Aggression and the Effects of Frustrating Video Games on Teenage Males
             In observing the behavior of my peers while watching them play video games, I have noticed that the major source of aggression stems not from the depictions of violence onscreen, but from the frustration that develops from losing. Their observable aggression seems to be at a minimum even when playing the most gratuitously violent games, yet they can easily become enraged when playing a totally non-violent puzzle or strategy game. The purpose of this experiment is to test the theory that frustration caused by difficult video games can result in increased levels of aggression in the players. I believe that too much emphasis is placed on the theory that depictions of violence are solely to blame for aggressive behavior in video game players, and it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility that other factors may be present. Perhaps we will find that violence has nothing to do with causing aggression, and that frustration may be at the root of this behavior.
             The study will be based on the observation of the behaviors of a group of subjects while playing a video game. For the sake of simplicity, a very basic vintage arcade game called Q*Bert will be used for the testing. The learning curve for this game is extremely quick, as there are only four controls: left, right, up, and down. The player must maneuver "Bert" across a mock 3-d step pyramid, while avoiding falling objects. Upon landing on a step, it will highlight, the object of the game being to highlight the entire pyramid. This takes the player to the next level, which is exactly the same except the speed is increased. A very simple task, and once the player is comfortable with the controls it is merely a matter of avoiding the falling objects. The game will be modified slightly for this study to allow the experimenters to adjust the level of difficulty.
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