RESEARCH ARTICLE Contextual Features of Violent Video Games, Mental Models, and Aggression Kirstie M. Farrar, Marina Krcmar & Kristine L. Nowak Department of Communication Sciences, University of Connecticut at Storrs, Storrs, CT 06269 This experiment employed a 2 (third vs. first person) 3 2 (blood on/off) 3 2 (sex) design in order to examine the effects of two internal video game manipulations: the presence of blood and point of view on participants’ perceptions of the game. Overall, when the blood manipulation was on, participants perceived greater gore. Players were significantly more focused when they played in the third-person point of view than when they played in first person. Males were more involved in the game overall regard- less of point of view, but females were more focused and involved when they played in third, not first, person. In addition, we wanted to see if game manipulations and perceptions of the game affected aggressive outcomes. Those who played the game in the blood-on condition had more physically aggressive intentions, and when players were more involved and immersed in the game, they reported greater hostility and physically aggressive intentions. Findings are discussed as they relate to mental models of media violence. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00025.x Video and computer games combined grossed $6.9 billion in sales in 2002, and the industry is growing at a phenomenal pace (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2003), with estimates of sales reaching $16.9 billion in 2003 (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2002). Although adolescents spend less time with video games than younger children, their exposure is still substantial. Adolescents aged 15–18 play video or computer games for just under 1 hour per day. There are substantial gender differences, however, with boys playing approximately 1.5 hours per day, whereas girls average about 40 minutes (Roberts, Foehr, & Rideout, 2005). This level of exposure is cause for concern among parents, community activists, and especially among communication scholars (e.g., Sherry, 2001) as recent content analyses have indicated that most video games are violent in nature (Children Now, 2001; Smith, Lachlan, & Tamborini, 2003). Not only are most games violent, children, particularly boys, state that violent video games are their favorite type to play (Buchman & Funk, 1996). These various points suggest that adolescents are being exposed to substantial amounts of violence while playing their favorite video games. Corresponding author: Kirstie M. Farrar; e-mail: kirstie.farrar@uconn.edu. Journal of Communication ISSN 0021-9916 Journal of Communication 56 (2006) 387–405 ª 2006 International Communication Association 387