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Updated: 8:00 PM Dec 25, 2008
Study: Video Gamers React to Extreme Body Images
Kansas State University psychology professor Richard Harris said his research indicates a mere 15 minutes of viewing extreme body types in video games can negatively affect players' feelings about their own bodies.
Posted: 7:48 PM Dec 25, 2008Reporter: Associated Press |
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5 Comments 
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) _ Feeling a little down on yourself? Think a video game will lift your spirits?
Just don't go for games that feature exceptionally muscular men or very thin women, or your self-esteem could take a hit.
That from Kansas State University psychology professor Richard Harris. He said his research indicates a mere 15 minutes of viewing extreme body types in video games can negatively affect players' feelings about their own bodies.
Harris and graduate student Christopher Barlett organized two study groups of university students.
The men played "WWF Wrestlemania 2000,'' a professional wrestling game that included enormous muscular specimens such as The Rock, Big Boss Man and The Undertaker.
The second study group was made up of women who played a beach volleyball game.
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Participants in the research were surveyed about their body image before playing the sports games and questioned after interacting with the games for 15 minutes.
Harris said both male and female subjects viewed their own bodies more negatively after completing a cycle at the game control. He said the immediacy of reaction by game players was disturbing because video games are such a powerful element of popular culture.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Latest Comments
Either this article is incomplete, or this study is missing a control group. Shouldn't those results be compared to groups who played, say, Tetris? And groups that didn't play anything at all? And groups that did a similar, non-videogame activity? If these groups had been, at least, compared to other groups who had been made to watch real-life versions of those events, then maybe we'd be able to reach an actual conclusion, but this proves absolutely nothing
That's like taking children who live in middle class families, showing them "Princess Diaries" and then asking "Does that make your life seem less full?". DUH, 20% are gonna say "She has EVERYTHING it makes what I have seem like nothing"... come on... give me a grant and I'll make obvious statements all day.
This doesn't surprise me completely, just some. Simply put, I've never heard a man complain about male body stereotypes in videogames except as ammo to fire back at women who complain about female body stereotypes. So... now that it's know that this is a mutual thing and not just a female-specific issue, I think the industry should take note of this fact and give another look at how their characters are created, or when possible allow a much larger myriad of character customization options in games where it is practical. That having been said, the guys always have E. Honda from Street Fighter II in their corner, I should hunt down a female equivalent. There has to be one SOMEwhere.
