Two-Player Game: Playing Casual Video Games with Outgroup Members Reduces Levels of Prejudice Toward That Outgroup

Abstract

Video games have traditionally held a dubious reputation in the media and have been linked to many antisocial behaviors. A large amount of research has borne out some of these concerns, linking video games with addiction and particularly aggression. However, recent work in this area has begun to examine the positive aspects of video gaming. In this work, we examine how playing casual, low-involvement video games with an outgroup member may reduce prejudice. In Study 1, participants played cooperatively or competitively with a (trivial) outgroup member or alone. In Studies 2 and 3, a meaningful social identity was used: students’ university affiliation. Participants played either cooperatively with a rival university student against the computer, or alone. Analyses of all three studies showed that attitudes toward the outgroup were more positive after playing with an outgroup member compared with control conditions. How these findings may be applied to real world groups and extensions for future research are then discussed.