University of York study suggests no link between video games and violent behavior

An attendee during the fair in Cologne in 2009 plays the PlayStation consoleReuters/ Ina FAssbender

A new study suggests there is no credible evidence to link violent behavior to playing video games. University of York researchers said the theory of people being more violent and aggressive to due video games is not accurate.

The study was conducted with 3,000 participants, and results showed no indication of a possible link between being aggressive after playing video games.

The research was compared to previous studies prior to the topic and other related factors.

According to the research, "The dominant model of learning in games is built on the idea that exposing players to concepts, such as violence in a game, makes those concepts easier to use in 'real life.'" This is known as 'priming' and is thought to lead to changes in behavior."

Dr. David Zendle of the University's Department of Computer Science further explained, "If players are 'primed' through immersing themselves in the concepts of the game, they should be able to categorise the objects associated with this game more quickly in the real world once the game has concluded."

Reaction time, realism, combat games, and other factors were taken into account to expand the study's scope and accuracy. The researchers made it clear that the results concerning children might differ to the possible findings with those of adults. Further research and experiments that are being encouraged to tackle video game theories concerning adults is necessary to determine "whether a different effect is evident in children players."

A horrific incident in Ceres, California might be tackled by researchers. Matthew Nicholson, 28, shot and killed his own mother after an argument involving video games. Nicholson threw a tantrum while playing video games resulting to his late mother Lydia to check on him. The two then started bickering, and in the middle of their dispute, Nicholson broke his video gaming headset. He then pinned it on his mother and proceeded to shot her in the head.