Game, not gore, keeps video players playing

By HealthDay News

"It's the challenge of a video game, not the violence or gore it depicts, that keeps players playing, a new study says."

"Bloodiness, in fact, actually detracts from a game's 'fun factor' for most players, according to the findings from the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc., a firm that researches gamers' experiences..."

"'Much of the debate about game violence has pitted the assumed commercial value of violence against social concern about the harm it may cause,' study co-investigator Scott Rigby...said in the news release. 'Our study shows that the violence may not be the real value component, freeing developers to design away from violence...'"

Full article available at http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2009/01/16/hscout62...