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Effect of Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games on Shooting Accuracy

Primary Purpose

Gun Shot Wound

Status
Completed
Phase
Not Applicable
Locations
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Video game
Controller
Sponsored by
Ohio State University
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional basic science trial for Gun Shot Wound focused on measuring First-person shooter (FPS), Violent video game, Headshot, Gun, Operant conditioning theory

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - 46 Years (Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 and older
  • Ohio State participant pool

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under age 18

Sites / Locations

    Arms of the Study

    Arm 1

    Arm 2

    Arm Type

    Experimental

    Experimental

    Arm Label

    Pilot Study

    Experiment Proper

    Arm Description

    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game or a nonviolent shooting video game for 20 minutes. Video game play was recorded. A debriefing followed.

    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game, a nonviolent shooting video game, or a nonviolent non-shooting video game for 20 minutes. Next, they shot a training pistol at a mannequin 20 feet (6.1 meters) away using 16 Velcro "bullets." A debriefing followed.

    Outcomes

    Primary Outcome Measures

    Hits to Head and Face
    In the Pilot Study, we counted hits to the head and face for targets within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted hits to the head and face of the mannequin.
    Other Hits
    In the Pilot Study, we counted other hits to targets (i.e. not to a face) within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted other hits to the mannequin (i.e., torso instead of the head).

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    Full Information

    First Posted
    February 20, 2018
    Last Updated
    June 25, 2019
    Sponsor
    Ohio State University
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    1. Study Identification

    Unique Protocol Identification Number
    NCT03445156
    Brief Title
    Effect of Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games on Shooting Accuracy
    Official Title
    "Boom, Headshot!": Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games That Reward Headshots Train Individuals to Aim for the Head When Shooting a Realistic Firearm
    Study Type
    Interventional

    2. Study Status

    Record Verification Date
    June 2019
    Overall Recruitment Status
    Completed
    Study Start Date
    February 1, 2016 (Actual)
    Primary Completion Date
    April 25, 2016 (Actual)
    Study Completion Date
    April 25, 2016 (Actual)

    3. Sponsor/Collaborators

    Responsible Party, by Official Title
    Principal Investigator
    Name of the Sponsor
    Ohio State University

    4. Oversight

    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product
    No
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product
    No
    Data Monitoring Committee
    No

    5. Study Description

    Brief Summary
    The present research tests the effects of violent shooting games on behavior within the game (Pilot Study) and on behavior after the game is turned off (Experiment Proper). The Experiment Proper is an exact replication of a previous study conducted in our lab that was retracted (see citation), but with a larger sample to get more reliable results (N=287 rather than N=151).
    Detailed Description
    Violent shooting games are used to train soldiers and police officers. This research tests whether violent shooting can train people to shoot targets in the head, both during gameplay (Pilot Study) and after the game is turned off (Experiment Proper). Participants in both studies played a violent shooting game with humanoid targets that rewarded headshots, or a nonviolent shooting game that punished shots to bull's-eye targets with faces. Afterward, participants shot at a mannequin with a realistic CO2 gun. We anticipate that participants who play the violent game which rewards headshots to hit the mannequin's head more often than those who play the non-violent game.

    6. Conditions and Keywords

    Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
    Gun Shot Wound
    Keywords
    First-person shooter (FPS), Violent video game, Headshot, Gun, Operant conditioning theory

    7. Study Design

    Primary Purpose
    Basic Science
    Study Phase
    Not Applicable
    Interventional Study Model
    Parallel Assignment
    Model Description
    2 (controller type) x 3 (video game type) factorial design. Participants used either a regular or gun shaped controller while playing a non-shooting, non-humanoid shooting, or humanoid shooting game.
    Masking
    None (Open Label)
    Allocation
    Randomized
    Enrollment
    327 (Actual)

    8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

    Arm Title
    Pilot Study
    Arm Type
    Experimental
    Arm Description
    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game or a nonviolent shooting video game for 20 minutes. Video game play was recorded. A debriefing followed.
    Arm Title
    Experiment Proper
    Arm Type
    Experimental
    Arm Description
    After giving their consent, participants completed a survey. Next, they were randomly assigned to play either a violent First-Person-Shooter video game, a nonviolent shooting video game, or a nonviolent non-shooting video game for 20 minutes. Next, they shot a training pistol at a mannequin 20 feet (6.1 meters) away using 16 Velcro "bullets." A debriefing followed.
    Intervention Type
    Behavioral
    Intervention Name(s)
    Video game
    Intervention Description
    Participants played either a violent shooting game or nonviolent shooting game in the pilot study, and either either a violent shooting game, nonviolent shooting game, or nonviolent non-shooting game in the experiment proper.
    Intervention Type
    Behavioral
    Intervention Name(s)
    Controller
    Intervention Description
    Participants used either a gun-shaped or regular controller to play the violent and nonviolent shooting video games.
    Primary Outcome Measure Information:
    Title
    Hits to Head and Face
    Description
    In the Pilot Study, we counted hits to the head and face for targets within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted hits to the head and face of the mannequin.
    Time Frame
    Up to one hour
    Title
    Other Hits
    Description
    In the Pilot Study, we counted other hits to targets (i.e. not to a face) within the game. In the Experiment Proper, we counted other hits to the mannequin (i.e., torso instead of the head).
    Time Frame
    Up to one hour

    10. Eligibility

    Sex
    All
    Minimum Age & Unit of Time
    18 Years
    Maximum Age & Unit of Time
    46 Years
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers
    No
    Eligibility Criteria
    Inclusion Criteria: 18 and older Ohio State participant pool Exclusion Criteria: Under age 18

    12. IPD Sharing Statement

    Plan to Share IPD
    Yes
    IPD Sharing Plan Description
    After the manuscript is accepted, data will be uploaded to Figshare.com
    IPD Sharing Time Frame
    Following acceptance of manuscript.
    IPD Sharing Access Criteria
    Open to public domain.
    Citations:
    Citation
    Whitaker, J. L., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). "Boom, Headshot!": Effect of violent video game play and controller type on firing aim and accuracy. Communication Research, 41(7), 879-891. doi:10.1177/0093650212446622
    Results Reference
    background

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    Effect of Violent First-Person Shooter (FPS) Video Games on Shooting Accuracy

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