Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x24gv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-05T10:02:37.330Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Relationship of Computer Games and Reported Anger in Young People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2012

Mukaddes Demirok ,
Fezile Ozdamli ,
Cigdem Hursen ,
Zehra Ozcinar ,
Muge Kutguner  and
Huseyin Uzunboylu
Mukaddes Demirok
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Near East University, North Cyprus
Fezile Ozdamli
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Near East University, North Cyprus
Cigdem Hursen
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Near East University, North Cyprus
Zehra Ozcinar
Affiliation:
Atatürk Teacher Academy, North Cyprus
Muge Kutguner
Affiliation:
Near East College, North Cyprus
Huseyin Uzunboylu*
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Near East University, North Cyprus
*
address for correspondence: Assoc. Prof. Dr Hüseyin Uzunboylu, Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Near East University, North Cyprus, via Mersin 10, Turkey. Email: huzunboylu@neu.edu.tr
Get access

Abstract

Playing computer games is a routine activity for most young people today. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of time spent playing computer games, the violence of the game, and self-reported anger of students in North Cyprus. Four hundred participants between the ages of 15–18 completed the State-Trait Anger and the Anger Expression questionnaire, together with a section on gaming. The results showed that most (43%) students played computer games 3–4 days a week, with many (31.5%) playing every day. It was found that students who played computer games for 2–3 hours a day scored higher on expressed anger than those who played for less than half an hour a day. Those young people who preferred to play action, adventure, fight and strategy games were found to have reported higher levels of anger than those who played other types of computer games. The implications for guidance counsellors, parents and teachers are discussed.

