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Literature review
Do Violent Video Games Make Teens More Aggressive?
About 97% of teenagers play video games, and some of the most popular titles are violent. This project looks at what research says about whether these games make adolescents more aggressive.
Literature review
Research poster
🔍 Click to see the full poster
The question
Does access to violent video games during adolescence lead to aggressive behavior?
I examined this question in an individual research paper and worked with five classmates on a research poster presenting evidence from both sides.
Research Approach
01
Literature Review
I selected four peer-reviewed studies that measured violent video game exposure and aggression.
02
Methodology Review
For each study, I looked at the participants, sample size, study design, and how aggression was measured.
03
Evidence Comparison
I compared the findings side by side to see where the studies agreed and where they split.
04
Research Synthesis
I summarized the findings in my research paper and contributed to a group poster that presented both sides of the debate.
What the Research Revealed
Although the four studies addressed similar questions, their findings were mixed.
Ferguson & Colwell (2018)
No significant association
Surveyed 304 UK adolescents ages 11 to 14. Violent video game exposure did not significantly predict bullying or antisocial attitudes.
Survey study
Kühn et al. (2019)
No significant effect
A two-month experiment with adults compared players of GTA V with players of The Sims 3 and found no significant changes in aggression.
Two-month experiment
Gabbiadini et al. (2012)
Association found
A study of 385 Italian high school students linked violent video game exposure with greater moral disengagement, a factor associated with aggressive behavior.
Survey study
Gentile et al. (2004)
Association found
A survey of 607 eighth- and ninth-grade students found an association between violent video game exposure and increased arguments and physical fights.
Survey study
Key Findings
🧩
Violent games may be one factor
Overall, the evidence suggests that violent video games may contribute to aggression in some adolescents, but they are unlikely to be the only cause.
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Other factors matter too
Factors such as family environment and stress may also shape how aggressive a teen becomes.
Reflection & Future Directions
This project taught me to look beyond a study’s conclusion and think critically about how its results were reached. Each of the four studies measured aggression in a different way, with some focusing on moral disengagement and others on real behaviors like physical fights. Comparing them made me realize how much the choice of measure can shape what a study finds, and it is something I now keep in mind whenever I design or evaluate research. Creating the poster with my classmates then gave me practice presenting both sides of the debate in a fair and balanced way.
One finding that stayed with me was that only 13% of parents set limits on their teens’ video game time (Gentile et al., 2004). This suggests that getting parents more involved may be a simple way to reduce potential negative effects.
Future research could explore whether parent involvement actually reduces aggressive behavior and how much a teen’s environment plays a role alongside video games. A longer longitudinal study would also help show whether continued exposure leads to aggression later in life.
Made with love · © 2026 Anusha Barua