I play before bed, so I suppose I also feel tired when I stop playing...Not sure it has to do with the game itself, though.

well....i would be tired too if i were to spend 23 hours a day playing WoW...

More taxpayer money being wasted on pointless and IMO dubiously factless research.... get with curing cancer all ready jeez!!

i think you'll find that the type of gamer who gets angry and "is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life." would be the same type of person who gets angry at work/home/anywhere and is likely to transfer their aggression into everyday life.

As long as you're not raiding, PVPing or getting ganked, sure, WoW is really relaxing.

Translation: WoW is relaxing when you're riding a gryphon somewhere. ;)

I was making this exact same point to my girlfriend last night. After a long day of work nothing calms me down more than playing videogames, WoW specifically. I find it much more relaxing and a stress reliever than watching whatever reality show is on TV.

@Azrial: Taxpayer money? It's a university study. Chances are the University itself funded the research by providing the $20 worth of questionnaires that students there filled out.

Junkies usually clam down when they get their fix. I wouldn't say ALL games are addictive, but WoW most definitely is... Every time I see a screenshot I start sweating and shaking, and think about signing up for 'just another' month.

@Balius: Where do you think Universities get their funding from?

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but don't the findings of the study seem to indicate that folks who have online aggression infact do NOT transfer their feelings to the real world? That the online output is the conduit through which such emotions are vented?

I'm confused...unless their next findings indicate that folks who DO transfer their online aggression into real life actually had major issues to begin with..

I use games and martial arts as my emotional conduit when I can.

In Europe, I have no idea. In the U.S., they're largely funded by private donors and exorbitant tuition.

Another "Well, DUH." Study brought to you by people who need to do some sort of research to get their masters and phds.

@fdisk: I have pointed out a similar thing to my mother. "You watch your tv at night to unwind. I play my games."

@ Ajh

Lol. Without research university's wouldn't exist and then where would you get your degree from to enable you to work in your high salary job.

Also its funny that people rip into research on video games for being 'obvious' but then moan when the daily mail spout nonsense about games. The whole point is that research, however seemingly obvious, is necessary in order to dispell all kinds of myths that many others assume are 'obvious'.

@Philonious: Well, I think mine is getting a decent slice from the £3,950 of tuition fees I gave them for this year.

And good lord, heaven forbid taxpayer money get spent on educational facilities. Bitch about Defense spending please.

see...I just get angry when playing games, especially an MMO, if things don't go my way.

Dying in WoW , for example, would drive me off the deep end.

Good thing I never got addicted.

I can say for a fact that WoW calms me down. The last couple of weeks have been quite stressful, and I've found that whenever I get overwhelmed, I'm usually fine after playing WoW for about an hour. However, I just level with one character and do battlegrounds with another. Arena and raiding would probably be stressful.

Hey, I'd say it's more than just WoW that works as a good stress reliever. I've got a friend who lives an unbelievably stressful life, and uses games like Madden, Halo and Smash Bros to unwind.

I felt tired and calm after playing because after 14 hours of non-stop playing there's not much else you can feel.

@Channing: Ah, beat me to it.

Obviously didn't try Alliance pvp then...

@Ghiestuk:

Alliance? PvP? You tell those alliance folk to queue up for some AV. I quit WoW because you guys wouldn't queue up for it! (Well, not really, but drat it, honor grind would've been so much shorter)

God damnit that puppy is cute. I just want to bite his little cheeks. Aww, little puppy, you need some converses that will fit.

Damnit.

Clearly this experiment didn't involve any high level raiders or world PVPers

"Yeah, being ganked again.... -rez-... pom pryo by 3 mages at once... Yeah running back again."

Or "More dots.. more dots... -cc'ed mob goes free- WHO THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"

@Channing: Oh and they fixxed it (atleast in our bg 9) since the last patch because they moved the horde cave back to the end of the field.

Yeah, horde can't win any more

I question this study. Some of the people I've met on WoW are the most uptight, angry, negative and likely unstable people I've ever seen -- especially when raiding.

@huginn: Horde still wins as often as it used to on my server. No more often, no less. Horde just can't zerg for a speedy start and has to play D and O both.

They probably played on a PvE server. I was angry after playing WoW more than a few times because of PvP griefing.

And yeah, they probably don't raid, either. Raids are one hell of a internet drama source. Either people aren't focused, or loot arguments arise.

You know what makes me calm and tired? Being bored. Coincidence?

leveling enchanting makes me angry

i'm about to go buy like 3k wowgold to be done with it and go back to having fun

I've found the original Unreal Tournament to be very relaxing.

WOW free for 1 year now. WISCONSINISTA GRIND. WISCONSINISTA ANGRY!

Definitely a relaxing game. I couldn't play late at night becuase I'd die, then walk back to my body for 15 min, play for 5-10, die againg, walk back...

...and wake up, seeing my ghost standing there looking around. That massive mindless time wasting mechanic just put me to sleep so I stopped playing. Although I will give it a glowing review next to Eve, which I also played.

Back, when I used to play WoW and working 6 days a week, the game was a great relaxer to all the burnout from working; however, I would also watch TV at the same time as well. Now, I only work three days, while taking three classes at a community college, which leaves me room to play on my other systems instead to relax.

They've never played on a high-rated (2300+) arena team. I've never felt more stressed in my life.

How about instead of saying that, they could have said, 'The type of aggressive person who also games in their spare time.' - Not gamers who transfer their aggression from the game to reality. I'm sure aggressive people listen to metal and watch UFC fighting but those hobbies do not make people who wouldn't show aggression otherwise become angry in real life. Aggressive people aren't just listening to Bach and smelling flowers until their inner evil is unlocked by gaming, they are getting tattoos and drinking and going to strip clubs and getting in fights in bars, not because of games or movies or books or dungeons and dragons or Satan or backward lyrics in music. Fuck, boring conservative jerks on TV are gullible blame-directing freaks. Aggressive people pick aggressive hobbies; now give me 5 million dollars so I can go give 200 kids a questionnaire to prove it. Then would you kindly please STFU and let me get on with my life.

@fuchikoma: Amen to that brotha
Eve made me want to claw my eyes out from boredom and frustration. (mostly at being pked every time I tried to explore because I was just trying to play casually didn't want to join some corporation.)

I bet they didn't have them raid with druids and paladins who between them want every single drop for their off sets.

And a rogue who can't manage his aggro and keeps dispelling salvation and then asks for King's.

I've been much more relaxed since I quit WoW.