The effect of the amount of blood in a violent video game on aggression, hostility, and arousal

Abstract

The current study utilized the General Aggression Model, with an emphasis on aggression-related priming, to explore the different effects on hostility, physiological arousal, and state aggression in those who played a violent video game (Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance) with differing levels of blood (maximum, medium, low, and off). Simple effects analyses showed that those in the maximum blood and medium blood conditions had a significant increase in hostility and physiological arousal, while those in the low blood and no blood conditions did not have such an increase in arousal and hostility. Further analyses indicated that those in the maximum and medium blood conditions used the character's weapon significantly more often than those in the low and blood absent conditions. Implications and future research are discussed. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.