Parallel to most television studies (Friedrich-Cofer & Huston, 1986) but unlike
the video game literature where the results are more diverse (Egli & Meyers,
1984; Graybill et al., 198.5; Silvern & Williamson, 1987), no support was found
for catharsis for virtual reality participants. Specifically, neither aggressive ideation
nor hostile feelings decreased from baseline to treatment for young adults
who played an aggressive virtual reality game, as would be predicted by the
psychoanalytic theory’s drive-reduction hypothesis. However, hostile feelings
did not increase for virtual reality participants either, as would be predicted by
the arousal theory.