Report: Violent video games alter brain function, make it more aggressive

Researchers are claiming that playing violent video games, even for just a week, can alter the brain and make players more aggressive.

A new study has revealed that key areas in the brain suffer reduced activity and are left physically altered.

Scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis performed MRI scans on a group of 22 men aged 18-29. The group was then divided in half, and one group was instructed to play violent video games for at least 10 hours a week while the second group played none.

According to the Sunday Times, the researchers found that the effects on the brain were discovered in the left inferior frontal lobe and the anterior cingulate cortex.

The results indicate that the violent game content causes the brain to alter to accommodate demands put on it. However they found that when gamers stopped playing, their brains returned to normal.

“This investigation provides the first longitudial, experimental investigation of video game play on brain activity,” the Daily Mail quoted an abstract of the research report as saying.

Previously, another study was performed by Texas A&M University, which monitored 165 young people over three years to evaluate the effects of video games on anti-social behaviour.

They concluded that there was no connection between the player’s behaviour and the games.