (PC). Findings suggest that moral disengagement factors are frequently embedded in first-person shooters, but their prevalence varies considerably. Most violent video games include justifications of the portrayed violence, a distorted portrayal of consequences, and dehumanization of opponents. Implications of the findings for research on violent games are discussed.     

The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Games on Players' Hostile Expectations,Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings,and Other Responses

Although effects of violence in video games have been researched extensively, no empirical studies have examined effects of profanity, a form of verbal aggression, in video games. An experiment (N = 321) investigated effects of profanity used by protagonist and antagonist characters in a “first-person shooter” game on players' hostile expectations, accessibility of aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, and other responses. Profanity used by both protagonist and antagonist characters increased hostile expectations, a direct precursor to aggressive behaviors. Findings suggest that profanity in video games may affect aggressive outcomes, emphasizing the need for more research investigating effects of profanity in media.     

Ready,Aim, Fire! Violent Video Game Play and Gun Controller Use: Effects on Behavioral Aggression and Social Norms Concerning Violence

In addition to individual risk factors, recent findings surrounding the effects of violent video game play have provided compelling evidence that the contextual features of games also contribute to increased outcome aggression. The current study focuses on the relationship between violent video game play and the use of gun controllers on both social norms related to aggression and real-life behavioral aggression. As predicted, both violent video game play and gun controller use were positively related to behavioral aggression. The implications of these findings are discussed along with their influence on future research in this area.     

“Toward Integrative Models of Flow”: Effects of Performance,Skill, Challenge,Playfulness, and Presence on Flow in Video Games

This research examined various predictors of flow in video games. Study 1 examined the effects of performance on flow across two game genres (shooting and medical simulation games) and demonstrated that successful performance results in greater flow. Study 2 demonstrated an interaction effect of skill and challenge on flow across three genres (racing, violent, and prosocial games). Highly skilled players experience greater flow when encountering higher challenge whereas players with moderate and low levels of skill experience less flow when encountering higher challenge. Study 3 tested the moderating role of users' playfulness in an exergame and a music game.     

Full Steam Ahead: A Conceptual Analysis of User-Supplied Tags on Steam

This article describes a conceptual analysis of user-generated tags applied to video games in the Steam video game distribution system. The research team scraped all user-generated tags available on Steam and then conducted a conceptual analysis of the tags, sorting them into categories and comparing them to the current version of the Video Game Metadata Schema. This analysis allowed the team to identify new metadata elements and terms useful to game players. We present a discussion covering the major issues in organizing the terms, as well as the implications for the future work in the area of video game metadata.     

What’s next?: the LGBTQ video game archive

This essay describes the author’s new project: a digital archive documenting the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) content in video games. The LGBTQ game archive covers approximately 30 decades of game content at present, and nearly 500 games. This essay describes the project’s origins, the methods used to research the game content, and some initial findings. Finally, some particular surprises from the project are discussed, which point to areas for future LGBTQ games research.     

“I Feel Present. Therefore,I Experience Flow:” A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to Flow and Presence in Video Games

Driven by theories of flow and presence, three studies examined the antecedents and consequences of flow across three different video game genres. Structural equation modeling analyses reveal the roles of (1) physical presence in medical simulation games; (2) spatial presence in driving games; and (3) self-presence in avatar-based narrative-driven games. A 3 (skill: low, medium, high) × 3 (challenge: low, medium, high) between-subjects ANOVA indicates that a balance between skill and challenge induces greater flow. Theoretical contributions regarding the relevance of flow to electronic games and practical implications for the design of diverse game genres are discussed.     

Correlations of Media Habits Across Time,Generations, and Media Modalities

This study investigates media uses and preferences across two generations and across television and video games. Path analyses using data from 335 families show that the number of hours of television viewed by the first generation (parents at age 30) positively predicts the amount of television use by their offspring in the second generation 18 years later, as well as their own amount of television viewing at that time. The analyses also show that the amount of video game playing among offspring is significantly related to their own as well as their parents' concurrent TV use. While there is no similar longitudinal correlation between a preference for violent television by parents at age 30 and that of their offspring 18 years later, parents' violent television preferences at age 48 are positively correlated with their offspring's concurrent preference for violent television content. Additionally, the violent television preferences of offspring are positively correlated with their own preferences for violent video games. These effects were found while controlling for SES, intellectual achievement, and offspring gender. These results suggest that the amount of time devoted to media use and preferences for violent media generalize across media modalities and are transmitted across generations.     

