A new study released by mental health organization Take This claims that people who identify as gamers are more likely to be racist and sexist. The impact of video games on mental health has long been the subject of debate and study. Oftentimes the focus is onwhether video games cause violence or not, but a new study is focused on whether association with gaming culture is an indicator that one may exhibit racist, misogynistic, or other extreme traits.
The study focused on gamers who played two games specifically: Activision’s blockbusterCall of Dutyfirst-person shooter franchise and Mojang’s wildly popularMinecraft. The researchers chose these games becauseCall of Dutyis a competitive gamethat is known to have a toxic community, whereasMinecraftis a game that is designed to be cooperative in nature and supports more positive social interactions. 338Minecraftgamers and 327Call of Dutygamers participated in the study.
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Gamers who confirmed that they playedCall of DutyorMinecraftat least a few hours per week were given surveys to complete. Their answers to the surveys found that “fusion with gamer culture” was linked to sexism, racism, and aggressive behavior in participants. It also found that these traits could be found more in those who identified as gamers regardless of what game they played and if they held right-wing or white nationalist political beliefs. Loneliness was also found to be a predictor for toxic traits in gaming culture, regardless of one’s political affiliation.
As far as the games themselves go, the study found the toxic traits were more prevalent inCall of Dutyplayers thanMinecraftplayers. The study also noted some positive outcomes from being involved in gaming culture, like online bonding and relatedness forMinecraftplayers, and online bonding forCall of Dutyplayers. The study concluded, “Apparently, although players in different gaming communities have similar levels of anti-social and pro-social sentiments, fusion with gaming culture is associated social toxicity and social positivity differently depending on the gaming environment.” Ultimately, the study found that those who played the more violent and competitive game,Call of Duty, “displayed a stronger relationship between fusion with gaming culture and antisocial outcomes” compared to those who playedMinecraft, which is significantly less violent and competitive.
The study notes several limitations that it had, like the fact that only Americans were used in the research. The researchers recommend that future studies compare games that have different levels of violence but are known to have similar levels of toxicity in their community, usingHalo InfiniteandFIFAas examples. They also think it would be worth looking into gaming culture beyond actual video game communities, pointing to “game adjacent spaces” like Discord and Twitch.
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