Triggered to Thinking

A Short Essay on Video Games and Violence

Do video games cause violence and aggressive behavior? Is the answer truly cut-and-dry—a simple yes or no? Or are there social, psychological, cultural, and even religious factors that shape whether video game players are more prone to violent behavior than those who do not play them?

This essay begins with a brief anecdote familiar to many gamers. As a child, I played the classic Final Fantasy VII, a game remembered fondly by millions. During one play session, my father happened to walk into the room during the iconic scene in which the character Sephiroth fatally stabs Aerith. He reacted with concern, as any parent reasonably might. From my perspective, however, the game was a fictional masterpiece—an imaginative world in which I progressed through a story, overcame challenges, and defeated enemies. Yet this raises an important question: do all players process violent imagery in the same way, or do individual experiences with violent video game content differ significantly?

Public concern over video games and violence is not new. In the hours following the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, media pundits and online commentators quickly blamed video games for the actions of the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. This narrative persisted despite police reports indicating that no video games or consoles were found in Cho’s residence and despite statements from his roommate that Cho was never observed playing video games (Kutner & Olson, 2008). High-profile tragedies are not required for such criticisms to surface. When the PlayStation 3 was announced, conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly publicly warned of the dangers posed by video games. Years earlier, critics had claimed that the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons served as a gateway to occult or satanic practices (Laycock, 2015). Given this long history of moral panic surrounding games, what does empirical research actually suggest about the relationship between video games and violence?

Kutner and Olson (2008) conducted a survey of middle school students to explore their motivations for playing video games. Their findings revealed that both boys and girls reported feelings of enjoyment, inspiration, and emotional relief when playing. Notably, many boys indicated that video games helped them cope with frustration and stress. Games containing violent content, in particular, served as a form of emotional expression and release. Kutner and Olson further argued that factors such as emotional regulation, a supportive home environment, and positive peer relationships are far more significant in preventing violent behavior than exposure to video games alone.

This research raises an important question: can violent content in video games be useful, or at the very least, not inherently harmful? Christopher Bareither (2020), in his study Playful Virtual Violence, examined violence in online shooting and action games and introduced the concept of “virtual violence.” He argued that video games allow players to interact with representations of violence that resemble physical conflict without inflicting real-world harm. This form of virtual violence often functions as competition rather than as a driver of actual violent behavior. Such findings align with psychological theories suggesting that video games can satisfy basic human needs. According to Self-Determination Theory, video games can meet players’ needs for autonomy, social connection, and competence (Kowert & Quandt, 2015).

Research on violent video games has produced mixed results. Some studies support the catharsis model, which proposes that engaging in violent gameplay may reduce aggression by allowing players to release built-up emotions and tension. Neuroimaging studies have provided limited evidence that violent video games can decrease aggressive tendencies, lending some support to this perspective (Kowert & Quandt, 2015). Conversely, other research has suggested a relationship between violent video games and aggressive thoughts. Anderson and Bushman (2001), for example, found that exposure to violent video games could increase aggressive cognition. However, Ferguson and Garza (2011) reported no significant relationship between violent video games and serious acts of real-world violence.

Overall, the relationship between video games and violence is complex and multifaceted. The existing research yields mixed findings, and additional variables—such as competition, stress, and individual personality differences—must be considered. As Stephen Joyce has observed, the assumption that gamers are primarily adolescent boys who enjoy repetitive power fantasies is rooted in outdated stereotypes. Video games now appeal to a far more diverse audience, raising questions about why apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives continue to resonate within gaming culture (DiTommaso et al., 2024).

One example of this narrative tradition is Chrono Trigger, a classic Japanese role-playing game that remains popular decades after its release. In the game, players confront existential threats and ultimately defeat the entity known as Lavos to save the world. This type of gameplay exemplifies what Bareither (2020) describes as virtual violence—conflict situated within a symbolic and imaginative framework rather than a real-world context. Video games, therefore, can serve multiple purposes, including storytelling, emotional regulation, and moral exploration. Given the current state of research, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that video games themselves cause violent behavior.

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References

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12(5), 353–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00366

Bareither, C. (2020). Playful virtual violence: An ethnography of emotional practices in video games. Palgrave Macmillan.

DiTommaso, L., Crossley, J., Lockhart, A., & Wagner, R. (2024). End-game: Apocalyptic video games, contemporary society, and digital media culture. Walter de Gruyter.

Ferguson, C. J., & Garza, A. (2011). Call of (civic) duty: Action games and civic behavior in a large sample of youth. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 770–776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.10.023