Internet Fantasy Violence: A Test of Aggression in an Online Game

Research on violent video games suggests that play leads to aggressive behavior. A longitudinal study of an online violent video game with a control group tested for changes in aggressive cognitions and behaviors. The findings did not support the assertion that a violent game will cause substantial increases in real-world aggression. The findings are presented and discussed, along with their implications for research and policy.     

Game as Book: Selecting Video Games for Academic Libraries based on Discipline Specific Knowledge

In response to the increased use and study of video games in academic work, academic libraries have started building or have expanded their video game collections. Collection development practices, however, have focused on collecting video games based on their format and not on their subject and disciplinary content. The authors of this article suggest that video games, while “read” differently than monographs, can communicate knowledge in unambiguous and discipline specific ways. Using the discipline of history as an example, the authors examined four World War II commercial video games to see how well these games communicated discipline-specific knowledge. Although none of the four video games evaluated would be identified as scholarly, two of the video games could be considered as sources of historical knowledge. As scholars begin to explore the creation and use of video games as secondary or tertiary sources in addition to primary sources or objects of study, academic libraries should include video games in their collections based on the video games' disciplinary content and the scholarly arguments that they present. The authors recommend a process for evaluating video games that could be used for most academic disciplines.     

Effects of Immersive,Sexually Objectifying,and Violent Video Games on Hostile Sexism in Males

Research suggests that media images depicting aggression against sexually objectified women may promote hostile sexism in men. We empirically tested if such effects might occur when men commit simulated acts of aggression against sexualized female opponents in video games, and if such effects might be heightened by psychological immersion (i.e,. the sensation of “presence” while gaming). In two studies, male participants played a first-person-shooter game, with the sex and sexualization of opponents experimentally manipulated. Results indicated that game play increased hostile sexism, to the extent that players reported feeling present in the virtual environment and provided that opponents were depicted as sexualized females, not males or nonsexualized females. No effects on benevolent sexism were observed. These results suggest that the increasingly immersive nature of modern video games might amplify their influence on players, including effects that promote hostility and aggression towards women.     

“What Am I Fighting For?”: Creating a Controlled Vocabulary for Video Game Plot Metadata

A video game's plot is one of its defining features, and prior research confirms the importance of plot metadata to users through persona analysis, interviews, and surveys. However, existing organizational systems, including library catalogs, game-related websites, and traditional plot classification systems, do not adequately describe the plot information of video games, in other words, what the game is really about. We attempt to address the issue by creating a controlled vocabulary based on a domain analysis involving a review of relevant literature and existing data structures. The controlled vocabulary is constructed in a pair structure for maximizing flexibility and extensibility. Adopting this controlled vocabulary for describing plot information of games will allow for useful search and collocation of video games.     

基于沉浸式媒介的科技馆科学传播模型建构与对策

近年来,伴随着虚拟现实技术的日趋成熟,这一技术手段以其沉浸式的体验、丰富的交互为影像视频、游戏竞技等领域带来了全新的人机交互方案。本文从虚拟现实技术在科技馆中的现实应用与意义出发,探求以虚拟现实技术为代表的沉浸式媒介在科技馆科学传播活动中的应用。本文界定了基于沉浸式媒介的科技馆科学传播过程中的各要素,并形成基于沉浸式媒介的科技馆科学传播模型。基于以上研究,为科技馆使用沉浸式媒介进行科学传播提出建议与对策方案。     

Crowdfunding for Video Games: Factors that Influence the Success of and Capital Pledged for Campaigns

Crowdfunding has become an important funding method for video game developments in the United States. Interestingly, video game crowdfunding projects have significantly lower success rates compared to other product categories. Recognizing this challenge, this study examines factors influencing the success of crowdfunding campaigns for video games. The analysis of 447 crowdfunding campaigns suggests that human capital, geography, media choice, and the intensity of media use influence the success of crowdfunding for video games.     

