No longer just for kids, video games can be found in almost every home, handbag and pocket on the planet. And the genre seemingly more popular than any other is about the same thing: violence.
Why this is has long been a bit of a mystery, but Australian researchers believe the answers lie somewhere in the fields of biology and psychology.
The most controversial series in gaming history, due to its links to real-life crimes, Grand Theft Auto (GTA) has sold 165 million copies of its latest installment worldwide since 2013.
It has also been at or near the top of Australian video game charts for the past six months.
The brain-splitting popularity of GTA is mirrored by the world’s best-selling shooter franchise, Call of Duty, and its current offering, Warzone, has over 100 million players. Another, Red Dead Redemption, was Australia’s best-selling game in 2018.
Survival saga Fortnite, meanwhile, generated more than $9 billion for creator Epic Games in just two years before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2018-19.
All are known for their graphic content, yet research exploring the extraordinary fascination they hold is rare.
Hard-wired needs
Enter Associate Professor Michael Kasumovic, and some developmental psychology and cognitive assessment theory. Read also : Hawks Foundation and Young People’s Good Sports Leaders Through a Yoga Wellness Event at Georgia Preparatory Academy.
Research conducted by the professor and his colleagues from the University of NSW suggests that violent games resonate because they offer opportunities to fulfill psychological needs.
“The motivations we have to play (them) stem from our desire to become better as individuals,” he says.
“They allow us to measure status, assess our abilities in relation to others and overcome our fears.”
Although it is unusual to think this way, Professor Kasumovic says that video games tap into human desires. Autonomy, social connectedness, and competence are all motivators for behavior.
“Whether it’s choosing a weapon upgrade, working alongside other characters or completing goals or missions… violent video games lend themselves to our psychological needs because they are designed in a way that allows us to achieve a sense of control and accomplishment,” he says.
“And they help us figure out where we sit in a social hierarchy.”
According to the research, violent games also allow players to experience dangerous situations in a safe environment, as well as regulate emotions.
“(They) help explore our fears around death and can help with the expression of emotions, especially anger,” says Prof Kasumovic.
“Before, people might go out to play with others. Now we have the means to do that through digital interactions.”
Anyone can play
Unlike traditional sports, video games can be mastered regardless of physical ability. On the same subject : In the pipeline: Rall’s plumbing business celebrates 50+ years of ‘treating people right’.
Bond University’s latest Digital Australia report shows 17 million Australians play video games in some form. The so-called average gamer is 35 years old, more likely a guy and logs in for 83 minutes a day.
And the love affair continues to blossom. While 76 percent of Australian households had at least one video game device in 2005, by 2021 92 percent did.
Some people, however, are more likely to gamble than others.
The UNSW study found that those who perceive themselves as lower in social status or have unsatisfied desires to exert influence or control over others are more likely.
The less those needs are met in the real world, the more likely they will look for them in digital.
“Video games can allow some people to get what they don’t get in the real world – like enhanced feelings of self-esteem and social rank,” says Prof Kasumovic.
“So, people from low-status groups may be more attracted to playing violent video games because of a desire to gain a higher status that they may be able to achieve in the game.”
Violent video games, especially online multiplayer, are designed to encourage improved performance through match-making levels and leveling.
At the extremes, this is thought to encourage addiction.
According to the UNSW research, players get immediate feedback on performance and there is a positive loop that encourages them to play more because they want to improve in the game and in their standing against others.
