Press H to Help: The Impact of Prosocial Video Games on Prosocial Behaviors by Exposure Time

Research in multiple fields have examined how video games shape behavior. Specifically, one area of research indicates that prosocial video game play (game play that features helping as a core mechanic) impacts subsequent prosocial behaviors, affect, and accessibility of prosocial thoughts relative to neutral game play with no helping behavior. Exposure time in this past research has varied, so we executed an experiment that both replicates this existing line of research in terms of comparing different games and adds the dimension of exposure time. Differences between the prosocial gaming and control groups were assessed, while correcting for trait altruism and aggression. There were no significant differences between participants in control conditions and those that played the prosocial game, though some variables trended in expected directions. Additionally, exposure time had little impact on participant behavior. Therefore, researchers may not need to be concerned about short-term exposure time variance.