The Canadian researchers surveyed 109 boys and girls, aged 13 and 14, about whether they played video games, which games they liked, and how long they spent playing them.
Their findings found that 88 per cent of teens said they played games, and more than half admitted to playing games every day.
Violent games, including games where players have to kill, maim, decapitate or torture another human character, were among the most popular.
The teenagers also filled in a questionnaire designed to gauge their moral development.
For example, they were asked how important it is to save the life of a friend.
Previous studies have suggested that a person's moral judgement goes through four phases as they grow from children and enter adulthood.
By the age of 13 or 14, scientists claim young people should be entering the third stage, and be able to empathise with others and take their perspective into account.
The research found that this stage appeared to be delayed in teenagers who regularly played violent video games.
A lot of my friends played these games growing up. I think this is an overreaction-- I haven't noticed any psychopaths among them... yet
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