Sore losers? A reexamination of the frustration–aggression hypothesis for colocated video game play.

The impact of video game play on player aggression continues to be debated within the literature. Most of the studies in this area have focused on game content as the variable, whereas the social context of gaming is largely neglected. This article an experimental study (N 76) on the effects of game outcome and trash-talking a competitive colocated multiplayer sports video game on aggressive behavior. The indicate that an unfavorable outcome (i.e., losing) can increase postgame aggression, trash-talking by the opponent had no such effect. We also tested the frustration– hypothesis for video games and found that the effect of losing on aggressive is mediated by negative affect. The results suggest that the frustration–aggression can be applied to the use of digital games and that game characteristics alone are sufficient to explain effects on aggression.