Better Red Than Dead in Online Games

If you want to win, at least in the online first-person shooter Unreal Tournament 2004, get your red on. Researchers have found that red teams beat blue teams in the multiplayer game 55% of the time, even though players choose their own teams. One scientist suggested this is because the color red is psychologically distracting for men, reports the AP.

He said the color raises a flag with men because they flush when they’re angry. A different study, in 2005, found Olympic athletes in red had an advantage in one-on-one contests, such as wrestling. A rep for the Unreal Tournament developer called the new study “interesting,” but said the company isn’t planning any changes to the team colors. (More multiplayer games stories.)