چکیده (انگلیسی):

We compared the standard 2D representation of a recent violent computer game to its 3D representation
realized by shutter-goggles in a lab experiment. Assuming that the higher degree of realism of media violence
would impact stronger on players in a pretest–posttest design, we analyzed the influence of violent
video game exposure on implicit and explicit measures of aggressiveness. According to an explicit questionnaire
on aggressiveness, participants reported having becoming more peaceful, whereas an Implicit
Association Test on aggressiveness (Agg-IAT) indicated that the association between self and aggressive
behavior became stronger after violence exposure, confirming the unique utility of Agg-IATs in media
research. The 3D visualization mode, however, did not further strengthen this association, and a mediation
model of increases in aggressiveness by participants’ flow experiences was not supported. When
inspecting flow experiences, an interaction effect between gender and visualization mode was evident:
Male participants were more likely to have flow experiences in the high-realism (3D) format, whereas
female participants were more likely to experience flow in the standard (2D) mode. We discuss the findings
in the context of automatic information processing in aggression, and we contend possible changes
in automatic behavioral precursors due to media influence.