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Effect of Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games on Shooting Accuracy

The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
 
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03445156
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : February 26, 2018
Results First Posted : August 5, 2019
Last Update Posted : August 5, 2019
Sponsor:
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Brad Bushman, Ohio State University

Tracking Information
First Submitted Date  ICMJE February 20, 2018
First Posted Date  ICMJE February 26, 2018
Results First Submitted Date  ICMJE August 11, 2018
Results First Posted Date  ICMJE August 5, 2019
Last Update Posted Date August 5, 2019
Actual Study Start Date  ICMJE February 1, 2016
Actual Primary Completion Date April 25, 2016   (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Current Primary Outcome Measures  ICMJE
 (submitted: June 25, 2019)
  • Hits to Head and Face [ Time Frame: Up to one hour ]
    In the Pilot Study, we counted hits to the head and face for targets within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted hits to the head and face of the mannequin.
  • Other Hits [ Time Frame: Up to one hour ]
    In the Pilot Study, we counted other hits to targets (i.e. not to a face) within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted other hits to the mannequin (i.e., torso instead of the head).
Original Primary Outcome Measures  ICMJE
 (submitted: February 20, 2018)
  • Hits to head and face [ Time Frame: Up to one hour ]
    In the Pilot Study, we counted hits to the head and face for targets within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted hits to the head and face of the mannequin.
  • Other hits [ Time Frame: Up to one hour ]
    In the Pilot Study, we counted other hits to targets within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted other hits to the mannequin (i.e., torso).
Change History
Current Secondary Outcome Measures  ICMJE Not Provided
Original Secondary Outcome Measures  ICMJE Not Provided
Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures Not Provided
Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures Not Provided
 
Descriptive Information
Brief Title  ICMJE Effect of Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games on Shooting Accuracy
Official Title  ICMJE "Boom, Headshot!": Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games That Reward Headshots Train Individuals to Aim for the Head When Shooting a Realistic Firearm
Brief Summary The present research tests the effects of violent shooting games on behavior within the game (Pilot Study) and on behavior after the game is turned off (Experiment Proper). The Experiment Proper is an exact replication of a previous study conducted in our lab that was retracted (see citation), but with a larger sample to get more reliable results (N=287 rather than N=151).
Detailed Description Violent shooting games are used to train soldiers and police officers. This research tests whether violent shooting can train people to shoot targets in the head, both during gameplay (Pilot Study) and after the game is turned off (Experiment Proper). Participants in both studies played a violent shooting game with humanoid targets that rewarded headshots, or a nonviolent shooting game that punished shots to bull's-eye targets with faces. Afterward, participants shot at a mannequin with a realistic CO2 gun. We anticipate that participants who play the violent game which rewards headshots to hit the mannequin's head more often than those who play the non-violent game.
Study Type  ICMJE Interventional
Study Phase  ICMJE Not Applicable
Study Design  ICMJE Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description:
2 (controller type) x 3 (video game type) factorial design. Participants used either a regular or gun shaped controller while playing a non-shooting, non-humanoid shooting, or humanoid shooting game.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Condition  ICMJE Gun Shot Wound
Intervention  ICMJE
  • Behavioral: Video game
    Participants played either a violent shooting game or nonviolent shooting game in the pilot study, and either either a violent shooting game, nonviolent shooting game, or nonviolent non-shooting game in the experiment proper.
  • Behavioral: Controller
    Participants used either a gun-shaped or regular controller to play the violent and nonviolent shooting video games.
Study Arms  ICMJE
  • Experimental: Pilot Study
    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game or a nonviolent shooting video game for 20 minutes. Video game play was recorded. A debriefing followed.
    Interventions:
    • Behavioral: Video game
    • Behavioral: Controller
  • Experimental: Experiment Proper
    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game, a nonviolent shooting video game, or a nonviolent non-shooting video game for 20 minutes. Next, they shot a training pistol at a mannequin 20 feet (6.1 meters) away using 16 Velcro "bullets." A debriefing followed.
    Interventions:
    • Behavioral: Video game
    • Behavioral: Controller
Publications * Whitaker, J. L., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). "Boom, Headshot!": Effect of violent video game play and controller type on firing aim and accuracy. Communication Research, 41(7), 879-891. doi:10.1177/0093650212446622

*   Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
 
Recruitment Information
Recruitment Status  ICMJE Completed
Actual Enrollment  ICMJE
 (submitted: June 25, 2019)		 327
Original Actual Enrollment  ICMJE
 (submitted: February 20, 2018)		 287
Actual Study Completion Date  ICMJE April 25, 2016
Actual Primary Completion Date April 25, 2016   (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Eligibility Criteria  ICMJE

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 and older
  • Ohio State participant pool

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under age 18
Sex/Gender  ICMJE
Sexes Eligible for Study: All
Ages  ICMJE 18 Years to 46 Years   (Adult)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers  ICMJE No
Contacts  ICMJE Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
Listed Location Countries  ICMJE Not Provided
Removed Location Countries  
 
Administrative Information
NCT Number  ICMJE NCT03445156
Other Study ID Numbers  ICMJE 2010B0261
Has Data Monitoring Committee No
U.S. FDA-regulated Product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No
IPD Sharing Statement  ICMJE
Plan to Share IPD: Yes
Plan Description: After the manuscript is accepted, data will be uploaded to Figshare.com
Time Frame: Following acceptance of manuscript.
Access Criteria: Open to public domain.
Current Responsible Party Brad Bushman, Ohio State University
Original Responsible Party Same as current
Current Study Sponsor  ICMJE Ohio State University
Original Study Sponsor  ICMJE Same as current
Collaborators  ICMJE Not Provided
Investigators  ICMJE Not Provided
PRS Account Ohio State University
Verification Date June 2019

ICMJE     Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP