An Eye for an Eye and A Smile for a Smile: Examining Aggressive and Supportive Behavioral Alignment Among Taiwanese Adolescence Who Play Video Games

Abstract

The social dynamics of video games, especially those played online, are one of the primary motivators for gaming. Unfortunately, while there are numerous benefits to online gaming, there is also potentially harmful toxic and aggressive behavior. Prior research has investigated toxicity, but most studies rely on convenience samples, typically from WEIRD populations. The current study extends this scholarship with a nationally representative sample of Taiwanese adolescents who are frequent gamers, (a) quantifying their experiences with aggressive and supportive behaviors in games and (b) investigating personological-level variables that might explain reciprocating (referred to as “behavioral alignment”). Key findings were (1) aggressive behaviors were more common than supportive ones, but supportive behavioral alignment was more common (calculated using Jaccard coefficients) (2) trait conscientiousness reduced aggressive behavioral alignment, and (3) overparenting and social conformity increased both types of alignment.