Abstract
Over the past 30 years, video games have become an important part of contemporary global entertainment
and media. One relevant issue among the possible video game effects on behavior is related to
violence and aggression tendencies. The debate on this topic is still open and highlights the importance
of considering possible mediating factors, such as moral positioning (e.g., preferences for evil/good
characters/choices in video games), empathy, and personality of video gamers. This study aimed to
investigate the relationship between moral positioning of video gamers and personality traits, aggression
tendencies, and social abilities. 224 players completed an online survey including ad hoc questions about
their preferences for evil/good characters and choices in video games and several validated questionnaires
to assess their dispositional traits. Results showed that gamers’ preferences for playing evil
characters were negatively associated with extraversion, agreeableness, and empathy. Aggression was
only partially correlated with evil moral positioning; specifically, in terms of physical aggression.
Moreover, evil moral positioning in video games did not predict aggressive tendencies, but partially
predicted low levels of empathic ability in players. The findings are discussed with reference to a social
conception of video game play and to possible implications for the educational context.
Lingua originale | English |
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pagine (da-a) | 1-8 |
Numero di pagine | 8 |
Rivista | Computers in Human Behavior |
Volume | 50 |
DOI | |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2015 |
Keywords
- Aggression
- Agreeableness
- Empathy
- Extraversion
- Morality
- Videogame