Games linked to aggression if players can't master technology

Playing electronic games can make people feel aggressive, but new research finds that the reason has little to do with violent content. Researchers from the University of Oxford in the UK and the University of Rochester in the US carried out lab tests in which volunteers played both violent and non-violent games. They found that the deciding factor was how the volunteers were able to master the electronic game after 20 minutes of play. Games that were too difficult or where players had trouble mastering controls that were too complicated were the most likely to leave players feeling aggressive afterwards. There was little difference in the aggression levels of players on games with violent content as compared with those playing non-violent games, says the research published in the  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . This is believed to be the first academic study to explore how the structure and motives behind gaming lead to feelings of aggression among players. The findings are chiefly based on a series of six lab tests involving university students.