The study was conducted by Michael M. Kasumovic and Thomas F. Denson from the University of New South Wales, who surveyed 500 men and women that have played video games in the last 30 days. The team wanted to research what types of games different genders played followed by a series of question regarding their sex life.
The study found there is a big difference in the type of video games that men and women play. Based on the data collected, male gamers overwhelmingly preferred role-playing games (RPGs) like World of Warcraft by 61 percent and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by 70 percent. There was only a small difference when it came to Mario Kart while more women preferred Candy Crush Saga over men.
It’s true that men preferred action games over women, what really surprised the researchers was that women who played these types of games had higher self-esteem. The research found that women who played violent video games considered themselves to be more attractive and had a stronger sexual desire. It was also noted that playing violent video games also boosted the subjects self-esteem it improved their self-perception as a high quality romantic partner.
The theory behind this is that playing violent video games taps into the subjects evolutionary need to survive by being more competitive. This is because those who were surveyed also stated their interest in trying to find a romantic partner. Hence those who are seeking a strong mates need an arena to compete in on an equal footing.
The foot notes of the study were first published in The Conversation while the actually study is set to be published in November 2015 for Personality and Individual Differences: The Official Journal of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences.
This has been one of many studies done into the effects of video game on a persons development, that has killed the myth that they “breed killers.” Past studies have shown that those who play video games are better and faster at solving complex problems while MMORPGs could improve a players social skills in the real world.
