Video games blur real life boundaries and prompt thoughts of ‘violent solutions’ to players’ problems

Jenny Hope
Mail Online

September 21, 2011

Some video game players are transferring their screen experiences into the real world – prompting thoughts of ‘violent solutions’ to their problems, say researchers.

Fans of computers can become so immersed in their virtual environment they do things in the real world as if they were still playing.

The findings come after sailor Ryan Donovan was sentenced to 25 years in jail for shooting dead an officer on a nuclear sub to copy the violent video game Grand Theft Auto.

The gruesome game involves scoring points for kills and has been linked to a number of multiple murders, mainly in the US. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University have for the first time identified evidence of Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), which results in some gamers integrating video experiences into their real lives.

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3 Responses to “Video games blur real life boundaries and prompt thoughts of ‘violent solutions’ to players’ problems”

  1. All I have to say, is that people who go out and commit violent acts in the name of video games, would have inevitably done the same thing regardless, it’s just that video games got there first.

    How do they know the person wasn’t imitating the news and wars they see and hear about on tv? I’ve played extremely violent video games my entire life, and just like any other geek will tell you, we have no urge to act out these fantasies in real life. I believe there are numerous studies out there that show violent video games actually reduce the amount of aggression a person has, because it serves as an outlet, which doesn’t harm anybody. Just like a punching bag.

    It’s embarrassing to see people spend money on this kind of research obviously pushing an agenda to arrive at their preconceived notions. Inequality is the leading cause of crime in the world today.

  2. Wow, what a bunch of idiots. Can’t tell the difference between real life and a TV screen projecting video games. I play games all the time as I have a lot of time on my hands. I have played them for decades, starting with Wolfenstine 3D. Just goes to show that they can’t handle reality. I have never had a problem with this. I am violent and aggressive sometimes, but I was even as a small child before games. It’s just my nature. I do control myself though, as these children were unable to seem to do.

    • As my name implies, I was born in ’81, and Wolfenstien 3D didn’t come out till ’92 which means I was almost 11 before I started playing shooter games.

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