Shock! Scientists say video games feed male need to dominate

I always thought video games were a modern day artform.

But Professor Allan Reiss of the Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research at Stanford University has proved such an elevated idea to be mere liberal tripe.

His research shows that video games stimulate the parts of men that so many other activities just cannot reach: the need to conquer, stomp on, dominate, crush, destroy, maim, annihilate, and turn to ashes and dust.

Women, apparently, understand video games, but their neurology doesn't house the same desire to conquer, stomp on, etc., etc.

Can you see his mesocorticolimbic center begin to throb?

(Credit: CC Rebecca Pollard)

"These gender differences may help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become 'hooked' on video games than females," Reiss was quoted in the Daily Telegraph. "I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species--they're the males."

You mean Cleopatra just sat back, played with her asps, and refused to conquer? How sad.

For those of you who are more scientifically inclined, the area of the brain that was put to the test in this research is called the mesocorticolimbic center. And in the case of the men, their mesocorticolimbic center resembled a particularly powerful volcano the minute a simple console was placed before them.

"Most of the computer games that are really popular with males are territory and aggression-type games," explained Reiss.

It is so heartwarming when science confirms what so many secretly feared.

[sebastien.kalonji]

Send some video games to Olmert!

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

Sebastien,<br /><br />I am told he's already a deep aficionado of World of Warcraft..<br /><br />Chris

[MTGrizzly]

Next, TV causes violence...<br /><br />Another excuse to restrict speech and expression...

[Lerianis]

I have to agree. This is just a veiled attempt to 'protect' (not really) society while infringing on the rights of individuals.... though a lot of liberals and conservatives today seem to think that individuals have no rights and it is all about 'society'.

[GA-geek]

So Chris, what game(s) was(were) on your Christmas list? ;-)

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

GA-geek<br /><br />If I were to reveal my Christmas list, I would be afraid that my wishes might be fulfilled by the commenters..:)<br /><br />I hope your wishes were fulfilled this Christmas.<br /><br />Chris

[Orion Blastar]

Dominate dominate dominate.<br /><br />I'd rather men dominate in Civilization IV and Worlds of Warcraft and Command and Conquer than do it in real life.<br /><br />Remember the first female video game, Ms. Pacman? If men dominate then do women just eat and socialize? :)<br /><br />The US military should do well to make robots that are controlled by 18 year old boys/men and use them via video game controls to fight terrorists in order to save lives. If a robot is destroyed by an IED, just grab a new robot and get back in the game.

[Funkydunk99]

The objective in designing the game "Pac Man" was to create a game that was nonviolent that appealed to women.

[Lerianis]

Actually, Funkydunk99, that was not the case. The reasoning for making PacMan was to make a fun game for people of ALL ages. Being 'non-violent' didn't even come into the equation at the time the game was being made.

[superaznman]

" I'd rather men dominate in Civilization IV and Worlds of Warcraft and Command and Conquer than do it in real life." I have realized that video games are just pacifying my instincts to kill and dominate. from this day forward, i pledge to play less and fight more (in the real world)

[Dalkorian]

by Orion Blastar December 27, 2008 5:15 PM PST<br />The US military should do well to make robots that are controlled by 18 year old boys/men and use them via video game controls to fight terrorists in order to save lives. If a robot is destroyed by an IED, just grab a new robot and get back in the game.<br />----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />That does sound ideal, doesn't it. I have only two words for you, it's a title to a book you should read if you haven't already ...<br /><br />ENDERS GAME.

[UITD]

Oh my. Here we go again. Fruitcake liberals wanting to FURTHER emasculate men. Isnt there enough men-bashing in commercials, stupid tv sitcoms, life in general? If anything, its time men start acting like men again.<br /><br />This world has been going to hell in a handbasket and if you notice, its all since some jackass said that men need to "get in touch with their feminine side". ********.<br /><br />Let the women (and liberals) be feminine. Crying is OUT. Stand up and be men, you fruitcakes.

