GAMES THAT INSPIRE ALTRUISM AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR by Scott McElveen VIOLENCE FTW! DEFINING TERMS • Prosocial behavior = actions performed to the benefit of others • Implies nothing about motive • The Altruism Debate— is it possible? • For now, altruism = the desire to do good to someone without concern for extrinsic reward. RELAXATION "Our research shows that playing relaxing video games puts people in a better mood, […] These games don't only have a positive effect on the person who plays them -- the effect reaches other people too because people who are in a good mood state are more willing to help others." COOPERATION VS. COMPETITION • Replicate Aggression • Non-violent competition • Non-violent cooperation • Non-violent solo play • No game • Take-aways • Competition may work against prosocial results • Cooperation may be better than single-player • But may have no net positive effect either GOAL-SETTING Explicitly assigning the player prosocial tasks ROLE-PLAYING ROLE-PLAYING