Effects of playing a violent video game as male versus female avatar on subsequent aggression in male and female players

Suppression of TGFβR-Smad3 pathway alleviates the syrinx induced by syringomyelia

BACKGROUND

Syringomyelia is a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disorder resulted in separation of pain and temperature, dilation of central canal and formation of syrinx in central canal. It is unclear about mechanisms of the dilation and syrinx formation. We aimed to investigate roles of ependymal cells lining central canal on the dilation, trying to reduce syrinx formation in central canal.

METHODS

We employed 78 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats totally with syringomyelia to detect the contribution of ependymal cells to the dilation of central canal. Immunofluorescence was used to examine the activation of ependymal cells in 54 syringomyelia rat models. BrdU was used to indicate the proliferation of ependymal cells through intraperitoneal administration in 6 syringomyelia rat models. 18 rats with syringomyelia were injected with SIS3, an inhibitor of TGFβR-Smad3, and rats injected with DMSO  were used as control. Among the 18 rats, 12 rats were used for observation of syrinx following SIS3 or DMSO administration by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on day 14 and day 30 under syringomyelia without decompression. All the data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (mean ± SD). Differences between groups were compared using the two-tailed Student's t-test or ANOVA. Differences were considered significant when *p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Our study showed the dilation and protrusions of central canal on day 5 and enlargement from day 14 after syringomyelia induction in rats with activation of ependymal cells lining central canal. Moreover, the ependymal cells contributed to protrusion formation possibly through migration along with central canal. Furthermore, suppression of TGFβR-Smad3 which was crucial for migration reversed the size of syrnix in central canal without treatment of decompression, suggesting TGFβR-Smad3 signal might be key for dilation of central canal and formation of syrinx.

CONCLUSIONS

The size of syrinx was decreased after SIS3 administration without decompression. Our study depicted the mechanisms of syrinx formation and suggested TGFβR-Smad3 signal might be key for dilation of central canal and formation of syrinx.

Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Cognition and Aggressive Behavior

In this study, we examined how playing a violent video game affected aggressive cognition and aggressive behavior. A total of 300 children (M_age = 6.38, SD = 0.25) were randomly recruited to play a violent or a nonviolent video game. Results revealed that briefly exposing children to a violent video game increased aggressive cognition and aggressive behavior. In addition, a significant game × sex interaction showed that this effect was larger for boys than for girls. Mediational pathways were found such that aggressive cognition mediated the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior, especially for boys. Findings were interpreted within and supported the framework of the general aggression model. Violent video game effects remain a societal concern, and boys should be regarded as a special group for aggression intervention.

The Relation of Violent Video Games to Adolescent Aggression: An Examination of Moderated Mediation Effect

To assess the moderated mediation effect of normative beliefs about aggression and family environment on exposure to violent video games and adolescent aggression, the subjects self-reported their exposure to violent video games, family environment, normative beliefs about aggression, and aggressive behavior. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between exposure to violent video games and adolescent aggression; normative beliefs about aggression had a mediation effect on exposure to violent video games and adolescent aggression, while family environment moderated the first part of the mediation process. For individuals with a good family environment, exposure to violent video games had only a direct effect on aggression; however, for those with poor family environment, it had both direct and indirect effects mediated by normative beliefs about aggression. This moderated mediation model includes some notions of General Aggression Model (GAM) and Catalyst Model (CM), which helps shed light on the complex mechanism of violent video games influencing adolescent aggression.

Female Gaming, Gaming Addiction, and the Role of Women Within Gaming Culture: A Narrative Literature Review

Research investigating female gaming has begun to emerge despite gaming being traditionally more popular with males. Research in the 21st century has drawn attention to the role of women in culture, society, and technology, and female gaming is one of the growing phenomena not to have been researched in depth. The aim of the present paper was to review female gaming (i.e., the role of females within video game culture) and identify any associated psychopathological symptomatology. The review adapted the Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research (SPIDER) model in conducting a narrative literature review. A search of three scientific electronic databases yielded 49 papers for further evaluation. From a methodological perspective, studies had to fulfill the following criteria to be included: i) published between the years 2000 and 2018; ii) assessed female gaming or the female position within gaming culture, iii) contained quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches to produce empirical data or discuss theoretical implications through reviews, iv) be retrievable as a full-text peer-reviewed journal paper, and v) published in English, German, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, or French. Four categories emerged from the papers: i) the benefits of female gaming, ii) why women might play video games less than men, iii) perceptions and realities of female characters within video games, and iv) women's position in gaming culture. The main findings showed playing video games has benefits for women in terms of enhancing cognitive, social, and physical abilities. However, they are less encouraged to play video games due to negative expectations based on gender and/or experiences during game play. Video games are associated with stereotypical male characteristics, such as being overly aggressive, and frequently contain sexualized content. Female gamers appear to require coping strategies to handle online harassment. Females look for different things in video games, which are not often included in game designs thereby limiting their abilities. For instance, female avatar representation-which is exaggerated and hypersexualized-can prompt social comparisons and lead to feelings of decreased self-esteem, depression, and other impacts on well-being. Overall, there are still obstacles for women playing video games even though they comprise half of the gaming population.

Acting like a Tough Guy: Violent-Sexist Video Games, Identification with Game Characters, Masculine Beliefs, & Empathy for Female Violence Victims

Empathy—putting oneself in another’s shoes—has been described as the “social glue” that holds society together. This study investigates how exposure to sexist video games can decrease empathy for female violence victims. We hypothesized that playing violent-sexist video games would increase endorsement of masculine beliefs, especially among participants who highly identify with dominant and aggressive male game characters. We also hypothesized that the endorsement of masculine beliefs would reduce empathy toward female violence victims. Participants (N = 154) were randomly assigned to play a violent-sexist game, a violent-only game, or a non-violent game. After gameplay, measures of identification with the game character, traditional masculine beliefs, and empathy for female violence victims were assessed. We found that participants’ gender and their identification with the violent male video game character moderated the effects of the exposure to sexist-violent video games on masculine beliefs. Our results supported the prediction that playing violent-sexist video games increases masculine beliefs, which occurred for male (but not female) participants who were highly identified with the game character. Masculine beliefs, in turn, negatively predicted empathic feelings for female violence victims. Overall, our study shows who is most affected by the exposure to sexist-violent video games, and why the effects occur. (200 words)