SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 11 ― According to a recent UK survey, players of first-person shooter games like Battlefield and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare tend to get angrier than players of Mario Kart, The Sims and even Angry Birds. Fans of the two titles were more inclined to hurl insults, break gaming equipment and indulge in fits of rage. However, people should also be wary of Animal Crossing, whose players aren't always of a sunny, carefree disposition.
In a recent study, which will be of interest to parents worried about all the time children spend playing video games, American psychologists found that fans of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Battlefield and Fifa were more aggressive than those who preferred titles like Candy Crush.
With scores for Grand Theft Auto Online, Minecraft and Fortnite, the ranking was also marked by the surprise inclusion of Animal Crossing. Often presented as an ideal antidote to the recent lockdown, Animal Crossing is not as benevolent and relaxing as it seems. For proof, look no further than the study, which listed the Nintendo social simulation in fourth position in its ranking of games that made players more physically aggressive.
The study surveyed a total of 964 video-game players who were asked to complete the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. On the basis of their answers, psychologists were able to determine which video games generated the most hostile behaviors among gamers, who were then more likely to become angry and engage in verbal and physical aggression.
Another surprising finding was the discovery that certain types of gaming equipment, notably Xbox and Playstation consoles, were associated in the survey with more aggressive players than others.
Although Nintendo users were calmer than their peers who made use of other proprietary platforms, they were nonetheless more likely to physically express anger and frustration than smartphone gamers.
Regardless of the equipment used, gamers were all more likely to engage in hostile and aggressive behavior when they spent more time playing. And this was especially the case among those who devoted 11 to 30 hours per week to gaming.
The ranking of video games that made players the most aggressive:
1 ― Battlefield
2 ― Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
3 ― Fifa
4 ― Animal Crossing
5 ― Grand Theft Auto Online
6 ― Minecraft
7 ― Fortnite
8 ― Super Smash Bros
9 ― Pokémon
10 ― Mario Kart
11 ― The Sims
12 ― Angry Birds
13 ― Candy Crush ― AFP-Relaxnews
