Research Suggests When Exposed to Violent Medium Interactive Video Game Users Exhibit More Intense Violence than Non-Interactive Television Users

• Study shows that an interactive medium generates more positive feelings and information processing for media users than a medium with no interaction
• Video game users become completely absorbed in their game, as opposed to passive television watchers who do not become immersed in this virtual experience     
• Violence in video games can lead to violence in the real world because of this intense absorption and need for control

Video games are more interactive, which cause greater effects on the audience than television does. The most relatable example is the theme of violence in the media. Although debates arise between violence and television, violence is the main concern with video game use. A study explains interactive vs. non-interactive media use that deeply explores the psychological meanings behind why interactive use is more detrimental to society than non-interactive use.

The study depicted that an interactive medium creates more information processing and positive feelings toward the messages being portrayed than a medium that is not interactive. In an interactive medium, users focus more on the content because they must engage in the activity, so the individuals are more clearly encoding the messages in this type of medium. Users have control over what they want and do not want to see in an interactive system; consumers can more easily and intensely process the information. Strong cognitive effort is used when engaging in interactive media, so the information being presented becomes favorable and desirable.

In addition, this study discovered that interactive users experience a higher flow state than non-interactive users. A flow state is the sensational feeling individuals get when they are fully immersed in an activity. In order to gain full enjoyment, consumers must have the skills to immerse themselves in the challenging activity, such as a video game. The interactivity of a video game can bring users into a flow state where they are totally absorbed in the virtual experience, forgetting their physical surroundings. When users do not interact with the medium, such as television, they are not as involved in the content and can more easily remove themselves from it.

Some could say that it is the media’s fault for injecting the violence into our everyday life through different medium, such as video games and television. Pavlik and McIntosh, authors of the text Converging Media, explain that the media completes this task by a theory called the “hypodermic-needle model.” This model depicts that the audience takes in whatever the media is portraying in a passive way. This model specifically relates to the passive medium of television. The audience just sees what is depicted on television and learns from the messages being presented. Pavlik and McIntosh describe another theory about the effect the media has on its viewers, known as cultivation analysis. This theory explains that viewers witness what is on television and accept that this is the reality in the world. For example, if one watches a violent television show with lots of murders, the viewer won’t feel the need to murder others, but will believe society is more dangerous than it truly is. Viewers observe the heavy, graphic, and realistic violence on television and believe this is how humans behave off the screen as well.

Video games are even worse; this interactive medium puts the audience in control of the violence. This type of media user learns how it feels to kill others, sometimes in a brutal way. They even get rewarded for murdering in this interactive medium; a user can win a game by killing a certain amount of people. This type of medium desensitizes the audience to violence and teaches that violence resolves conflict. An example of violent actions transformed from video games to real life is the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. An article portrays that the shooter, Adam Lanza, was obsessed with violent video games; one game he played often was called “School Shooting.” The article states that Lanza shot and killed six adults and 20 first graders in his real life interactive video game. A violent interactive medium gives users the power and confidence to conduct these horrible acts out of the media’s hands and into the real world.

Although video games do create a larger effect on its users than television does because of its interactive nature, it is important not to forget that television still has an effect on its viewers that should be noted. Studies have shown that children act more aggressive after watching violent behaviors on television; in the text, Pavlik and McIntosh discuss famous studies in the 1950s, called Bobo Doll studies. The studies showed that children were more likely to hit a Bobo doll after watching violent television in which rewards were given to the violent characters, over violent television that punished the violent characters. These studies portrayed that children absorb the violence that the media puts out for their viewers. There is a correlation between aggression and violent television; so it is significant to understand that although interactive medium, such as video games, allows the user to be in control of the violence (and can ultimately lead to real murder), television can adjust behavior as well.

Children are not the only ones playing video games, many college students play frequently as well. This could possibly be the cause of many recent university shootings, so it is crucial to take note of the severe consequences of interactive violent video games.