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Metaanalysis of the relationship between violent video game play and physical aggression over time
Open accessAbstract
To clarify and quantify the influence of video game violence (VGV) on aggressive behavior, we conducted a metaanalysis of all prospective studies to date that assessed the relation between exposure to VGV and subsequent overt physical aggression. The search strategy identified 24 studies with over 17,000 participants and time lags ranging from 3 months to 4 years. The samples comprised various nationalities and ethnicities with mean ages from 9 to 19 years. For each study we obtained the standardized regression coefficient for the prospective effect of VGV on subsequent aggression, controlling for baseline aggression. VGV was related to aggression using both fixed [β = 0.113, 95% CI = (0.098, 0.128)] and random effects models [β = 0.106 (0.078, 0.134)]. When all available covariates were included, the size of the effect remained significant for both models [β = 0.080 (0.065, 0.094) and β = 0.078 (0.053, 0.102), respectively]. No evidence of publication bias was found. Ethnicity was a statistically significant moderator for the fixed-effects models ( P ≤ 0.011) but not for the random-effects models. Stratified analyses indicated the effect was largest among Whites, intermediate among Asians, and nonsignificant among Hispanics. Discussion focuses on the implications of such findings for current debates regarding the effects of violent video games on physical aggression.
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“Although a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis found a significant relationship between the two, the effect size was small, suggesting that context may moderate the association [14].”
From Health Benefits of Video Games in Adolescents and Young Adults (2026) · cites this paper as [14]
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Retracted
Metadata
- Authors
- Prescott, A. T., Sargent, J. D., & Hull, J. G.
- Affiliations
- Dartmouth College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hull, Jay G.
- ORCID
- Sargent, James D.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2018-10
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 40
- Pages
- 9882-9888
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC6176643
- OpenAlex
- W2893335453
- Cited by
- 303
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 3.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- violent video games, physical aggression, aggression, prospective study, children and adolescents
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aggression, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Models, Psychological, Time Factors, Violence, Video Games
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