Keywords

aggressionstudentcomputer gamesanger
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , June 2012 , pp. 33 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adachi, J.C.P., & Willoughby, T. (2011). The effect of violent video games on aggression: Is it more than just the violence? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, C.A., & Dill, K.E. (2000). Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior in the laboratory and in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 772–290.Google Scholar
Anderson, C.A., Gentile, D.A., & Buckley, K.E. (2007). Violent video game effects. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Anderson, C.A., Sakamoto, , Gentile, A., Ihori, D.A., Shibuya, N., Naito, S.Y., Kobayashi, M., , K. (2008). Longitudinal effects of violent video games on aggression in Japan and the United States. Pediatrics, 122, 1067–1072.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, C., & Bushman, B. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behaviour. Psychological Science, 12, 353–359.Google Scholar
Carnagey, L.N., Anderson, A.C., & Bushman, J.B. (2007). The efect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 489–496.Google Scholar
Chou, C., & Tsai, M. J. (2007). Gender differences in Taiwan high school students’ computer game playing. Computers in Human Behavior, 23 (1), 812–824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coie, J.D., & Dodge, K.A. (1998). Aggression and antisocial behavior. In Damon, W. & Eisenberg, N. (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (5th ed., pp. 779–862) New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Colwell, J. (2007). Needs met through computer game play among adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 2072–2082.Google Scholar
Çoklar, A., & Bagci, H. (2010). What are the roles of prospective teachers on the educational technology use? A metaphor study. World Journal on Educational Technology, 2, 186–195.Google Scholar
Dill, K.E., Gentile, D.A., Richter, W.A., & Dill, J.C. (2005). Violence, sex, race and age in popular video games: A content analysis. In Cole, E. & Daniel, J.H. (Eds.), Featuring females: Feminist analyses of the media (pp. 115–130). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Ferguson, C., Colwell, J., Mlacic, B., Milas, G., & Mikousic, I. (2011). Personality and media influences on violence and depression in a cross-national sample of young adults: Data from Mexican–Americans, English and Croatians. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1195–1200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischer, P., Kastenmüller, A., & Greitemeyer, T. (2010). Media violence and the self: The impact of personalized gaming characters in aggressive video games on aggressive behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 192–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraenkel, R.J., & Wallen, E.N. (2006). How to design and evaluate research in education. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Fromme, J. (2003). Computer games as a part of children's culture. The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 3 (1). Retrieved from http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/fromme/Google Scholar
Gentile, D.A., Lynch, P.J., Linder, J.R., & Walsh, D.A. (2004a). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5–22.Google Scholar
Gentile, D.A., Oberg, C., Sherwood, N.E., Story, M., Walsh, D.A., & Hogan, M. (2004b). Well-child visits in the video age: Pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Guidelines for Children's Media Use. Pediatrics, 114, 1235–1241.Google Scholar
Gharaghania, Z., Rasekha, A.E., Dabaghia, A., & Tohidian, I. (2011). Effect of gender on politeness strategies in greetings of native speakers of Persian, English and EFL learners. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 3, 93–117.Google Scholar
Griffiths, M. (1999). Violent video games and aggression: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 4 (2), 203–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huesmann, L.R. (1988). An information processing model for the development of aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 14 (1), 13–24.Google Scholar
Hursen, Ç., Ozcinar, Z., Özdamlı, F., & Uzunboylu, H. (2010). The communicative competences of students and teachers in different levels of education in North Cyprus. Asia Pacific Education Review, 12 (1), 59–66.Google Scholar
Inal, Y., & Kiraz, E. (2008). Do computer games consist ideology? Journal of Turkish Educational Sciences, 6, 523–544.Google Scholar
Inal, Y., & Cagiltay, K. (2007). The factors that affect the game play habits and preferences of primary school students. Retrieved from http://simge.metu.edu.tr/conferences/TBD04-ElektronikOyunlar.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ivory, J.D., & Kalyanaraman, S. (2007). The effects of technological advancement and violent content in video games on players’ feelings of presence, involvement, physiological arousal, and aggression. Journal of Communication, 57 (3), 532–555.Google Scholar
Kandell, J.J. (1998). Internet addiction on campus: The vulnerability of college students. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 2 (5), 425–430.Google Scholar
Kelleci, M. (2008). The effects of internet use, cell phones and computer games on mental health of children and adolescents. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 7 (3), 253–256.Google Scholar
Keser, H., Ozdamli, F., Bicen, H., & Demirok, S.M. (2010). A descriptive study of high school students’ game-playing characteristics. International Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2 (2)25–33.Google Scholar
Khine, S.M., & Saleh, M.I. (2008–2009). Game play habits among middle school students: A descriptive study. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 37 (4), 431–440.Google Scholar
Kim, J. (2008). The effect of a R/T group counselling program on the internet addiction level and self-esteem of internet addiction university students. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 27 (2), 4–12.Google Scholar
Krcmar, M., Farrar, K., & McGloin, R. (2011). The effects of video game realism on attention, retention and aggressive outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 27 (1), 432–439.Google Scholar
Olson, C. (2010). Children's motivations for video game play in the context of normal development. Review of General Psychology, 14 (2), 180–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olson, K.C., Kunter, A.L., Baer, L., Beresin, V.E., Warner, E.D., & Nicholi, M.A. (2009). M-rated video games and aggressive or problem behavior among young adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 13 (4), 188–198.Google Scholar
Olson, K.C., Kutner, A.K., Warner, E.D., Almerigi, B.J., Baer, L., Nicholi, M.A., & Beresin, V.E. (2007). Factors correlated with violent video game use by adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 77–83.Google Scholar
Ott, M., & Tavella, M. (2010). Motivation and engagement in computer-based learning tasks: Investigating key contributing factors. World Journal on Educational Technology, 2 (1), 1–15.Google Scholar
Ozcan, D. (2011). Evaluation of 4th and 5th classes teachers’ competence perceptions towards lifelong learning. International Journal of Learning and Teaching. 3 (1), 1–9.Google Scholar
Ozdamli, F., Bicen, H., & Demirok, M. (2010). A descriptive study of high school students’ game-playing characteristics. International Journal of Learning and Teaching, 2 (2), 12–20.Google Scholar
Özer, A.K. (1994). Trait anger and anger expression scales, Turkish Journal of Psychology, 31, 26–35.Google Scholar
Öztürk, D. (2007). The evaluation of the effects of computer games on children's cognitive and emotional development (Unpublished master thesis). Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey.Google Scholar
Pieri, M., & Diamantini, D. (2010). Teachers of life and ICT. World Journal on Educational Technology, 2 (3), 158–168.Google Scholar
Quaiser-Pohl, C., Geiser, C., & Lehmann, W. (2006). The relationship between computer-game preference, gender, and mental rotation ability. Personality and Individual Differences, 40, 609–619.Google Scholar
Russoniello, V.C., Biren, K., & Parks, M.J. (2009). The effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress. Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation, 2 (1), 53–66.Google Scholar
Sahin, M., & Sarı, S. (2011). Observation of peer bullying in Turkish primary schools according to different variables. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 5 (4), 258–270.Google Scholar
Sekaran, U. (2002) Research methods for business: A skill building approach. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Sestir, A.M., & Bartholow, D.B. (2010). Violent and nonviolent video games produce opposing effects on aggressive and prosocial outcomes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 934–942.Google Scholar
Sherry, J.L. (2007). Violent video games and aggression: Why can't we find effects? In Preiss, R.W., Gayle, B.M., Burrell, N., Allen, M., & Bryant, J. (Eds.), Mass media effects research: Advances through meta-analysis (pp. 245–262). Mahwah, NJ: Lawerence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Sherry, J., Holmstrom, A., Binns, R., Greenberg, B., & Lachlan, K. (2003, November). Gender differences in video game use and preferences. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Miami, FL.Google Scholar
Spielberger, C.D., Jacobs, G.H., Russell, S.F., & Crane, R.S. (1983). Assessment of anger: The State-Trait Anger-Scale. In Butcher, J.N. & Spielberger, C.D. (Eds.), Advances in personality assessment (Vol. 2. pp. 159–187). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Subrahmanyam, K., & Greenfield, P.M. (1994). Effect of video game practice on spatial skills in girls and boys. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 15, 13–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tahiroğlu, Y.A., Celik, G.G., Uzel, M., Ozcan, N., & Avci, A. (2008). Internet use among Turkish adolescents. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 11 (5), 537–543.Google Scholar
Tuncay, N., & Uzunboylu, H. (2011). ‘Faces’ are better than ‘monitors’. International Journal of Learning and Teaching, 3 (1), 10–22.Google Scholar
Tuncay, N., & Uzunboylu, H. (2011). Walking in two worlds: From e-learning paradise to technologically locked-in. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 5 (4), 271–281.Google Scholar
Uzunboylu, H., & Ozdamli, F. (2011). Teacher perception for m-learning: Scale development and teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27, 544–556. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00415.xGoogle Scholar
Villani, V.S., Olson, C.K., & Jellinek, M.S. (2005). Media literacy for clinicians and parents. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14, 523–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed