Do Violent Video Games Lead to  Aggression? 

Your students who spend every afternoon taking aim with digital guns may actually be changing the way their brain works. And, a recent study shows that they may become inured to violence.

When University of Missouri-Columbus (UM-C) researchers showed violent images to male college students—like a man holding a gun to another’s head—they found that the participants who routinely played violent video games showed fewer brainwaves of a specific type.

Then, when they played a hot-button game with the students, asking them to blast an opponent with noise, they also found that the video players were more likely to behave aggressively.

“People often assume that any negative effects of playing violent games are short-lived,” said Bruce Bartholow, UM-C assistant professor of psychological sciences. “But these results suggest that repeated exposure to violent video games has lasting negative consequences for both brain function and behavior.”

Photo: Corbis