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

• 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: Ohio State University
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Brad Bushman, Ohio State University

Study Description

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 The Experiment Proper is an exact replication of a previous study conducted in our lab that was retracted (see citation), but with a larger sample to get more reliable results (N=287 rather than N=151).

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Gun Shot Wound	Behavioral: Video game; Behavioral: Controller	Not Applicable

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 Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 327 participants
• 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
• Official Title: "Boom, Headshot!": Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games That Reward Headshots Train Individuals to Aim for the Head When Shooting a Realistic Firearm
• Actual Study Start Date: February 1, 2016
• Actual Primary Completion Date: April 25, 2016
• Actual Study Completion Date: April 25, 2016

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
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.	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.
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.	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.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. 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.
2. 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).

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 46 Years (Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 and older
• Ohio State participant pool

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under age 18

Contacts and Locations

No Contacts or Locations Provided

More Information

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

• Responsible Party: Brad Bushman, Professor, Ohio State University
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03445156
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2010B0261
• First Posted: February 26, 2018
• Results First Posted: August 5, 2019
• Last Update Posted: August 5, 2019
• Last Verified: June 2019

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• 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.

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Keywords provided by Brad Bushman, Ohio State University:

First-person shooter (FPS); Violent video game; Headshot; Gun; Operant conditioning theory

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Wounds, Gunshot; Wounds, Penetrating; Wounds and Injuries