Adults Who Play Violent Video Games and Their Normative Beliefs About Aggression

Evidence regarding the relationship between playing violent video games and subsequent aggression has been mixed. This study further examined the relationship between normative beliefs about the acceptability of both physical and verbal aggression and playing violent video games. A total of 87 participants (27 males and 60 females), ranging in age from 19 to 49, completed three online surveys regarding video game use, amount of exposure to violent video games, and normative beliefs about aggression. Unlike past research, the present study did not find a relationship between exposure to . violent video games and subsequent beliefs regarding the acceptability of aggression. It was found that males and females do not significantly differ in their beliefs about the acceptability of aggression. Some limitations of the present research are discussed such as limited generalizeability due to sample constraints