Discussion

The results suggest that prosocially oriented videogames have at least a short-term priming effect for prosocial thoughts, feelings, and attributed behaviors. These findings are consistent with other research on the positive effects of prosocial media (Hogan & Strasburger, in press).

Future Directions Further research into this area may lead towards

the conception of a Generalized Prosocial Model to mirror the General Aggression Model, the predominant theory explaining the effects of violent media. If constant exposure to violence in videogames reinforces aggressive schemas and attitudes, so too might repeated practice of prosocial behavior in videogames increase prosocial affect.

Introduction Previous research indicates a tendency for violent

media to promote a “hostile expectation bias” in its viewers (e.g. Bushman & Anderson, 2002; Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 2007). A hostile expectation bias is defined as “the tendency to expect others to react to potential conflicts with aggression.”

However, very little research has been conducted on the effects of prosocial media or the existence of a prosocial expectation bias, and there are no previous studies investigating thoughts & feelings after playing a prosocial videogame.

Current Study The current study examines the possibility that

prosocial videogames can have a positive effect on the cognitions of the player, just as aggressive games can have a negative one.

Since there are so few helping-oriented videogames on the market, custom-designed scenarios were created for all conditions, using the level design toolset of the 2002 role-playing game Neverwinter Nights.

Materials 3 Videogame Conditions

Violent (aggressive priming): Player kills bandits with a melee weapon and collects their gold. Bandits grow progressively tougher and more numerous as player progresses, and some must be killed quickly before they escape

Helping (prosocial priming): Player heals sick NPC’s, and collects a “note of gratitude” from the healed. Sick characters require more healing as player progresses, and some must be healed quickly before they die of disease

Collector (control condition): Player collects bags of gems lying on the floor, in a race against mice that aim to do the same. Bags and mice increase in number as player progresses

2 Additional Control Conditions

Game Expectant: Expected to play game, but did not until end, & No Game: No game played

Story Stems

All subjects write 20 possible responses for each of 3 incomplete story stems (Bushman and Anderson, 2001).

Condition AggressiveResponses

ProsocialResponses

NeutralResponses

Violent (n=31)

.23 (.11) .11 (.05) .66 (.10)

Helping (n=28)

.17 (.09) .15 (.07) .65 (.09)

Collector (n=19)

.21 (.10) .11 (.06) .69 (.08)

Game Expectant (n=21)

.17 (.08) .07 (.05) .76 (.08)

No Game (n=22)

.17 (.08) .05 (.04) .77 (.08)

Research QuestionDoes a prosocial videogame increase prosocial expectancy in the player?

Method & Procedure

Participants were 116 undergraduates: 57 males, mean age = 19.53; 18 minority 59 females, mean age = 19.61; 15 minority

Participants were randomly assigned to a condition. They played the videogame for ten minutes, then completed the three ambiguous story stems. Afterwards, subjects provided demographic information and indicated their degree of experience with videogames (7-point Likert-type scale). Players also rated their arousal before playing, after playing, and after finishing the stories stems.

Scoring Responses to the story stems were scored for

neutral, aggressive, or prosocial content (thoughts and actions that the character would experience next). Aggressive responses were those that would do physical or psychological harm to the other person in the story, and prosocial responses were those that supported the welfare of the other or the relationship.

Results The MANOVA measured the effects of 4 factors on

responses to story stems: condition, experience in videogames, sex, and age. It was significant only for condition (Wilks’ lambda =.26, F(12,74.373) = 4.33, p<.0001, eta2 = .37). The other variables were nonsignificant, except that condition by age approached significance, Wilks’ lambda =.25, F(33,83.197) = 1.50, p=.07, eta2 squared = .37.

As predicted, the helping condition generated a significantly higher number of prosocial responses. The univariate analysis was significant for prosocial responses, F(4,82= 10.08, p<.0001, eta2 =.57, and also for neutral responses, F (4,82)=3.80, p<.013, eta2 =.34; it approached significance for aggressive responses, F (4,82)=2.47, p<.07, eta2 =.25.

The violent condition did not produce a significant increase in aggressive responses in comparison to the other conditions. Instead, there were more aggressive responses than prosocial ones across all conditions. This may indicate a baseline hostile expectancy bias associated with conventional videogame experience.

Table 1. Percentage of Response Type (Aggressive, Prosocial, Neutral) by Condition (Violent, Helping, Collector, Game Expectant, No Game)

AbstractMany previous studies have suggested that violent media increases aggressive thoughts and feelings in the viewer. Because videogames are a relatively new form of media, the effects of videogame play have been the subject of fewer studies, though recent research has begun to shed light on the topic. This study compared the cognitive effects of a prosocial videogame, in which the player was tasked with healing sick non-player characters (NPC’s), against those of a violent game. Results indicate that participants were prosocially primed after playing the healing game, though there was no significant aggressive priming after the violent game. A helping-oriented game may promote a prosocial expectancy bias.

Do Prosocial Videogames have Stronger Effects than Violent Videogames? Darcia Narvaez, PhD -- Bradley Mattan -- Carl MacMichael –

All correspondence regarding this poster can be addressed to Dr. Darcia Narvaez at: dnarvaez@nd.edu

Violent Condition Helping Condition

University of Notre DameDepartment of Psychology