Videogames contain, gender and behavioural differences in early adolescence

Introduction: This study investigates the relationship between video game content and social behavior among Spanish adolescents aged 12 to 14. While previous research in Anglo-American and Asian contexts has linked violent video games to increased aggression and cooperative games to prosocial behavior, this study explores whether similar patterns exist in a Latin cultural context. The main aim is to assess how the type of video game and gender influence prosocial, antisocial, and asocial attitudes during early adolescence. Methods: The study involved 368 adolescents (212 boys and 156 girls) from 23 public schools in Barcelona. Participants were selected based on their exclusive use of either violent or cooperative video games on average of at least eight hours played in the last four weeks. The AECS questionnaire was used to measure prosocial, antisocial, and asocial attitudes. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were analyzed using MANOVA and t-tests to compare groups by game type and gender. Results: Players of violent video games exhibited significantly higher antisocial and asocial attitudes, while those who played cooperative games showed higher prosocial attitudes. Gender differences were also observed: boys played more violent games and for longer durations, whereas girls preferred cooperative games. All differences were statistically significant with moderate effect sizes. Discussion: The findings support theories such as the General Aggression Model and social learning theory, indicating that video game content influences adolescent social behavior. Although causality cannot be established due to the cross-sectional design, the results suggest that cooperative games may foster prosocial development.