전자게임의 선호도와 게임 중독이 폭력 자극에 대한 반응에 미치는 영향: 청소년의 생리심리 반응을 중심으로

The Effects of Violent Game Preference and Game Addiction on Psychophysiological Responses to Violent Stimuli

본 연구는 청소년의 게임 중독 성향과 폭력 게임 선호도가 폭력적 자극에 대한 정서적·생리적 반응에 어떤 영향을 미치는지를 살펴보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 서울 지역 대학생 101명을 대상으로, 게임 중독 수준(고/저), 폭력 게임 선호도(선호/비선호), 폭력적 게임 영상 노출(폭력/비폭력)을 독립변인으로 설정한 2×2×2 실험설계를 실시하였다. 종속변인은 자기 보고 정서각성(SAM) 및 생리적 반응(SCL: 피부전도수준)으로 측정되었다. 분석 결과, 폭력적 영상 노출은 정서각성에 유의한 영향을 미쳤으며, 게임 중독 및 게임 선호도와의 상호작용효과는 생리적 반응에서 유의미하게 나타났다. 특히 삼차 및 사차 상호작용은 시간에 따라 유의미한 생리적 각성 패턴 차이를 보여주었으며, 이는 정서적 둔감화 이론을 지지한다. 본 연구는 일반 공격성 모델(GAM)을 기반으로 하여, 청소년 게임 이용자의 심리적 성향과 폭력 자극 간의 상호작용을 통해 공격적 반응의 메커니즘을 실증적으로 규명하였다는 점에서 이론적·실천적 함의를 갖는다.

This study investigates how individual differences in violent video game preference and game addiction affect emotional and physiological responses to violent media stimuli. Drawing upon the General Aggression Model (GAM) and desensitization theory, the study employed a 2×2×2 between-subjects experimental design involving 101 university students in Seoul. Participants were grouped by level of game addiction (high/low), violent game preference (prefer/not prefer), and were exposed to either violent or non-violent gameplay videos. Emotional arousal was measured using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), and physiological arousal was measured through Skin Conductance Level (SCL), a psychophysiological indicator of autonomic nervous system activity. The results revealed that violent video exposure significantly increased self-reported emotional arousal. More notably, SCL responses showed significant three-way and four-way interactions among game addiction, violent game preference, and type of video stimulus over time. Individuals with both high addiction tendencies and strong preferences for violent games exhibited markedly lower physiological arousal to violent stimuli, indicating a state of emotional desensitization. Conversely, individuals who preferred violent games but were not addicted displayed heightened physiological responses, suggesting emotional sensitivity remains intact in earlier stages of exposure. These findings support the validity of desensitization theory and the arousal route within the GAM framework. The study also highlights the value of incorporating individual psychological dispositions, moving beyond a stimulus-centered paradigm toward an individual-difference approach in media psychology. Practical implications include the need for emotion regulation training in media literacy education and the development of adaptive warning systems in gaming platforms. Future research should incorporate multimodal assessments including self-reports, physiological data, and neuroimaging techniques in longitudinal designs to better understand the cumulative and potentially reversible effects of repeated violent media exposure.