International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Does Violent Video Games Exposure Reduce Aggression? The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem

Open access
Media video games have become an integral part of people’s daily life. While previous studies have reported the detrimental outcomes of negative game factors, the impact of exposure to violent video games remains unclear. This study examined the effects of self-esteem in moderating the relationship between violent video games exposure and aggressive behavior. Data from 384 local online gamers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, were sampled using purposive and snowball sampling techniques and were analysed using SEM-PLS. The results demonstrate that self-esteem significantly moderates the relationship between violent video game exposure and aggressive behavior. This finding suggests that individuals with higher self-esteem may exhibit a weaker association between exposure to violent video games and subsequent aggressive behavior. These results shed light on the complex dynamics between game exposure, individual traits, and aggressive tendencies. Considering the questions raised by moderating analysis, future studies could investigate the impact of game factors in violent video games on aggressive behavior with a larger sample size.

Abdull Nasser, N. M., Mohamad, M., Chan, L. F., Suppiah, S., Yusoff, A. N., Abd Hamid, A. I., Wan Ismail, W. S., & Sim, S. T. (2021). The Task-Based fMRI Study on Neural Activity of Internet Gaming Addiction Among Malaysian Adolescents: A Stroop Color Task. Neurology Asia, 26(3).
Alrobai, A., McAlaney, J., Dogan, H., Phalp, K., & Ali, R. (2016). Exploring the requirements and design of persuasive intervention technology to combat digital addiction. In Human-Centered and Error-Resilient Systems Development (pp. 130-150). Springer, Cham.
A. Perrin and M. Duggan, “Americans’ Internet access: 2000- 2015,” Pew Res. Cent., no. June, pp. 1–13, 2015.
Aziz, N., Iida, H., Ariffin, M., Akhir, E. A. P., & Sugathan, S. K. (2018). Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) impact towards Malaysian youth’s time management, social life and psychology. Advanced Science Letters, 24(3), 1754-1757.
Aziz, N., Nordin, M. J., Abdulkadir, S. J., & Salih, M. M. M. (2021). Digital Addiction: Systematic Review of Computer Game Addiction Impact on Adolescent Physical Health. Electronics, 10(996), 1-18.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1986(23-28).\
Burnay, J., Kepes, S., & Bushman, B. J. (2022). Effects of violent and nonviolent sexualized media on aggression?related thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors: A meta?analytic review. Aggressive behavior, 48(1), 111-136.
Cabras, C., Cubadda, M. L., & Sechi, C. (2019). Relationships among violent and non-violent video games, anxiety, self-esteem, and aggression in female and male gamers. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS), 11(3), 15-37.
Chua, A. F., Kwan, J. H. T., & Raksshana, S. (2019). Aggression and self-esteem on cyberbullying among undergraduates in Malaysia (Doctoral dissertation, UTAR).
Coyne, S. M., Warburton, W., Swit, C., Stockdale, L., & Dyer, W. J. (2023). Who is most at risk for developing physical aggression after playing violent video games? An individual differences perspective from early adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of youth and adolescence, 52(4), 719-733.
Den Hamer, A. H., Konijn, E. A., Plaisier, X. S., Keijer, M. G., Krabbendam, L. C., & Bushman, B. J. (2017). The content-based media exposure scale (C-ME): Development and validation. Computers in human behavior, 72, 549-557.
Haris, A. R., Harib, S. S., & Hussin, N. (2017). Information Security Challenges: A Malaysian Context. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(9), 2222-6990.
Hainuddin, M. F. F., Sohaimi, M. S., Adnan, N. A. I. M., Hasim, N., & Salam, S. N. A. (2023). On Game Addiction Among Studenat Public University in Malaysia. International Journal of Advanced Public Health, 4(3).
Ismail, N., Tajjudin, A. I., Jaafar, H.,Nik Jaafar, N.R., Baharudin, A., & Ibrahim, N.(2021). The Relationship Between Internet Addiction, Internet Gaming and Anxiety Among Medical Students in A Malaysian Public University During Covid-19Pandemic. Inter
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610.
Lacko, D., Dufkova, E., & Machackova, H. (2022). The Short-Term Effects of Violent Video Game Streaming on State Aggression in Adolescents: The Role of Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Commentary by Streamers.
Lee, Z. W., Cheung, C. M., & Chan, T. K. (2021). Understanding Massively Multiplayer Online Role?Playing Game Addiction: A Hedonic Management Perspective.Information Systems Journal, 31(1), 33-61.
Liao, W. (2019). Put your smartphone down: Preliminary evidence that reducing smartphone use improves psychological well-being in people with poor mental health [Unpublished master thesis]. University of Otago.
Lokithasan, K., Chua, A. F., Joanna, K. H. T., Subramanian, R., Zaman, W. K., & Krishnan, S. (2020). The Correlation between Aggression, Self-esteem and Cyberbullying among Undergraduates in Malaysia: Hubungan Antara Agresi, Harga-diri dan Perbuatan Buli Siber dalam Kalangan Pelajar Sarjana Muda di Malaysia. Sains Insani, 5(1), 205-211.
Marzo, R. R., Ahmad, A., Bhattacharya, S., Mun, F. Y., Rahman, J.A., Anwar Batcha, S.,Rajiswaran, S. & Hon, L. C. (2019). Effects Of Playing Violent Video Games on Teenagers’ Behavior–An Experience From Malaysia, Indian Journal of Community Health, 31(2),179-184.
Raine, A., Dodge, K., Loeber, R., Gatzke?Kopp, L., Lynam, D., Reynolds, C., Stouthamer- Loeber,M. & Liu, J. (2006). The Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire: Differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32(2), 159-171.
Skobkareva, A. (2020). Aggression in Dark Personalities: The Role of Self-Esteem (Doctoral dissertation, University of Windsor (Canada).
T’ng, S. T., Ho, K. H., & Pau, K. (2022). Need Frustration, Gaming Motives, And Internet Gaming Disorder in Mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (Moba) Games: Through the Lens Of Self-Determination Theory. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-21.
Yunus, M. Y. H., Yusoff, N. H., & Ng, C. Y. (2021). Factors Influencing the Involvement of Malaysian Youths In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGS). Journal Of Techno-Social, 13(1), 59-67.
Zhong, Z. J. (2011). The effects of collective MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) play on gamers’ online and offline social capital. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(6), 2352–2363.