There is evidence that playing violent video games increases physiological arousal, negative emotions, and aggressive thoughts
and behavior. There is an argument that exposure to a weapon stimulus (e.g., guns; photos of guns) primes individuals to think and behave aggressively, but the evidence is weak and inconsistent. First-person-shooter video games can be
played using gun-like peripherals. There is no research examining if using a gun peripheral during video game play moderates responses. However some psychologists have suggested that playing violent video games with a gun peripheral is a likely context to increase arousal and
aggression beyond the affects seen when violent games are played without a gun peripheral. In this study, 60 male participants (aged 13-18) played a video game using a gun peripheral or standard controller; ½ of those who played the game with the controller saw the gun peripheral on top of the TV and vice versa. Given (a) the confounded and mixed evidence regarding weapons priming and (b) the unrealistic appearance of the gun peripheral, it was hypothesized that cardiovascular arousal, self-reported aggression, and behavioral aggression would not be affected by using or seeing the video game gun peripheral. It was hypothesized that video game play per se would result in increased heart rate and blood pressure. Both hypothesis were supported; exposure to a gun peripheral during video game play did not significantly affect cardiovascular arousal, self-reported aggression, or behavioral aggression and video game play did result in increased cardiovascular arousal. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.