The Effects of Violent Video Game Characters' Race on Implicit and Explicit Racial Attitudes

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Media Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Racialized representations in media, particularly violent video games, can shape audience attitudes.
• Understanding the interplay between media content, player identity, and racial bias is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how racialized characters in violent video games affect implicit and explicit racial attitudes.
• To investigate if player's racial identity moderates these effects.

Main Methods:

• 140 participants were randomly assigned to view violent gameplay with either a Black or White character.
• Implicit attitudes were measured using the Implicit Association Test (IAT).
• Explicit attitudes were assessed via a biological racism scale.

Main Results:

• Exposure to a Black character in violent gameplay led to stronger pro-White/anti-Black implicit biases among White participants.
• Black participants showed reduced explicit racism after viewing the violent Black character.
• Moderation analysis indicated racial identity significantly influenced attitude changes.

Conclusions:

• Racialized portrayals in violent video games have differential impacts based on player race.
• Findings suggest ingroup identification and stereotype activation effects vary by viewer identity.
• Highlights the need for diverse character representation in interactive media to mitigate racial bias.