A YouGov survey of over 1900 British adults has revealed that 61% of them agreed with the statement “Playing video / computer games can be a cause of real-world violence and aggression.” 57% also felt that games could be “a useful outlet for frustrations and aggressions.”
The survey was conducted in co-operation with Dr Andrew Przybylski of the Oxford Internet Institute. Designed to show what Britons think about games, he revealed from his findings that those who are more familiar with video games are less worried about its effects.
The survey comes following a week where Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V has already earned over $1 billion in sales, as well as being discussed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on how it could have a “corrosive effect” on players. It was also highlighted in the news during an unfortunate incident where one man who had just purchased a copy was stabbed and robbed of the game by three teenagers (life imitating the very art that was stolen?).
The answers in the survey varied depending on age and whether or not those taking part were gamers themselves.
It revealed that older Britons are more likely to believe that video games may cause violence. On the other end, younger Brits were more likely to see video games as a good outlet for frustrations.
Those that had never played any video games were three times more likely to think that they cause violence. Similarly, those that do play but had not watched or played violent video games were over five times more likely to believe that they could cause aggression. Gamers that had played violent video games were almost twice as likely to say that they were a cathartic way for letting out frustrations.
The full findings can be found on YouGov, where you’ll also find some pretty graphs should you wish to take in their results visually.
What are your thoughts on the survey?
Originally published on MCM Buzz on 24 September 2013.
