Children’s Exposure to Violent Video Games and Desensitization to Violence

Abstract. Entertainment computing is central to the leisure activities of many Americans, with a remarkable array of choices now available to the average person. Video and computer games, in particular violent games, are especially popular, even with relatively young children. With this popularity, concern has been raised about possible unintended consequences of participation in interactive violence. Desensitization to violence has been cited as one possible undesirable outcome of video game violence, but there is little evidence for this relationship. This paper presents a conceptual model and supporting data to begin the examination of possible relationships between exposure to violent video games and desensitization. Examining correlates of desensitization including empathy and attitudes towards violence, surveys of children and adolescents have identified a relationship between greater exposure to violent video games, lower empathy, and stronger proviolence attitudes. Additional research is needed to substantiate and to understand the causal implications of these results