Study Finds Gamers Prefer Control, Competence Over Violence

Science News reports on a new study which found that the violence in video games was not a significant contributing factor to players' enjoyment. Instead, the feelings of control and competence the games engendered were closely linked to how fun the players found it. Quoting: "... the researchers extensively modified a popular first-person shooter video game called Half-Life 2 to have less gore. Half the people in a group of 36 male and 65 female college students were instructed to dispatch adversaries as the original game intended, 'in a thoroughly bloody manner,' says Ryan. The other half was instructed to tag enemies with a marker. 'Instead of exploding in blood and dismemberment, they floated gently into the air and went back to base,' Ryan describes. An extensive survey of the two groups showed that the exclusion of violence didn't diminish players' enjoyment of the game."

Comments

Re:Surveying is not the best method

[Nethemas the Great]

In grand /. style I didn't read TFA, deal with it. The study was skewed heavily towards females with 65 to 36 males. In western cultures at least females are generally far more interested in relationships and other inter-personal matters. Men are far more interested in blowing things up and other grandiose displays instant gratification for having accomplished something. I find the results of the study unsurprising and not exactly applicable to the target demographic of such games in the first place.