The gaming industry is flourishing despite assertions that violent video games are negatively and irrevocably changing the social, emotional, and cognitive ability of younger players (Freedman, 2002; Kirsh & Mounts, 2007). Aggressive emotional responses or desensitization to violence have been acknowledged as common, even with infrequent gaming (Freedman, 2002). However, the potentially positive impact of video games on the emotional capacity of players has recently emerged as an alternative perspective. New research suggests that, while video games do affect the emotionality of players, the impact is marked by increased empathic responses, emotional connectivity to the game itself, and a refined sense of self. This paper argues that these positive emotional effects are associated with video games more frequently than the commonly noted negative aspects.
This argument will be made here through three main points. First, the increased empathic response in gamers is a positive outcome associated with increased emotional intelligence among video game players of all ages. Second, the emotional connection fostered between the gamer and the game is beneficial to the development of the industry. Finally, the enhanced capacity for defining a self-identity posited by several studies is particularly pertinent to the younger generations of gamers who are seeking out ways in which to define themselves during adolescence (Jin, 2001). The positive emotional impact of video games on gamers represents a new topic of research that could counter a wide spectrum of negative evidence condemning video games as emotionally damaging (Castillo, 2013).
Evidence indicating that video games impact the emotional capacity of frequent gamers is significant. There is, however, a controversy emerging in more recent literature over whether this effect is positive or negative apparent (Thomas & Levant, 2012; Wilson, 2008). Wilson (2008) argues that games are enhancing the ability of players to acknowledge and interpret emotions in others, not only “in-game,” but in direct, interpersonal contact. Wilson (2008) presents a body of evidence suggesting that screen-based media can promote emotional intelligence in viewers and players, with even young children developing empathic connections with characters, learning about death and other life events, and experiencing cognitive developments related to learning new information and increasing emotional sensitivity.
Wilson (2008) further posits that prosocial behaviors including altruism are promoted by frequent media engagement, with video games positioned to promote these positive outcomes. The author asserts that studies which demonstrate increased aggression among players should be read with caution, as the majority focus on adult participants rather than children. These studies may misconstrue aggression with a fear of victimization, something which younger gamers do not have. Wilson (2008) concludes that, with children, the large majority of emotional effects of screen media, including video games, are positive.
Research targeting the potential for video games to negatively impact the emotional capacity of players tends to focus on games such as Doom and the various versions of Grand Theft Auto, which reward violent criminal behavior (Thomas & Levant, 2012). Long-term exposure to these games is believed to have adverse effects in certain individuals, namely those who were highly neurotic and embodied lower than normal levels of conscientious behaviour. Both Thomas & Levant (2012) and Wilson (2008) argue that video gaming’s impact on the emotional capacity of players can be positive, with negative effects only impacting very select groups; this, in turn, has skewed the evidence, framing video games as universally harmful.
Bowen (2014), Jansz (2005), and Jin (2011) suggest that role-playing games, in particular, help gamers forge a genuine emotional connection with other players in the game, or with the experiences of their avatars. This aligns with Wilson’s (2008) study highlighting the ability of players to empathize with characters through various media. All three of these studies hold that the emotional connection within certain games and among certain populations of gamers is real and significant, thereby positioning games to positively impact the emotional capacity of the player. This is not limited to aggression or violence but extends to a variety of emotions, including sadness and joy (Bowen, 2014).
Research has highlighted ways that games can positively impact emotional growth in younger populations (Jin, 2011). This is particularly pertinent given the assertion by Wilson (2008) that the large majority of research condemning video games’ impact on the emotional capacity of individuals focuses on adult participants and is wrongfully generalised to include younger participant groups. Jin (2011) argues that certain video games, in particular role-playing games which are highly interactive, such as World of Warcraft, create conditions through which prosocial emotional connections are developed and supported.
Wilson (2008) and Jin (2011) agree that video games are able to support the emotional capacity of players, with the latter author focusing on the effects of an avatar’s link to the ideal self on the emotional connection of the player. The context for the study was defined as a violent role-playing game, with Jin (2011) concluding the following:
This study indicates that playing violent games increased people’s propensity toward prosocial behaviors…. Research shows that empathy correlates with a wide range of prosocial behaviors, including volunteering, charitable giving, blood donation, and informal assistance to individuals. Examination of the relationship between empathy with the in-game characters and in-game prosocial behaviors, such as willingness to help those characters, would be an interesting topic for follow-up studies. (p. 1181)
Jin (2011) believes that his study was a pivotal one for the gaming industry, as managers can seek to rightfully capitalise upon the avatars’ identities in order to promote prosocial behaviour.
These arguments asserting the positive impact of video games – even violent video games – stand in opposition to a wide range of literature. This literature generally promotes one of two principal conclusions: that video games damage the emotional capacity of players through desensitization or by rendering the player more aggressive and violent (Freedman, 2002). Freedman (2002) reviewed over 200 studies, all of which concluded that video games have a negative impact on the player and showed a strong positive correlation with increased violence and aggression. The author observed, however, that few of these studies are particularly convincing, concluding that “we have considerable justification for rejecting the hypotheses [that media violence causes aggression or desensitizes children to pain and suffering]” (Freedman, 2002, p.). Wilson (2008) also stresses that the argument that video games cause aggression appears to be false with respect to most populations, finding that the research demonstrating a link between violent media and aggressive behaviour has focused on narrow groups of participants with potentially questionable psychological history.
This paper concludes that the emotional capacity of gamers is not only enhanced through certain types of gaming, but that it is marked by prosocial behaviours such as empathy and altruism. The literature shows that the existing evidence for video games’ promotion of aggressive behaviour and emotional insensitivity is questionable. For one, the empirical evidence suggesting that video games negatively affect the emotional capacity of players may be over generalized to include populations which are significantly younger than those who were included in the study’s participant pool (Wilson, 2008). Additionally, the literature indicates that certain participants in these studied may have been highly neurotic or embodied abnormal psychological behaviour prior to their involvement (Freedman, 2002). Based on the research presented here, games are positioned to positively impact the emotional capacity of the gamer, given the right conditions. The future of gaming research rests on the ability of researchers to empirically examine the relationship between interpersonal human emotions and the media itself.
