However, the consequences of increasing realism are far
from understood. On the one hand, more realistic games
are likely to increase a player’s sense of presence,
involvement and emotional reactivity, improving the gaming
experience. On the other hand, this might increase the
potential for addiction and adverse effects of violence.
Research on gamers aged 15 to 21 shows that elements of
video game play such as thoughts, feelings and actions can
cross into real life (game transfer phenomena).9 However, it
is not yet known whether this is a normal way to process
experiences or how many gamers have these experiences.