The research debunks years of warnings, partly prompted by previous academic studies, that crime and antisocial behaviour is increasingly linked to the rising popularity of "shooter" video games.

In 2015, one politician even blamed a spate of gun violence in Salford on “a diet of war games and Grand Theft Auto”.

Grand Theft Auto 5, where players can become part of a virtual criminal gang challenged to commit ever more audacious and violent crimes, is currently number one in the Game top 20 chart of most popular video games.

However, the academics behind the new research say previous studies may have been skewed because they often assessed participants’ psychological state immediately after, or even during, a stint of violent gaming.

By contrast, the new survey carried out by Hannover Medical School waited at least three hours before conducting the tests, in order to determine the more long-term psychological effects.