I love Aggies.  I totally do.  Texas A&M has released a study that suggests that young adults who play violent video games after having a rough day or partaking in especially frustrating activities are LESS likely to be violent themselves AND derive direct emotional benefit from playing the games.  This is not meant to suggest that all violent video games are appropriate for all cases - they make a strong point of emphasizing that they focused on young adults and not children - but it's legitimizing what I think we've all known for a long time:  sometimes, after a long hard day at work, it's good therapy to just blow s**t up. 
 
Take a gander - and a big thanks to 1UP.com for bringing us the story - and tell me what you think.  Do you use video games to relieve stress?  What kinds of games work best?  Have you noticed a different kind of emotional response to different types of games?  (I have!  But you first!)

I don't technically feel any emotions when I play violent games. I don't get that therapy stuff out of it, rather I just find games fun.

Super Street Fighter IV has helped me out recently...if I'm winning. But what always relieves me is a good session of Bad Company 2. Bonus points if I have teammates that actually communicate.

All I know is if people play Modern Warfare 2 to relieve stress, they're doing it wrong.

Makes a lot of sense to me, and it's nothing I haven't heard before. It's nice how the anti-videogame people only read the articles and studies that deal with their side of the whole thing.

103 people is not a big enough sample to report any conclusive results. Personally I think that the effect of violent video games (along with other violent media) on the behaviour of people depends on the individual. For many people, video games can be a stress reliever and calm violent thoughts. For other people, it may have the opposite effect.

They do decrease depression (for me, at least). Red Dead Redemption is a good stress reliever.

A number of studies were recently conducted in which they set out to answer this question -- "Generally speaking, do studies actually prove anything and/or can they be used as evidence to support a theory?"
 
One study found that yes, in fact, studies do help to prove a point and can garner results. A second study argued that while studies may appear to offer conclusive evidence, in reality, they do not. A third study was inconclusive, stating that behavioral science hasn't developed to the point in which they could reliably predict or track the behavior patterns of studies. And finally, a forth decided to ditch the whole experiment, and instead focus on testing to see if the claim of fish communicating by farting held any merit or was just some crazy Canadian fishermen blowing a lot of hot air.

" @MattyFTM: I'm not sure about that.  If you consider the average size of an initial pharmaceutical study, 103 people is downright robust!  And I think our precious Aggies are saying that these results present enough of a statistical anomaly that it warrants investigation. "

pretty interesting, i want them to make a bigger study to see. it would be great for them to do that. i don't care what game i play but i feel great playing them.

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I don't technically feel any emotions when I play violent games. I don't get that therapy stuff out of it, rather I just find games fun.

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