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The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and d... more The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and debate for as long as the media has existed. A common criticism is that violent video games have real life repercussions, that they can lead the people who play these games to experience increased levels of anger and aggression and in turn lead them to committing acts of violence in real life as a direct result of these games. Violence is readily available in popular video game titles; one particular survey noted that in a range of the most popular titles sold between 2007 and 2011, 90% of these contained an ESRB content descriptor for some kind of violence (Markey, Markey & French, 2014.) Video games can elicit feelings of aggression and even violent actions from their players, and in these essays we will examine whether the game being inherently frustrating is at the root at this or if the reason for this perceived anger lies in the violent content portrayed on screen. POOR GAME DESIGN AS A CAUSE FOR PLAYER RAGE: When the topic of violence within video games is mentioned, mass media has given plenty of coverage and sparked plenty of debate as to whether video games with violent content are affecting our behaviour by making people more prone to committing violence. In a list of the top ten selling games in the US in 2014, half of these feature first or third person shooting as a primary mechanic of the game. (Forbes, 2015.) Of these five, four had received and ESRB rating of M; consistent " intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. " (Entertainment Software Rating Board, 2016.) The notion that violent in game content has an immediate and noticeable effect of making an individual act violently is misguided. This type of violence however, can be observed when the rules and mechanics of a game leave the player feeling incompetent, even when there is a lack of graphic violence in the game's content. Video games are distinct as a medium in that they reward the person partaking in the medium (the player as they are known) for their level of skill within the rules and mechanics of the game. A player with a high level of skill within these rules can be rewarded with a high numerical score, additional story content which may be inaccessible to a less skilled player, positive reinforcement within the user interface of the game, or additional tools and " power-ups " within the mechanics of the game. These are intrinsic rewards that supplement the players own sense of
The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and d... more The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and debate for as long as the media has existed. A common criticism is that violent video games have real life repercussions, that they can lead the people who play these games to experience increased levels of anger and aggression and in turn lead them to committing acts of violence in real life as a direct result of these games. Violence is readily available in popular video game titles; one particular survey noted that in a range of the most popular titles sold between 2007 and 2011, 90% of these contained an ESRB content descriptor for some kind of violence (Markey, Markey & French, 2014.) Video games can elicit feelings of aggression and even violent actions from their players, and in these essays we will examine whether the game being inherently frustrating is at the root at this or if the reason for this perceived anger lies in the violent content portrayed on screen. VIOLENT CONTENT AS A CAUSE FOR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR: Violent content portrayed in video games has for as long as the media has existed been a subject of contention among lawmakers, the public, scientists and experts on the media. In particular, the inclusion of graphically violent content that is viewed from a first person viewpoint has often shocked the general public. These games put their players in the shoes of a character who commits various acts of violence and the increased level of immersion that this brings to a player can have effects on the player's empathy and outlook on other people in the long term. Playing a video game with violent content has the short term effect of desensitizing a player's physiological condition to exposure to other violent media. Video games are an interactive experience, requiring the player to be actively engaging with the rules and mechanics of the game to proceed through all the content. A large facet of game design involves positive feedback through the user interface of the game for when the player is doing well at the game. In our case study of Die Hard Trilogy (1996, Probe Entertainment) one does not need to look far to see this. The game is gratuitously violent with a large measure of slapstick comedy present in its execution. Throughout the game " violent stimuli are repeatedly presented in a positive emotional context (e.g., exciting background music, sound effects, visual effects, rewards for violent actions in the game) " (Carnagey, Anderson & Bushman
The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and d... more The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and debate for as long as the media has existed. A common criticism is that violent video games have real life repercussions, that they can lead the people who play these games to experience increased levels of anger and aggression and in turn lead them to committing acts of violence in real life as a direct result of these games. Violence is readily available in popular video game titles; one particular survey noted that in a range of the most popular titles sold between 2007 and 2011, 90% of these contained an ESRB content descriptor for some kind of violence (Markey, Markey & French, 2014.) Video games can elicit feelings of aggression and even violent actions from their players, and in these essays we will examine whether the game being inherently frustrating is at the root at this or if the reason for this perceived anger lies in the violent content portrayed on screen. POOR GAME DESIGN AS A CAUSE FOR PLAYER RAGE: When the topic of violence within video games is mentioned, mass media has given plenty of coverage and sparked plenty of debate as to whether video games with violent content are affecting our behaviour by making people more prone to committing violence. In a list of the top ten selling games in the US in 2014, half of these feature first or third person shooting as a primary mechanic of the game. (Forbes, 2015.) Of these five, four had received and ESRB rating of M; consistent " intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. " (Entertainment Software Rating Board, 2016.) The notion that violent in game content has an immediate and noticeable effect of making an individual act violently is misguided. This type of violence however, can be observed when the rules and mechanics of a game leave the player feeling incompetent, even when there is a lack of graphic violence in the game's content. Video games are distinct as a medium in that they reward the person partaking in the medium (the player as they are known) for their level of skill within the rules and mechanics of the game. A player with a high level of skill within these rules can be rewarded with a high numerical score, additional story content which may be inaccessible to a less skilled player, positive reinforcement within the user interface of the game, or additional tools and " power-ups " within the mechanics of the game. These are intrinsic rewards that supplement the players own sense of
The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and d... more The depiction of violence within the medium of video games has been a subject of contention and debate for as long as the media has existed. A common criticism is that violent video games have real life repercussions, that they can lead the people who play these games to experience increased levels of anger and aggression and in turn lead them to committing acts of violence in real life as a direct result of these games. Violence is readily available in popular video game titles; one particular survey noted that in a range of the most popular titles sold between 2007 and 2011, 90% of these contained an ESRB content descriptor for some kind of violence (Markey, Markey & French, 2014.) Video games can elicit feelings of aggression and even violent actions from their players, and in these essays we will examine whether the game being inherently frustrating is at the root at this or if the reason for this perceived anger lies in the violent content portrayed on screen. VIOLENT CONTENT AS A CAUSE FOR AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR: Violent content portrayed in video games has for as long as the media has existed been a subject of contention among lawmakers, the public, scientists and experts on the media. In particular, the inclusion of graphically violent content that is viewed from a first person viewpoint has often shocked the general public. These games put their players in the shoes of a character who commits various acts of violence and the increased level of immersion that this brings to a player can have effects on the player's empathy and outlook on other people in the long term. Playing a video game with violent content has the short term effect of desensitizing a player's physiological condition to exposure to other violent media. Video games are an interactive experience, requiring the player to be actively engaging with the rules and mechanics of the game to proceed through all the content. A large facet of game design involves positive feedback through the user interface of the game for when the player is doing well at the game. In our case study of Die Hard Trilogy (1996, Probe Entertainment) one does not need to look far to see this. The game is gratuitously violent with a large measure of slapstick comedy present in its execution. Throughout the game " violent stimuli are repeatedly presented in a positive emotional context (e.g., exciting background music, sound effects, visual effects, rewards for violent actions in the game) " (Carnagey, Anderson & Bushman