Crime Prevention -- Digital Gaming What Role

¶ … Crime Prevention -- Digital Gaming

What role does digital video gaming play in crime, delinquency or other forms of antisocial behavior?

American Psychological Association (2011, August 29). Playing highly competitive video games may lead to aggressive behavior. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 15, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com- / releases/2011/08/110829114714.htm.

In a unique twist of methodologies, the American Psychological Association added credibility to an interesting study done by several advanced degree students where were looking at the highly debated contemporary issue: is there a relationship between video games and violence? Past studies suggested that the issue of importance was not the violence but the level of competition. Through two versions of their approach, the researchers looked at how subjects reacted to highly or lesser competitive video games and their tendencies as a result to "retaliate" against another -- by fixing that person a more or less aggressively spiced taste of food in a flavor competition. The idea was then tested in another set of games with more options, only this time including a heart monitor. The results demonstrated significant tendencies for participants to be more aggressive with the hot sauce in relation to the level of competition in the games. Those who were more competitive also showed elevated heart rates. This study is simple and to the point, but it does give the average reader a sense of how social scientists make connections.

Xu, Y., Cao, X., Sellen, A., Herbrich, R. And Graepel, T. (2011, March). Sociable Killers: Understanding Social Relationships in an Online First-Person Shooter Game. CSCW 2011, Hangzhou, China. Retrieved February 15, 2012 from http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/people/xiangc/cscw2011_sociablekillers.pdf.

Sometimes complex technical studies can speak for themselves. Here is the finding of a study done by a young people associated with a college and Microsoft Research Cambridge: "Intentionally or unintentionally, players create and maintain social relationships to maximize the social enjoyment of play, rather than just to win the game. In fact, these seemingly 'unsocial' and virtually violent games can entail surprisingly rich and diverse social relationships, which are reported in detail here." This mixture of qualitative experience relays and quantitative data collection contains much criticism of those who profess an understanding of First Person Shooters where militarism is thought to live.

Ferguson, C.J., Olson, C.K., Kutner, L.A., and Warner, D.E. (2010). Violent Video Games, Catharsis Seeking, Bullying, and Delinquency: A Multivariate Analysis of Effects. Crime and Delinquency. XX (X) 1-21. DOI: 10.1177/0011128710362201.

Step-by-step this intensively scientific but still readable study goes through numerous procedural flaws and scientific weaknesses in studies associated with the question of violence of various forms. They actually find little or no connection between violent video games and such behaviors. They did support correlations between issues such as stress and trait aggression (the sense that it is okay for me to hurt someone for certain reasons), which were statistically predictive of delinquency. The study is sound and credible and is likely to add to a better understanding of bias in the field amongst scientists looking into these issues. It is not likely the general public will give it its due.

Young, K. (2009). Understanding online gaming addiction and treatment issues for adolescence. The American Journal of Family Therapy. 37: 355-372.

Some bad behaviors predict other bad behaviors. This seems to be a major presumption of this article, which is written as an explanatory piece and overview of treatment modalities for therapists who address adolescent addictive issues. Given that gaming has "evolved" over its years from a digital pastime to a nearly ubiquitous emersion activity, it appears to be of no surprise that there could well be upwards of 5 million seriously game-addicted young people (as of 2007). While single player games were one thing, the experience of being fully engaged in intensive, aggressive, competitive and dynamic digital experiences cannot help but draw in some impressionable young people as a form of escape, as adults do drugs and alcohol. Descriptions of the realities of the game provide an overview of the challenges for young people, and offer a look at basic therapeutic intervention strategies. The piece provides a great deal of evidence but does seem biased toward the belief that being engaged in a facsimile universe is an experience that is too appealing for everyone to want to leave. It may be that many like it, but that may not be as controlling as the study suggests.

Lemheat, A. et al. (2008). Teens, Video Games, and Civics. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/files/reports/2008/pip_teens_games_and_civics_report_final.pdf.pdf

"Video gaming is so widespread among American teenagers that to paint a portrait of a typical teen gamer is to hold a mirror to the population of teens as whole. Nearly every teen plays games in some way, regardless of gender, age, or socioeconomic status." The Pew Internet & American Life Project jumped into the gaming sector headfirst and gave many people a lot to consider. A massive collective of data, it took aim at assumptions about young people who play such games as being isolated or engaged in an environment that let violence go by unchallenged. This study should be reviewed by anyone and everyone who has an opinion on the subject of games and criminal, delinquency or anti-social behavior. It's a rich collection of game-changing knowledge.