Study: Co-Op Gaming Linked to Less Aggressive Behaviour

Hooray! More studies that prove that video games aren't turning us all into hideous murdering monsters! In your face, Daily Mail! Today's scientific endeavour comes from Ohio State University, which shows a link between playing co-operative games and less aggressive behaviour.

The study had groups of gamers playing titles such as Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament 3 and Halo in co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. They were then asked to play a simple co-operation game in which they could share or keep a number of coins in their possession.

Shared coins doubled in value, meaning greater importance in sharing with others. Those that had participated in co-operative multiplayer were more willing to share their coins with others. Ohio State also used a mixture of different gamers that appeared to be from different state universities - the effect was the same.

Those who took part in competitive multiplayer games, however, initially tried to keep their coins to themselves. The study did not conclude that co-op gameplay had a distinctly positive effect on gamers, or whether competitive multiplayers were negatively impacted. The results, however, suggest that subjecting gamers to violence does not result in detrimental behaviour.

"It’s not the content of the game that matters, it’s how you play the game," said OSU Professor of communication David Ewoldsen on the connection between violence and video games. "It’s a much more complex relationship than that."

Read more on the study on The Lantern.