The Effect of Digital Games on Behavior: Analysis of the General Learning Model

Digital games now occupy more space in people’s lives. Since the popularization of personal computers, game consoles and portable devices more people spend more time exposed to a greater variety of games. Researchers in various fi elds have been studying the consequences of this phenomenon. Digital games are commonly associated with a range of antisocial behaviors such as aggression and murder. This paper’s objective is to discuss evidence about the infl uence of games on human behavior, cognition, affect and arousal, based on the General Learning Model, focusing on available data related to aggression and prosociality. Several criticisms of the extant research are discussed: the poor quality of the measures used, the games used in research and the explanatory power of this model. Finally, a research agenda to improve work is this fi eld is proposed.