[Lerianis]

You know, I have to agree. Frankly, I have no problem with crying (I'm a little maudlin).... but I seriously get tired of people talking about that I am 'too aggressive' (excuse me, but my friends say I'm the LEAST aggressive person they have ever met!) and women saying that I need to 'look at things from their point of view' (I have, I just find their point of view inane and insane!).<br />Men need to start standing up to women and tell them: "Listen, you hypocritical B******! You keep on saying I shouldn't be 'aggressive'.... but if I am not, you think I am a pansy man and don't want to sleep with me or date me. If I am aggressive, you say that I am too aggressive and then try to emasculate me at every turn!"<br />Really, all of this is coming from 'feminism', the absolute WORST invention in history, including the atomic bomb! Feminism wants men to act like little slaves to women and kowtow to them at EVERY turn. Plus, all the violence in the world.... not linked with men. I am sorry, but usually it is WOMEN who are whispering in their man's ear, telling them they should take offense at something that was said or done, and then laugh at them in their heads when they are aggressive.

[D3vildog699]

I came up with a simple solution to this.. ignore women and use them... for activities. <br /><br />Ignoring them cancels out the nagging, and talk of relationships.. <br /><br />And i still get fun out of it. Do i hurt some feelings... sure, but i am who i am. No femminist hooker will change that.

[William Crow]

Make them illegal! Its unfair to females! Legislate!

[jwsmith1984]

I think Cleopatra found it a whole lot less trouble just to conquer Anthony!

[actualtiger]

"You mean Cleopatra just sat back, played with her asps, and refused to conquer? How sad."<br /><br />Yep that's more or less precisely what she did. Cleopatra's "empire" was inherited from her father and brother/husbands Ptolemy's XII, XIII and X1V.<br /><br />The Battle of Actium was I think was the only military battle in which she played any part, on that occasion she and her fleet fled the battle to return to Egypt. Antony was subsequently, and arguably consequently, defeated at Actium; shortly after which he committed suicide. After reaching Egypt and hearing of Antony's fate Cleopatra too committed suicide.<br /><br />Cleopatra was a Macedonian, so too was Alexander the Great, it was he who conquered Egypt and a lot else beside some three centuries earlier.

[filmrag]

This study -- like so many out there -- talks about what women are made of, but did it actually use women as a part of the experiment as a subject, or did it just test the brains of men? So many women express similarly territorial traits, but in a completely different manner, that I wonder if some key part -- like the chicks themselves -- were left out of the actual study itself?<br /><br />The main reason we're only now discovering that women experience heart attacks differently from men was because some terribly sexist version of "conventional wisdom." It's the same reason we're only now discovering how much control a woman's eggs, hormones and fallopian tubes have over the fertility process. There are a lot more examples of this kind of lame, half-arsed thinking on the part of the medical establishment, and because of it, we'll never get the full truth of how the human body works, and instead will be forced to deal in blind-leading-blind, poorly manufactured half-truths.<br /><br />Gross.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

filmrag,<br /><br />I understand that women were a part of this research. I do, however, have some sympathy with your skepticism towards the medical establishment.<br /><br />Thank you for commenting.<br /><br />Chris

[3rdalbum]

"TheDestructionist is dominating!". That's what Unreal Tournament told me - I guess that was technically true?<br /><br />Unfortunately, this whole article is bollocks. I play video games to have fun. I play a lot of Mario Kart on the Wii, and I rarely win; yet it's always exciting and very addictive.

[Funkydunk99]

"Feed the need"? Meaning what? To increase the need (desire), or to decrease it?

