Video game play in British and Japanese adolescents

Abstract

Results from research into negative correlates of computer/video game play in the United Kingdom and in Japan are presented, with new analyses across cultures. Patterns of play are similar, although Japanese adolescents have been playing for longer, they play fewer aggressive games, and there is greater perceived concern by Japanese parents. Principal components analyses of a scale to measure needs met by game play produce essentially the same factors: “companionship,” which correlates with play in the United Kingdomonly, and “prefer to friends,” which in Japan correlates with play for both genders, but only for boys in the United Kingdom. Aggression scores are predicted by frequency of play in both cultures, but years of play explain none of the variance. A preference for aggressive games predicts lower aggression scores in Japan. These findings would seem to provide little support for the causal link hypothesis.