A longitudinal study was conducted to 591 elementary school children in Japan, and this study found that the amount of weekly exposure to violent video games was positively related to later aggression even after controlling for earlier aggression among boys, but not for girls. This study also found that boys who perceived video games as real are likely to be physically more aggressive one year later, and that boys who felt powerless/empty feeling when exposing to video game violence are likely to less aggressive one year later even after controlling for earlier aggression.

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Kamakura, Tomiyasu and Baba(2009) have shown that when evaluating the effects of history classes using MMORPGs, a lesson design which incorporates a group goal is more effective than the one in which individuals play freely. This paper aims to improve the design of these history classes by ensuring equal opportunities for students to participate in class. To this end, we conducted two experiments and compared the effects among three groups: the“poster group”, the “slideshow group”, and the control group. Scores for social skills, school life satisfaction, and interest level in history were significantly increased in the slideshow group, which was instructed to prepare and present slides about topics learned within the MMORPG. Furthermore, interest in history was significantly higher in the slideshow group than in the control group, which did not participate in a class involving a MMORPG.

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