By Sean Coughlan, BBC News
In-depth research into the behaviour of about 100 13- and 14-year-olds found over-exposure to violent games weakened empathy for others.
More than half of teenagers in the study played a computer game every day. Photo from BBC News.
More than half were found to play video games every single day, with violent games the most common.
Researchers warned of adolescents losing a sense of “right and wrong”.
Brock University academics studied the behaviour of pupils at seven schools in Ontario, trying to understand the relationship between the type of video games played, the length of time spent playing and how it might affect their attitudes.
Lack of empathy
The study found that playing video games was highly prevalent among this age group, usually between one and three hours a day – and playing violent games was very common.
“Violent” games were defined as those where players acted out the killing, maiming, decapitating or mutilating of other human characters.
Such was the widespread nature of violent video games that researcher Mirjana Bajovic said it might be unrealistic for parents to try to prevent their teenage children from seeing them.
Read the full article by Sean Coughlan from BBC News.
