Socio-cognitive aspects associated with collaborative and violent video games*

Abstract

The study aims at researching into the socio-cognitive differences between playing a collaborative video game and a violent video game. Specifically, it is interesting to identify the dissimilarities in the perception of mood, emotional immersion, and altruistic behavior, as well as the motivational factors related to playing video games that allow understanding the variations in these three dimensions. An experiment was carried out with 50 university students, 48 % women and an average age of 20.6 (SD = 1.83). As an analysis procedure, t-tests and hierarchical linear regression were used (stepwise method). Results reveal that playing one game or the other is associated with diverse socio-cognitive responses, especially on the emotional and motivational levels. These findings are relevant to comprehending the daily uses of these technologies. The violent video game was found to favor more positive moods, while the collaborative one induces greater emotional immersion. The psychological need for connection is also associated with the act of playing video games in shared contexts, regardless of the type.