For some guys, there’s nothing more satisfying than taking a day’s frustrations out on some unsuspecting pixels. For others, it could be a cause for concern. But is a violent video game habit actually bad for your health?
The Video Standards Council (VSC) are the ones responsible for assigning age ratings to games. They were accused this week of “not doing the job” after it was found no violent video games have been banned since 2012. We reckon that could be a good thing.
The arguments about violent video games are nothing new. Similar media panics occurred in the 80s, when horror films were available on VHS for the first time, and the 90s, when it was claimed Marilyn Manson’s music inspired violence in teenagers.
However, providing the age ratings are followed, we’d like to think most men can tell the difference between being merciless in a game and showing compassion in everyday life.
This common-sense approach is backed by science: the journal Frontiersstudied the effects of violent games on men playing shooting games like Call of Duty, and it was found that empathy is not blunted by playing these games long-term.
Yet to pick up a joypad? There are more benefits to taking on an army in your front room than you realise:
- 62% of players reported violent video games helped them “to relax” whilst 45% stated that it helped them “get their anger out”, according to a study in Psychiatric Times.
- Video games demand a greater deal of active involvement from its players compared to television and film audiences. This keeps your brain firing, as opposed to passively consuming telly says Nottingham University.
- Plymouth University found that tackling video games helps slash cravings by making mental images of food seem less prominent in your mind. Stay hungry, gents.
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