Game Violence and Moral Distress - The Role of Gaming Experience and Personality-Related Factors

WAGENER, Gary Lee; Melzer, André

doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000428

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Game Violence and Moral Distress - The Role of Gaming Experience and Personality-Related Factors

WAGENER, Gary Lee; Melzer, André

2024 • In Journal of Media Psychology

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

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https://hdl.handle.net/10993/61486

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10.1027/1864-1105/a000428

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Keywords :

media violence; moral distress; Dark Tetrad

Abstract :

[en] Abstract: Inflicting virtual violence on others violates internalized moral norms of social interaction and therefore usually triggers feelings of moral distress. However, people play and enjoy violent media, especially violent video games (VVG) in which they commit violent acts. In two experimental studies, we tested why people enjoy violent media and whether personality-related factors like the Dark Tetrad (i.e., Machiavellianism, everyday sadism, psychopathy, and narcissism) play a role in it. In Study 1 ( N = 313, online experiment), watching a violent video game clip or reading a violent text led to greater moral distress than watching a non-violent video. Although Dark Tetrad, VVG preference, and moral disengagement were all positively associated, none of these factors moderated moral distress. In Study 2 ( N = 69, laboratory experiment), participants either played a violent or a non-violent game version. Again, game violence led to comparably greater moral distress. However, in contrast to Study 1 in which participants only watched violent media, Dark Tetrad now significantly moderated the relationship between condition and moral distress. Participants with low Dark Tetrad expressions experienced significantly greater moral distress in the violent condition. Generally, participants with more gaming experience felt less morally distressed after gameplay than inexperienced participants. The present findings corroborate the moral implications of experiencing media violence and the important role of personality-related factors, thus further illustrating the complexity of mechanisms underlying violent media effects.

Disciplines :

Social & behavioral sciences, psychology: Multidisciplinary, general & others

Author, co-author :

WAGENER, Gary Lee ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (DBCS) > Health and Behaviour

Melzer, André ; Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

External co-authors :

Language :

English

Title :

Game Violence and Moral Distress - The Role of Gaming Experience and Personality-Related Factors

Publication date :

28 June 2024

Journal title :

Journal of Media Psychology

ISSN :

1864-1105

eISSN :

2151-2388

Publisher :

Hogrefe Publishing Group

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/pdf/10.1027/1864-1105/a000428

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since 02 July 2024

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