Australian research into the brain activity of shoot-to-kill video game players could explain why people can easily kill others without feeling bad about it and help reform violent criminals.
A team of researchers from Monash University found the activity in the player's brain changed depending on whether they were shooting enemy soldiers or innocent civilians.
Pascal Molenberghs from the university's social neuroscience laboratory said the study showed why people could be violent.
"In normal everyday situations people wouldn't go out and harm other people," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday. "But in certain situations, like, for example, during war, they have often no problems with just killing other people."
"People can quite easily switch off this brain area which allows them to commit violence without feeling bad about it," he added.
