Center on Media and Child Health

Wii Wand Doesn't Increase Aggression...but Violent Video Games Do

After the release of "Manhunt II" for the Wii--in which players use a motion-detecting wand to punch, stab, and dismember other characters--many experts expressed concern over the potential effects of reinforcing such violent movements in video game play.

A study soon to be published in Computers and Human Behavior, however, did not find that using motion capture controls (like the Wii wand) adds to the increase in aggression that is linked to violent video games. This finding comes as a surprise to many experts, who believed that such wands were likely to exacerbate the games' negative effects.

The study did show that playing violent video games increased aggression regardless of the type of control used. It also addressed the question of whether people who are already more prone to aggression are more susceptible to such effects, and it seems that the answer is yes. For more information on the effects of violent video games and ways to alleviate them, see CMCH's page on video game violence.

Research Wrap-Up: November 21, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health exploring  a range of  topics:

• Examination of associations between individual and vicarious racial discrimination via the Internet and psychological adjustment.
• Evaluate the content of  contemporary popular music with particular attention paid to the prevalence of degrading and non-degrading sexual references.
• Development of  a comprehensive analysis of internet addiction through a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on excessive Internet use published during the period of 1996-2006.
• Examination of the potential moderating effects of motion capture technology and participants’ own level of psychoticism on their hostility and aggressive thoughts after playing violent video games.

Douglas, A. et al. (2008).Internet addiction: Meta-synthesis of qualitative research for the decade 1996–2006.Computers in Human Behavior. 24 (6), 3027-3044.

Graham,D.J., Schneider, M., Cooper, D.M. (2008). Television viewing: Moderator or mediator of an adolescent physical activity intervention? Am J Health Promot. 23(2), 88-91.

Markey, P.M. & Scherera, K. (2008). An examination of psychoticism and motion capture controls as moderators of the effects of violent video games. Computers in Human Behavior. Available online 23 October.

Primack, B.A., Gold, M.A., Schwarz, E.B., Dalton, M.A.(2008). Degrading and non-degrading sex in popular music: a content analysis. Public Health Rep. 123(5), 593-600.

Tynes, B.M., Giang, M.T.,Williams,  D. R., &  Thompson, G. N. (2008). Online Racial Discrimination and Psychological Adjustment Among Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 43(6), 565-569.

Increased Fears about Video Game Addiction

November 13 brought the release of "World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King," an expansion of the hugely popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). According to the Telegraph, lines started forming 18 hours before the midnight release in London. This popularity has helped renew concerns about video game addiction.

The game's release follows on the heels of 15-year-old Brandon Crisp's death. The Toronto boy, whose funeral was held Friday, ran away from home after his parents took away his XBox to limit what they saw as obsessive gaming behavior. Several weeks later, his body was discovered in the woods, and he is believed to have died due to injuries from falling out of a tree.

These concurrent stories highlight what seems to be a growing international problem and parents' struggle over how to address it. For resources that address this issue, see February's Parent Perspective and the resources listed at the bottom of it. CMCH also offers suggestions for using video games safely.

Research Wrap-Up: November 14, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health exploring  a range of  topics:

• Examination of the prevalence of internet addiction among Greek adolescent students.
• Exploration of the role of television as an external stimulation which can precipitate epileptic seizures in young children.
• Examination of the cognitive and behavioral effects of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign on youths aged 12.5 to 18 years.
• Evaluation of the possible psychological problems related to excessive cellular phone use in adolescents.

Etemadifar, M., Raoufi, M., Maghzi, A.H., Ebrahimi,A., Kaji-Esfahani, M., & Mousavi, S.A. (2008).  Television-provoked epilepsy in children: A follow-up survey from Isfahan, Iran. Arch Iran Med. 11(6), 649-53.

Ha, J.H.,  Chin, B., Park, D.H., Ryu, S.H., & Yu, J. (2008). Characteristics of excessive cellular phone use in Korean adolescents. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11 (6),

Hornik, R., Jacobsohn, L., Orwin, R., Piesse, A., & Kalton,G. (2008). Effects of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign on youths. American Journal of Public Health, 98(12), 2229-2236.

Komlos, J., Breitfelder, A., & Sunder, M. (2008). The transition to post-industrial BMI values among US children. Am J Hum Biol. Available online Nov 5.

Siomos, K.E.,  Dafouli, E.D., Braimiotis, D.A., Mouzas,O.D., Angelopoulos, K.V. (2008).Internet addiction among Greek adolescent atudents. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(6), 1-5.

Research Wrap-Up: November 7, 2008

Here is a list of recently published studies on children, media, and health exploring  a range of  topics:

• Understanding how youngsters often interpret "cyberbullying" as "Internet bullying" and associate the phenomenon with a wide range of practices.
• Explores the importance of emotional intensity for effective anti-tobacco advertising in youth aged 12-17.
• Examination of some aspects of youth and adolescent addiction to MMORPGs by investigating  connections between players and their game characters and examined if, and in what ways, player relationship to their character affected potential addiction.

Biener, L., Wakefield, M., Shiner, C.M., & Siegel. M. (2008).How broadcast volume and emotional content affect youth recall of anti-tobacco advertising. Am J Prev Med, 35(1), 14-9.

Harris. J., Pomeranz, J., Lobstein, T., &  Brownell, K.D.(2008).  A Crisis in the Marketplace: How Food Marketing Contributes to Childhood Obesity and What Can Be Done. Annu Rev Public Health, Available online Oct 31.

Kelly,B., Bochynska, K., Kornman, K., & Chapman, K. (2008).  Internet food marketing on popular children’s websites and food product websites in Australia. Public Health Nutrition, 11 (11), 1180-1187. 

Smahel, D., Blinka, L., &  Ledabyl, O. (2008). Playing MMORPGs: Connections between Addiction and Identifying with a Character. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(6).

Vandebosch, H.,&  Van Cleemput, K. (2008).Defining cyberbullying: a qualitative research into the perceptions of youngsters. Cyberpsychol & Behav,11(4), 499-503.

More Links Between Violent Media and Aggression

Over the past 50 years, research has linked violent media exposure to increased aggression in young people. This month's Pediatrics adds two new studies to the mix: one on Internet violence and one on violent video games. Both recommend reducing or eliminating youth exposure to violent media.

One study found a link between being exposed to Internet violence and exhibiting seriously violent behavior, such as murder, assault, and robbery. The research showed that, with each additional type of violent site (e.g., hate sites, snuff sites, and sites showing satanic rituals) viewed, a youth's likelihood of reporting such behavior increased by 50%. In another finding described by CNN.com, young people who reported that " 'many, most or all' of the Internet sites they frequented featured 'real people fighting, shooting or killing' were five times more likely than their peers who didn't visit violent Web sites to engage in seriously violent behavior."

The second study further explores the connection between playing violent video games and increased aggression. It found that habitually playing violent video games increased young people's chances of being physically aggressive in the future, regardless of whether they already exhibited such behavior. It also showed that these effects occur across cultures (in this case, the U.S. and Japan)--even, as the researchers indicated, when the cultures display very different levels of violence.