[hmdz105]

What is the shock? Everybody knows that video games are a way to release our tension to conquer,<br /><br />Didn't you G W Bush played PS2 all the while he was in the white house? He mainly loved a game called: "Oily Oil", in which he had to murder and slaughter millions of people to get to the oil lake, and in the end he would conquer the evil in the world!<br /><br />I guess Obama is also interested in such games too! ;)

[wired_x]

Funnily enough, the most obsessive gamers I know are pretty introverted.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

Yes, wired_x,<br /><br />Many would agree with you. And some might say that serial killers are a little on the introverted side too.<br /><br />The world is such a complicated place.<br /><br />Chris

[-Aeon_Flux-]

Lerianis, did you really have to rage about women because of this article? I can see the spittle flying from over here, man! <br /> <br />You know the truth of the matter is, everyone is a lazy slob nowadays and nobody goes out to play a sport or something. That's why gamers are gamers. They never leave their houses. <br /> <br />I've dated a few. I know.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

Hah, Aeon_Flux,<br /><br />Thank you for your unique perspective. Men really are something of a waste of fine oxygen, no?<br /><br />Chris

[D3vildog699]

I am on, and i leave it all the time. Dont group all gamers together. It would be no wonder why you're still dating.

[Inconnux]

http://www.purepwnage.com/downloadepisodes.html<br /><br />Download ep2 for a good laugh then :)

[nuclearmonkees]

You know the truth of the matter is, everyone is a lazy slob nowadays and nobody goes out to play a sport or something. That's why gamers are gamers. They never leave their houses. <br /><br />^^^<br />With an attitude and charming personality like that I can see why you would have difficulty finding men to tolerate you. Or perhaps I should rephrase it like you would with more sweeping generalizations?<br /><br />I can see why so many women have trouble finding the "right man" who will sit down and listen to their tripe, seeing as women are all a bunch of screeching hormonal harpies.<br /><br />FUN FILLED FACT: I happen to exercise, enjoy a normal social life and also enjoy playing video games! As does my spouse and many other men and women. This idiot professor's bad science and agenda will not change that.

[rummelmor]

It begins with OGG and the boys sitting in the cave talking about the next mammoth hunt while the girly-boys are back there painting pictures on the walls and ceilings of the tribal domicile. Then Mrs. OGG tells OGG and the boys to get off their lazy duffs and figure out how to get those pesky neighbors out of the area. They are gossips and backbiters, she says, and if you don't take care of the problem, well as the song goes,...no lovin' tonight. So all the energy of the hunt is expended on the local war of conquest and payback. And now Mrs. OGG and the girls are upset because the men aren't like they used to be. Well, that's war. Much rather video games. Far less nightmares and PTSD with the games. Real war is very bad. More play less reality...

[OpenlyHidden]

I'm about as liberal as they come but this study? Was a waste of time and cash. So... it's not a liberal thing at all just so you know.<br /><br />First off, this doesn't really /matter/ so why spend money testing it?<br /> Secondly? I know there are plenty of women who play games for the reasons shown so... what does that mean? We're secretly guys we just have the wrong parts?<br /><br />Somewhere a bull is calling. They want these scientists to give their poop back.

[Dalkorian]

That was pretty funny, but I seriously doubt if any animal anywhere is interested in getting it's poop back.<br />:-D

[slacovdael]

oh come on...<br /><br />games are fun. alot of fun. my sister plays video games. that makes her dominant and aggressive? <br /><br />This is feminist bullcrap. Just another way to say that men need to stop being men, as so many on here have already said.<br /><br />the real reason we play? video games give everybody the chance to do something that they wouldn't originally be able to do: like parkour, live in a post-nuclear washington DC, fly through the air on an ATV, burn through the streets of paradise city, play as the greatest bands on earth, save the universe from evil machines, use the force, and get the girl (well, most of us will experience the last two).<br /><br />but seriously, games are just fun. get over it.

[edge_bit]

So...<br /><br />When I'm playing a platformer like Little Big Planet and I'm not really destroying or conquering anything - that's still supporting this study?<br /><br />What about when I'm creating levels in the level creator or enjoying the social aspects of an MMORPG?<br /><br />I'm sure video games trigger different responses in the sexes based on how we're wired but I fail to believe it's a direct correlation.<br /><br />References plzkthx?

