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In demand
Psychology's Craig Anderson is one of the world's leading experts
in violent video games.
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Every time a new violent video game study hits the media, Craig Anderson's
phone starts to ring.
The phone calls come even if the study isn't Anderson's.
The latest inquires came around the recently completed holiday season.
"The news media seemed to be a little more focused on violent video
games this time of the year," Anderson said just after the holidays.
"Video games and particularly violent video games, have become a
major Christmas purchase for many people."
Anderson, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, has become
a worldwide authority on violent video games due to his own studies in
this area. He studies the psychological effects of violent video games
on individuals.
Each of his studies indicate that there are good reasons to worry about
negative effects of playing violent video games.
"Even the older violent video games of the 1990s caused players
to think, feel, and behave more aggressively. And there are good theoretical
reasons to expect that the effects of exposure to the current crop of
violent video games on subsequent aggressive behavior will be even greater
than the well-documented effects of exposure to violent television, movies,
and older video games," says Anderson.
His studies on media violence, many with Brad Bushman, professor of psychology,
have been published in some of the world’s leading science psychology
journals such as Psychological Science, American Psychologist, Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, and Science. Anderson has testified
about violent video games before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee.
His testimony before the St. Louis County Executive Council on the effects
of violent video games was used to create an ordinance that requires adult
video game retailers and arcade owners to obtain parental consent exposing
children to "mature" rated video games.
All of which has led the media to Anderson.
In recent weeks, he has appeared on NBC’s "Today Show,"
been featured prominently in Entertainment Weekly, and was on the
Todd Mundt Show on National Public Radio. Newspapers and television stations
from Boston and Miami to Minneapolis and Des Moines have called.
Even ESPN talked with Anderson when giant sports network was doing a piece
on violence in sports video games.
In each interview and testimony, Anderson says he steers clear of making
public policy recommendations.
"I try to stay as close as possible to the results of the scientific
research," he says.
Still the requests come, Anderson says, and not just from media outlets.
"Parent groups are calling," he said, "and we're getting
requests to write review pieces for foreign journals."
Many of these groups are interested in Anderson’s research on the
ever-increasing violence in video games, particularly in games like Grand
Theft Auto and Duke Nukeum. His research has shown one reason why violent
video games may prove more detrimental than violent television or movies
is that the individual playing video games has to assume the role of a
violent character in the video game.
"Typically individuals watching violent television or movies don't
identity as closely with one violent character as video game players.
Instead there are multiple characters that you can identify with, and
you don't have to identify with any of them," Anderson said. "Another
big different from TV violence is that as a character in a video game,
you have to actually make the decision to maim or kill a person and then
take action to implement that decision. The games encourage you to require
the player to practice making decisions to act violently and to practice
taking action on these violent decisions."
A third major difference in violent video games concerns the amount of
violence.
"The frequency of the violence in these video games is also much
greater than even the most violent movie," Anderson said.
The frequency and level of violence in video games increases the likelihood
that aggressive solutions will be the first ones considered in real life
conflicts, that aggressive solutions will be evaluated as more appropriate,
and that frequent players will become desensitized to the pain and suffering
of other people.
His research and work by various groups across the country could also
lead to federal legislation for the regulation of violent video games.
Senate hearings are expected soon on the subject.
Around LAS
January 13-26, 2003
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