You Could Have Just Asked: The Perception of Motivations to Play Violent Video Games

Recent research has found that age and playing experience moderates people¡¯s opinions regarding video games¡¯ negative effects while the perception of the cause of game play ¨C game play motivation ¨C was not considered so far. This study investigated how age and playing expertise influence perceived game play motivations. A survey was performed on a sample of mixed age (N = 374). Categories found for perceived playing motivations for violent video games were: virtual aggression, fun/challenge, catharsis, boredom, and social. Fun/challenge was found to be the main motivations for both, non-players and players. However, age positively and playing experience negatively predicted the importance of the perceived motivation virtual aggression while the opposite pattern was found for fun/challenge. The discussion focuses on: 1.) How we should deal with such in- and out-group perceptions in game studies, 2.) how beliefs about player motivations influence further perceptions, and 3.) the necessity of understanding how society¡¯s perception of games can influence game science itself.