Selective reward responses to violent success events during video games

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Aggressive behavior in violent video games is linked to reward system activation.
• The role of game success in this activation requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if aggressive behavior itself has a rewarding value.
• To differentiate neural responses to violent versus non-violent success in video games.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used on fifteen right-handed males playing Carmageddon.
• Neuroimaging data were analyzed for violent/non-violent success and failure events.
• Correlations between brain activity and subjective game experience were examined.

Main Results:

• Non-violent success activated the ventral striatum; violent success specifically activated the dorsal striatum.
• Subjective game experience correlated with putamen and medial prefrontal cortex activation during violent success.
• Differential activation of the striatal reward system was observed for violent and non-violent success.

Conclusions:

• Violent and non-violent success are processed differently in the brain's dorsal and ventral striatum.
• Virtual violence may trigger selective reward system responses and enhance in-game experience.
• The findings highlight the distinct neural underpinnings of reward in virtual aggressive contexts.