ISU students who enjoy playing violent video games may be increasing their tendency toward violent behavior, according to a study completed by psychology professors.

Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman conducted a study in which 224 students played violent video games. After playing, approximately seventy percent of the students gave violent answers to various scenario questions.

Bushman said this study has implications for many people.

“This study is relevant to parents, video game players and public policy makers,” he said. “There are many audiences that this study will be important to.”

Students were randomly selected to play both violent and non-violent video games then answer a series of questions. The answers they gave were analyzed. Variables, such as earlier exposure to or a history of violence, were not accounted for in this study.

Bushman said other studies support the idea that violent video games can make people physically aggressive.

“Violent video games get people to expect violence, and they behave aggressively because they expect others to do the same,” he said.

Bushman said he and Anderson statistically adjusted for people who had a history of playing video games.

Makers of violent video games are partially responsible for rising violence among youths, Bushman said.

“There is absolutely no question [that video game makers are partially responsible for violence in youth], but violent video games are also not the most important or only cause” he said.

Stronger parental guidance would help children and young adults separate violence from games and real life, Bushman said. He said parents don’t always spend the time and energy needed to explain the difference.

“Violence is complicated and has many factors. Telling a child that there is a difference between fantasy and reality will not work if the child is under seven. For older kids and young adults those violent games can become their world.”

Bushman said some of the factors that make violent video games more threatening than other violent media should not be ignored.

“These violent games explicitly reward for violence with higher point totals, new levels, visual effects, and graphic effects. The body count in a violent game can reach one hundred or more in a matter of minutes. Compared to violent television viewers, players of violent video games are active participants in the violence and people learn better when they are actively involved. These players also identify with the character because they are controlling the character, they are the character,” Bushman said.

The results of this study could also affect businesses that sell video games. Jamie Senft is the store manager at Hastings Books Music and Videos, at 620 Lincoln Way, and he said violent video games are popular items.

“For example, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has been one of our biggest sellers this year and it is very violent.”

Senft said even with such violent games on the market parents are still concerned and do check out games before they buy them. “I would say it is probably split down the middle. Some parents pay a lot of attention to game ratings, some do not care at all. We try to steer people away from violent video games if they are buying them for small children.”

Ray Roland, freshman in mechanical engineering, is an avid video game player.

He said his own personal experiences with video game violence offer arguments for and against Bushman and Anderson’s study.

“My brother and I used to play Mortal Kombat a lot,” Roland said. “He would kill me in the game over and over and over and I would get so mad at him that we would start fighting. We weren’t fighting because the game was violent, we were fighting because no one likes losing any game over and over.”