Video Games and
Aggressive Brain Activity
A Quantum-Self Research Report

The video game industry is a $10 billion dollar industry in the United States, and more than 90 percent of all U.S. children and adolescents play video games on an average of 30 minutes a day.

In 2004 the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center reported that a 2001 review of the 70 top-selling video games found that 49 percent contained serious violence.

In 41 percent of all games, violence was essential for the player to achieve their goals. In 17 percent of the games, violence was the primary focus of the game itself.

"Mature"rated games are extremely popular with pre-teen and teenage boys, who have no problem purchasing them in stores.

The latest new-generation violent video games contain substantial amounts of increasingly realistic portrayals of violence. Elaborate content analyses have revealed that the favored narrative is a human "warrior" engaging in repeated acts of violence resulting in bloodshed to the game victims.

A Michigan State University researcher and his colleagues have shown that playing violent video games leads to a brain activity pattern that also occurs with aggressive thoughts.

Their MRI brain scan study observed 13 male research participants as they played a recent-generation violent video game. Each participant's game play was recorded, and the content was then analyzed on a frame-by-frame basis.

The study voolunteers were between the ages 18 and 26, and played at least five hours a week. On average, the participants said they normally play video games 15 hours a week, and first began to play at the average age of 12.

Eleven of the 13 subjects showed large observed brain effects that can be considered to have been caused by the game-based virtual violence.

The participants played the mature-rated first-person-shooter game "Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror" for five rounds, 12 minutes per round (an average of 60 minutes total), while in an MRI scanner. Brain activity was measured throughout game play. Physiological measures were also taken. These data as well as audio data from the game were recorded and synchronized with the FMRI signal.

"There is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity patterns that are considered characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects," said René Weber, assistant professor and researcher.

"Violent video games frequently have been criticized for enhancing aggressive reactions such as aggressive cognition's, aggressive affects or aggressive behavior.On a neurobiological level we have shown the link exists," Weber explained.

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