Playing for Love in a Romantic Video Game: Avatar Identification,Parasocial Relationships,and Chinese Women's Romantic Beliefs

Previous studies have identified relationships between romantic media consumption and users’ romantic beliefs, but romantic video games (RVGs; i.e., games in which players attempt to foster a romantic relationship with a chosen game character, also called dating games or dating simulators) remain understudied. Using a cultivation framework, we conducted an online survey of female Chinese players to determine their consumption of the RVG genre, identification with their avatars, and parasocial relationships with the romantic targets they pursue in the game, as well as their beliefs about romantic relationships. Although the amount of time spent playing RVGs did not directly predict idealized beliefs about romantic relationships, the hypothesized mediation model revealed that it indirectly predicted romantic beliefs through identification with avatars and parasocial relationships with video game characters. We discuss the implications for studying romantic media, dating simulations, interactive narratives, and other video game genres.     

“It Lets Me Fight the Bad Guys”: An Exploration Into the Factors Predicting Enjoyment of Violent Video Games

In an exploratory survey that sampled video gamers, participants were asked to indicate why they enjoy playing their favorite video game. On the basis of ESRB ratings, we compare those whose favorite game is violent to those whose favorite game is nonviolent. Consistent with self-determination theory, the findings suggest need for autonomy and competence are important motivating factors. However, the findings also suggest fans of violent games differed from fans of nonviolent games in the degree to which arousal, liking violence, playing the vicarious hero, and playing the vicarious villain drive enjoyment. Furthermore, being able to play the hero and “fight bad guys” was a significant predictor of enjoyment of violent games. Implications for self-determination theory and theories of media enjoyment are discussed.     

Have You Played the War on Terror?

The media paradigm by which we understand war is increasingly the video game. These changes are not only reflected in the real-time television war, but also an increased collusion between military and commercial uses of video games. The essay charts the border-crossing of video games between military and civilian spheres alongside attendant discourses of war. Of particular interest are the ways that war has been coded as an object of consumer play and how official productions aimed at training and recruitment have cast video games as players themselves in the War on Terror. The essay argues that this crossover has initialized a “third sphere” of militarized civic space where the citizen is supplanted by the figure of the virtual citizen-soldier.     

Crafting Courses as Game Spaces: Examining Video Games Classes in Communication

The sudden rise in the number of games courses in Communication departments necessitates examination about how those courses operate, not only to define best practices but also to describe the phenomenon as grounded in communication. Through a series of interviews with games professors primarily located in Communication departments at various institutions, the study delineates the commonalities between game courses and discusses issues of course design, materials, and classroom facilities. The article examines these courses as game spaces to identify how games courses operate in fundamentally different ways than other courses in Communication. The article then outlines how games classes might improve by capitalizing on the strengths—as well as mitigating the weaknesses—of game spaces.     

教育游戏资源智能搜索系统的设计与实现

通过对教育游戏资源类网站特征的分析,提出教育游戏资源智能搜索系统。该系统定义了教育游戏的“元数据结构”,力求把分散在各地的教育游戏教学资源聚合组织起来,并为建设教学资源库提供一种新的思路。     

A Socio-Cognitive Model of Video Game Usage

This study proposed and tested a theoretical model of video game consumption that integrated Bandura's (1991) social cognitive theory of self-regulation and Csikszentmihalyi's (1975) theory of flow experience. By investigating the linkage between flow experience and self-regulation in decision-making processes in media usage, this study sought to explicate socio-cognitive mechanisms of video game consumption behavior. Significant impacts of flow experience on self-reactive outcome expectations, deficient self-regulation, and habit strength in video game play were found among 388 college undergraduate students. However, no direct impact of flow experience on playing video games was evident.