Video game shooting vs Real shooting

Video game shooting is different from real shooting.

Battle Rifle, my Halo weapon of choice (source)

Sure playing video games (and therefore shooting in video games) releases dopamine, and sure if you inject dopamine into people while they shoot real guns they will like shooting guns better. BUT the key implication here, that shooting guns in video games makes you like shooting real guns demands evidence.

As a female Halo player myself, I think these Lady Spartans are awesome! (source)

Personally, I like shooter video games. I'm playing Halo 4 like the rest of the world right now and I played the heck out of Mass Effect earlier in the year. I have also shot real guns.

And guess what? shooting real guns is just not really my thing. I find it a little bit scary and not that fun or exciting. The idea of going to a shooting range and shooting guns at paper targets for an hour sounds really boring to me. Shooting skeet or something moving, like an animal, also sounds pretty boring.

I am skeptical about the idea that the dopamine released during shooting video games transfers to more enjoyment while shooting real guns. I am willing to change my mind upon seeing some data, but having seen nothing to support this direct transfer, I don't think it exists.

This post is written in response to "Addicted to the Bang: The neuroscience of the gun." by Steve Kotler and Jim Olds. (They don't actually claim that dopamine release during video game shooting directly causes addiction to real shooting, but I think that someone might get that idea from the article.)


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