The Effects of Video Games and Religious Reminders on Prosociality
Abstract
Religious primes have been shown to increase prosocial intentions (Shariff, 2016), whereas prosocial video games tend to increase both prosocial intentions and behaviors (Greitemeyer & Osswald, 2010). The aim of this study was to see whether or not these two predictors could work better in tandem to increase prosociality. It was hypothesized that both types of predictors would increase prosocial intentions on their own, that both types of predictors would work together to further increase prosocial intentions, and that this interaction would be moderated by personal religiosity. Participants were randomly assigned to read religious or nonreligious passages, and then randomly assigned to play either a prosocial or neutral video game. Afterwards, they were given the opportunity sign up to volunteer at bottle/coin drives to support their community, and participation was recorded. Results showed that empathy, humility, and overall gamer identity were associated with greater prosocial intentions, but neither prosocial reminder increased prosocial intentions or behaviors.