TY - JOUR PY - 2010// TI - Just a Game? Unjustified Virtual Violence Produces Guilt in Empathetic Players JO - Media psychology A1 - Hartmann, Thomas A1 - Toz, Erhan A1 - Brandon, Marvin SP - 339 EP - 363 VL - 13 IS - 4 N2 - Many avid gamers discount violent conduct in video games as morally insignificant as ?it is just a game.? However, recent debates among users, regarding video games featuring inappropriate forms of virtual violence, suggest a more complex truth. Two experiments (N1 = 49, N2 = 80) examined users' guilt responses in order to explore the moral significance of virtual violence. In both studies, justification of virtual violence and users' trait empathy determined guilt in a structurally similar way to real-world scenarios: People felt guiltier if they engaged in unjustified virtual violence, especially if they were empathetic players. These results show that video games are capable of inducing affective moral responses in users. Accordingly, virtual violence may be considered morally significant action. Many avid gamers discount violent conduct in video games as morally insignificant as ?it is just a game.? However, recent debates among users, regarding video games featuring inappropriate forms of virtual violence, suggest a more complex truth. Two experiments (N1 = 49, N2 = 80) examined users' guilt responses in order to explore the moral significance of virtual violence. In both studies, justification of virtual violence and users' trait empathy determined guilt in a structurally similar way to real-world scenarios: People felt guiltier if they engaged in unjustified virtual violence, especially if they were empathetic players. These results show that video games are capable of inducing affective moral responses in users. Accordingly, virtual violence may be considered morally significant action.

LA - SN - 1521-3269 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2010.524912 ID - ref1 ER -