The Myth of Blunted Gamers: No Evidence for Desensitization in Empathy for Pain after a Violent Video Game Intervention in a Longitudinal fMRI Study on Non-Gamers.
Simone Kühn, Dimitrij Kugler, Katharina Schmalen, Markus Weichenberger, Charlotte Witt, Jürgen Gallinat
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引用次数: 23
Abstract
Background/aims: It is a common concern in the research field and the community that habitual violent video gaming reduces empathy for pain in its players. However, previous fMRI studies have only compared habitual game players against control participants cross-sectionally. However the observed pattern of results may be due to a priori differences in people who become gamers and who not. In order to derive the causal conclusion that violent video game play causes desensitisation, longitudinal studies are needed.
Methods: Therefore we conducted a longitudinal fMRI intervention study over 16 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to 1) play a violent video game (Grand Theft Auto 5), 2) perform a social life simulation game (The Sims 3) 30 min/day for 8 weeks, 3) serve as passive control. To assess empathy processing, participants were exposed to painful and non-painful stimuli (e.g. someone cutting a cucumber with or without hurting herself) either as real photographs or video-game like depictions in a 3T MRI scanner before and after the training intervention as well as two months after training.
Results: We did not find any evidence for desensitization in the empathy network for pain in the violent video game group at any time point.
Conclusions: The present results provide strong evidence against the frequently proclaimed negative effects of playing violent video games and will therefore help to communicate a more realistic scientific perspective of the effects of violent video gaming in real life.
期刊介绍：
Neurosignals is an international journal dedicated to publishing original articles and reviews in the field of neuronal communication. Novel findings related to signaling molecules, channels and transporters, pathways and networks that are associated with development and function of the nervous system are welcome. The scope of the journal includes genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, (patho)physiology, (patho)biochemistry, pharmacology & toxicology, imaging and clinical neurology & psychiatry. Reported observations should significantly advance our understanding of neuronal signaling in health & disease and be presented in a format applicable to an interdisciplinary readership.
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