When shown images of real-life violence, people who played violent video games were found to have a diminished response.
However, when the same group were shown other disturbing images such as dead animals or ill children they had a much more natural response.
When the game players were given the opportunity to punish a pretend opponent those with the greatest reduction in P300 meted out the severest punishments.
Psychologist Bruce Bartholow, the lead researcher of the study which will be published in full in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology later this year, said: “As far as I’m aware, this is the first study to show that exposure to violent games has effects on the brain that predict aggressive behaviour. —Violent games ‘affect behaviour’ (BBC)
Thanks for the suggestion, Rosemary.
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I think this experiment shows more that game players are willing to immerse themselves in a virtual enviornment and get into the "game" of punishing their opponent. If a writer is great at writing murder mysteries, do we assume s/he is more likely to murder someone? How is that different from a player gets into the role of an aggressive person when playing a game?
Also, as far as desensitization, wouldn't watching TV have the same effect? Let somebody watch an hour of a broadcast netwrok TV action piece and see what their brain reacts to then.