violent games not necessarily more fun?

So says a study from the University of Rochester and some think tank in Orlando called Immersyve. They designed a test showing that adding more violent/gory elements to a game didn't necessarily ramp up the fun level. Of course they didn't prove that it decreases the fun level... Anyway, these guys messed with Half-Life 2 to give you either a psychic power or a shotgun, and found that killing dudes "peacefully" with the psychic power was just as satisfying as splattering them all over the place with the shotgun.

[Lead author of study Andrew] Przybylski said the message for game designers is that their resources are probably better spent designing games that will satisfy the psychological needs of players to feel competent, a feeling of autonomy and being connected to other players.
"That's probably a better place for them to put their efforts than being able to very realistically depict someone's arm falling off," he said.

Blood and gore don't make games more enjoyable: study