Interactive software and its effects on hostility

The researcher will be exploring the relationship between violence in video games and the emotional responses to them. The goal of the study is to confirm the previous body of research that a short term increase in aggression and hostility exists after a violent video game is played. The study will also expand on the current existing body of data by examining other variables such as gender, age, typical time spent in a week playing videogames, overall familiarity with video games, the game genre that is normally played, and what consoles and systems are typically used to be played on. This data will be collected to see if they too have any significant effect on emotional responses. As interactive media increasingly becomes integrated into our day-to-day activities, data on how they may affect aggression and hostility become progressively more crucial. This is especially true at present as video games come under fire from current state legislation