Violent Video Games and the P300: No Evidence to Support the Neural Desensitization Hypothesis

Abstract

It has been proposed that exposure to violent video games (VVGs) resulted in alterations of social behaviors such as increased aggression. The most damaging reported effect of playing VVGs is neural desensitization to violent stimuli and this is a major concern given the reported number of players and time spent playing major video game titles. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of neural desensitization that was reported at the P300 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to violent stimuli. Eighty-seven participants were recruited and placed into one of two conditions based on their video gaming behavior (violent games players and nonplayers). ERPs were recorded from participants who passively viewed violent and neutral images selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The participants then played a VVG, postplaying ERPs were recorded while viewing the neutral and violent IAPS images. The mean amplitudes of the P300 were analyzed with respect to condition, time, and content. There was a significant effect of image but not of VVG player and nonplayer. The results were interpreted as evidence against the neural desensitization hypothesis. The findings of this study are consistent with imaging research and the implications for the reported negative effects of playing VVGs are discussed.

Desensitized gamers? Violent video game exposure and empathy for pain in adolescents – an ERP study

“…Thus, our results for adolescents are not in line with previous ERP studies showing such habitual VVGE desensitization effect in adult gamers (Bartholow et al, 2006 ; Engelhardt et al, 2011 ; Miedzobrodzka et al, 2022 ; Stockdale et al, 2017 ). As an exception, our results are in line with Goodson et al ( 2021 ) who conducted an ERP study in an adult sample in a similar design to ours. Goodson et al ( 2021 ) categorized participants either as experienced players of violent video games or as those who had no such experience and found no P3 amplitude differences between these two groups for violent IAPS pictures.…”

“…As an exception, our results are in line with Goodson et al ( 2021 ) who conducted an ERP study in an adult sample in a similar design to ours. Goodson et al ( 2021 ) categorized participants either as experienced players of violent video games or as those who had no such experience and found no P3 amplitude differences between these two groups for violent IAPS pictures. They explained the absence of a habitual desensitization effect by the suggestion that their participants might have experienced a general habituation to violent content in available media, besides video games (Grizzard et al, 2015 ).…”

“…We did not observe a Pain x Time interaction for P3 nor for the LPP after the 40 min of violent video gameplay of our adolescent participants. This is in line with a recent quasi-experiment in a similar design by Goodson et al ( 2021 ), who did not find changes in P3 responses to violent pictures in adults who played another Call of Duty series violent video game, but only for 10 min. However, we did find a small but significant drop in LPP amplitudes for painful pictures from pre- to post-gameplay measurement, suggesting a possible short-term desensitization effect, providing initial support for H3.…”

“…However, particularly more recent fMRI studies failed to obtain evidence for such desensitization effect (Gao et al, 2017 ; Kühn et al, 2018 ; Szycik et al, 2017 ). In contrast, the majority of ERP studies in adults have found a desensitization effect as a result of - (Engelhardt et al, 2011 ; Miedzobrodzka et al, 2022 ) or related to – violent video game exposure (Bartholow et al, 2006 ; Bailey et al, 2011 ; Stockdale et al, 2017 ; Miedzobrodzka et al, 2022 ; but see; Goodson et al, 2021 for non-significant findings). In most of these studies, such desensitization effect was observed as a reduced P3 amplitude in response to emotionally negative pictures suggesting that less attentional resources were directed toward the processing and evaluation of these pictures.…”

Liber Domus: Development of a Prototype RPG for 6th Grade Mathematics and Science Learning

“…As the prototype focused on the development of all necessary for the implementation of the game mechanisms considered necessary, the quests focused on the initial, early stages of the game. As the game is meant to follow a curricular yearlong learning of Mathematics and Science, it was considered ideal to concentrate on four initial topics of mathematics according to the Essential Learning Objectives [19]. These are:…”