Video Games and Aggression: Foreign Studies Review

Background. Information technologies are developing intensively now. Problems related to their impact on human mental development are becoming relevant. The researchers are interested in one of the particular issues that is the interrelation between video games and aggression. Additionally, the researchers admit the inconsistency of the obtained results and the need for more comprehensive consideration of the problem.

Objective. To determine the specificities of the problem elaboration related to the interrelation between interest in video games and aggressive tendencies in the context of the topics it is reflected in.

Methods. This review is based on the material of the articles indexed in Scopus. Data were collected and analyzed using the data analysis tools from online platforms Scopus and SciVal.

Results. A general characterization of the articles, that are consistent with the link between interest in video games and aggression, is presented. The following topics were identified as those that represent this link in the most detail: «Media Violence; Video Games; Aggression», «Internet Use; Addiction; Gaming», «Online Games; Avatar; Gaming», «Cyberbullying; Crime Victims; Participant Roles», «Portrayal; Stereotypy; Media Representations». A detailed analysis of the articles, that reflect the considered issue in the context of these topics, is presented.

Conclusion. The researchers discuss the issues of more detailed elaboration of the interrelation between interest in video games and aggression. In particular they pay attention to the variables choice and control. Additionally, they conduct a critical analysis of existing concepts of aggression relatively to the considered issue and the possibility of using them. It is mentioned that the empirical data concerning aspects of video game use are generally collected on the basis of respondents' self-reports; their behavior and activities are rarely examined. Trends concerning the study of aggression in real and virtual environments (in particular, bullying and cyberbullying), racial and gender stereotypes, and aggressive tendencies related to gaming disorder are revealed.

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