Fairly or unfairly, video games have been blamed for all sorts of physical and emotional ills — from eyestrain and headaches to obesity and aggression. And now a controversial new study has linked violent video games to racism.
The study, led by an Ohio State University researcher, shows that white gamers who use black avatars when playing violent video games are more likely to hold negative views of and exhibit aggressive behavior toward blacks afterward.
“Playing a violent video game as a black character reinforces harmful stereotypes that blacks are violent,” study co-author Dr. Brad J. Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at the university, said in a written statement. “We found there are real consequences to having these stereotypes — it can lead to more aggressive behavior.”
But not everyone is playing along with Bushman.
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