Violent 3-D games increase anger in players

A new study has found that playing violent 3D games can increase the anger level in video game players.

Researchers found that people who played violent video games in 3-D showed more evidence of anger afterward than did people who played using traditional 2-D systems, even those with large screens.

Since 3-D players were more likely to feel "immersed in the game," it has the ability to have stronger effects on players said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University.

Participants were 194 college students, about two-thirds of whom were women. All of the students played the video game Grand Theft Auto IV for 15 minutes. Half were instructed to play violently (kill as many people as possible in the game) and half played nonviolently (they went bowling).

They played on a 17-inch 2-D screen, a 96-inch 2-D screen or on a 96-inch 3-D screen while wearing appropriate 3-D glasses.

Later, all participants reported their mood on a variety of dimensions, including anger. For example, they were asked to rate how angry, annoyed and furious (among other adjectives) they felt on a scale of 1 to 5.

Results showed that for those who played nonviolently, it didn't matter if they played in 2-D or 3-D - their levels of anger were relatively low and unchanged.

Those who played violently showed higher levels of anger than nonviolent players no matter how they played 2-D or 3-D. But those who played violently on 3-D were significantly angrier than those who played violently on the 2-D systems.

After playing the games, participants were asked several questions measuring how immersed they were in the game. Results showed that people who played in 3-D felt more immersed in the game than did those who played in 2-D, and that immersion was related to the increased anger felt by those who played violently.

The study is due to be published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.