[SeanDugan]

Chris Matyszczyk, you are quite the spin master.<br /><br />from the article: <br />&gt;I always thought video games where an art form. <br />&gt;but [blah blah blah] liberal tripe. <br /><br />Can you I guess I shouldn't expect much from a writer who breaks up his sentences in paragraphs. So I shouldn't hold my breath expecting you to understand the difference between making a video game and playing one.

[frances617]

I'm sorry to say that this article/study is a disappointment. I know many women that have been avid gamers for 20+ years, all of whom delight in beating bosses, revel in unlocking secrets, obsess to expand weapons arsenals, does the *happy dance* after annihilating opponents, and squeal with glee when making a spectacular killing. I, myself, have been a very happy female gamer... even worked in an arcade for a good chunk of my teenage years (when PS1 had not yet killed the industry). <br /> <br />The reason why guys are more into video games than females are is because games are made by guys FOR guys. There have been some nice exceptions to this, but for the most part it is painfully true. I've been waiting for the gaming industry to wake up and realize that they have been ignoring 51% of the population. Whoever "gets" the female population will make so much money. But I digress. <br /> <br />This article sounds like it was written by some awkward kid who doesn't have a lot of social skills but has a lot of presumptions about women, not an award-winning creative director. Unfortunately this can feed other awkward boys out there with more presumptions about women, thus making it even harder for them to score. Then they keep blaming women instead of their own shortcomings. Then the more they don't score. What a vicious cycle. This article does not do geeks any favors.

[Brent_Charlton]

First off, not every video game to is designed to make a player, "conquer, stomp on, dominate, crush, destroy, maim, annihilate, and turn to ashes and dust. (insert obligatory Psychonauts reference)". Someone seems to think that all video games are shooters or sports titles, which while prolific, do not deserve to account for the variety of video games available. <br /> <br />Second, I think that gamers (men &#38; women) that do end up preferring 'possibly' violent, 'often' aggressive games more for their richness of challenges or experiences, than any need to destroy. Playing not for territory of some game space, but for the best understanding of that game space, to best exploit the full potential of the variety of entertainment available within each and every game. <br /> <br />Every game has it's own intricacies that must be found and explored, many not being intended (as is the case with glitches or mods, or playing online multiplayer). With updates and DLC, each game has the potential to be a megaverse. Even though a typical game is considered short at 8 or so hours (much longer than most things in life already) some games like Oblivion can clock in at way over 100 hours. Not to mention World of Warcraft. That's a lot of time to have a vast diversity of interactions and different experiences, to even accumulate skills. If that?s not art, you don?t know what art is. <br /> <br />Yet generally one person has to try and summarize it into a short, written review. Most people glean little from a review, especially without screenshots, maybe a little more from a video, but still not enough. They are too flat. You need a demo, or in other words, you need to play it for yourself. The old media are just pieces of the total Video Game package. First there was print, then radio, then video, and now one medium that has all three, all interactive, over time. Sorta 1 Dimensional, then 2D, 3D, and now 4D. Video games are the currently the closest thing we can have to exploring what someone else wants us to experience. <br /> <br />The best Video Game experiences are subjective to the user experiencing it. You get out what you put in. Based on values that adjust from person to person. A doctor may say I like Left 4 Dead because I get a thrill when a zombie is "killed", but I'll know that it was thrilling because that "kill" was not only skillfully executed, (utilizing skills and maneuvers that took time and training to adopt), but it also because it saved one of my friends "lives", allowing both of us to continue our existence in that game world. What's so destructive about survival? They are called games because they involve chance. The chance to "live" and make progress in a simulation. So the only reason I "kill" in a game is to so my chance to experience more does not "die". Survival of the fittest, in a digital world.