Thomas F. Denson, Hanan Youssef, Khandis R. Blake, Barnaby J. W. Dixson, Eddie Harmon-Jones, Michael M. Kasumovic
{"title":"The effect of a physically formidable competitor or cooperator on attraction to violent video games","authors":"Thomas F. Denson, Hanan Youssef, Khandis R. Blake, Barnaby J. W. Dixson, Eddie Harmon-Jones, Michael M. Kasumovic","doi":"10.1007/s11031-024-10095-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Typically, men prefer violent video games more than women do. However, little is known about the motivational factors driving this greater preference for violent games in men. The integrative motivational model of violent video games (IMT-VVG) suggests that the pull of violent video games should be strongest in men because men have faced stronger evolutionary pressures to physically compete within an explicit hierarchy relative to women. In two experiments, individuals were led to believe they were competing (Experiment 1; <i>N</i> = 122) or cooperating (Experiment 2; <i>N</i> = 121) with an ostensible same-gender partner to complete a physical strength program. The partner was presented as either high or low in physical formidability. Participants then selected a violent or non-violent video game to play for up to 15 min. In Experiment 1, men showed a stronger preference for violent video games than women when they anticipated facing a stronger opponent in an impending physical strength competition. In Experiment 2, for the physical cooperation task, men also chose the violent game over the non-violent game, but did so independent of the formidability of their cooperation partner. In sum, these data suggest that men may be attracted to violent video games when faced with a competitive task that requires physical strength, but not necessarily a cooperative task. In support of this hypothesis, participants who played the violent games reported greater subjective toughness after game play. These results provide evidence for a new integrative motivational theory of violent video game play.</p>","PeriodicalId":48282,"journal":{"name":"Motivation and Emotion","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Motivation and Emotion","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-024-10095-w","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Typically, men prefer violent video games more than women do. However, little is known about the motivational factors driving this greater preference for violent games in men. The integrative motivational model of violent video games (IMT-VVG) suggests that the pull of violent video games should be strongest in men because men have faced stronger evolutionary pressures to physically compete within an explicit hierarchy relative to women. In two experiments, individuals were led to believe they were competing (Experiment 1; N = 122) or cooperating (Experiment 2; N = 121) with an ostensible same-gender partner to complete a physical strength program. The partner was presented as either high or low in physical formidability. Participants then selected a violent or non-violent video game to play for up to 15 min. In Experiment 1, men showed a stronger preference for violent video games than women when they anticipated facing a stronger opponent in an impending physical strength competition. In Experiment 2, for the physical cooperation task, men also chose the violent game over the non-violent game, but did so independent of the formidability of their cooperation partner. In sum, these data suggest that men may be attracted to violent video games when faced with a competitive task that requires physical strength, but not necessarily a cooperative task. In support of this hypothesis, participants who played the violent games reported greater subjective toughness after game play. These results provide evidence for a new integrative motivational theory of violent video game play.
期刊介绍:
Motivation and Emotion publishes articles on human motivational and emotional phenomena that make theoretical advances by linking empirical findings to underlying processes. Submissions should focus on key problems in motivation and emotion, and, if using non-human participants, should contribute to theories concerning human behavior. Articles should be explanatory rather than merely descriptive, providing the data necessary to understand the origins of motivation and emotion, to explicate why, how, and under what conditions motivational and emotional states change, and to document that these processes are important to human functioning.A range of methodological approaches are welcome, with methodological rigor as the key criterion. Manuscripts that rely exclusively on self-report data are appropriate, but published articles tend to be those that rely on objective measures (e.g., behavioral observations, psychophysiological responses, reaction times, brain activity, and performance or achievement indicators) either singly or combination with self-report data.The journal generally does not publish scale development and validation articles. However, it is open to articles that focus on the post-validation contribution that a new measure can make. Scale development and validation work therefore may be submitted if it is used as a necessary prerequisite to follow-up studies that demonstrate the importance of the new scale in making a theoretical advance.