The Max Planck Institute for Human Development has found no link between aggression and playing violent videos. These results are contrary to the popular belief that playing video games desensitizes people to violence and makes them more likely to engage in violent behavior.
Many gamers prefer playing violent video games where they can use weapons to kill other players. This has resulted in many health professionals speculating on the effect these games can have on their mental health.
Excessive screen time is more detrimental to mental health
Despite their worries, more studies have shown that having excessive screen time could be more detrimental to mental health than playing violent video games. However, some studies point to video games causing problems with mental health. These studies are outweighed by many, which disprove the theory.
One of those studies is the one by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development which asked participants to play Grand Theft Auto. A second group played Sims3, which is not violent, while a third didn’t play any games. The researchers observed them for two months and later evaluated them.
The team evaluated the participant before and after the study on their executive control, anxiety, mood, impulsivity, and interpersonal competencies. Researchers concluded that there was no violent behavior from the participants playing the games.
Playing video games did not reduce empathy
Another study by a team of German researchers found that there was no link between lack of empathy and playing video games. The researchers compared MRIs from people who play violent video games to others who didn’t play at all and found no difference in their levels of empathy. Moreover, any adverse changes in the participants playing video games were temporary.
A different study also debunked the claim that teenagers who play violent video games are more likely to develop mental health issues. Another one also showed that teenagers who had deviant peers and certain personalities issues were more likely to develop mental health problems. However, these issues were not caused by playing video games.
Another myth that researchers have debunked is that children addicted to playing video games aren’t more likely to develop issues with their mental health.
