Objective: To examine the effects of violent game play on children’s moral reasoning about violence. Design: Online questionnaire using General Aggression Model as framework. Analysis conducted using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Subjects and Setting: 166 children, ages 7-15 (M=11 years, 7 monthscontinued

Objective: To examine the effects of violent game play on children’s moral reasoning about violence.

Design: Online questionnaire using General Aggression Model as framework. Analysis conducted using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling.

Subjects and Setting: 166 children, ages 7-15 (M=11 years, 7 months), 34% girls, 66% boys from Boston and southern New Hampshire.

Intervention(s): N/A.

Outcome Measures: Exposure to violent video games; perspective taking and level of sympathy toward victims; and moral reasoning about justified and unjustified violence.

Results: Exposure to violent video games was negatively related to perspective taking and sympathizing with victims.

Conclusions: Those who play more violent video games perceive violence in the name of retaliation and self-protection as more justified, much like the view of violence presented in the games themselves. © Center on Media and Child Healthreturn