Like many people, I like video games (and write about them on my video games site, My Dpad). When it comes to the psychology of video games, there is a lot of information out there with varying levels of accuracy. Psych Applied is here to set the record straight by taking you straight to the source(s) and summarizing the results of some studies that have been done on video games in psychology fields.
The positive psychological effects of playing video games
Studies have shown that playing video games has certain positive effects. In studies comparing gamers and non-gamers, more research is needed into whether any positive effects (or certain negative effects) are based on baseline cognitive or social differences. Still, it is fair to say that research shows that playing video games may have positive psychological effects.
As one example, a 2017 meta-analysis by Stanmore et al. showed that playing active video games (like Wii Fit, Wii Sports Resort, and dance-base games) positively affects cognitive functioning. Particularly high increases were seen in “‘executive functioning’, specifically for inhibitory control … and cognitive flexibility”. The authors note that such benefits could be particularly useful for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
A 2016 study by Kovess-Masfety et al. found that playing video games for more than five hours per week was “significantly associated with higher intellectual functioning, increased academic achievement, a lower prevalence of peer relationship problems and a lower prevalence of mental health difficulties”. Again, these could be attributed to baseline differences in people who turn to gaming as a hobby, so video games do not necessarily cause these effects. However, it is interesting that these positive effects were found for areas that some might have assumed would show negative effects (such as social relationships).
In a 2013 study, Franceschini et al. found that playing action video games can even improve the reading skills of children with dyslexia. Specifically, they found that 12 hours of playing action video games (split across nine 80 minute sessions) improved the reading speed of dyslexic children (without any reduction in accuracy) more than one year of traditional reading treatments. The idea is that playing action video games increases spatial and temporal attention, which aids reading.
Finally, a 2017 study by Sammut et al. examined “newly qualified medical officers with minimal experience in laparoscopic surgery”. They found that officers with previous experience playing video games were better at laparoscopic surgery at baseline than officers without previous experience playing video games. This suggests that, due to the “visual-spatial skills, depth perception and coordination” involved in both video games and laparoscopic surgery, video game experience may aid surgery performance.
Altogether, playing video games appears to be associated with positive social effects and cognitive effects. In addition, playing video games may aid performance in fine motor activities. Now that we have reviewed some of the positive psychological effects of playing video games, let us examine some of the potential negative psychological effects of playing video games.
The negative psychological effects of playing video games
In a 2017 review, Gentile et al. discussed the existing research on internet gaming disorder (IGD), colloquially referred to as video game addiction. They explained that previous studies on IGD have suggested that somewhere from 1% to 9% of children and adolescents meet the criteria for IGD based on the DSM-5. However, the authors suggested that more research is needed into the etiology of IGD and treatments for IGD. Still, as studies have shown that IGD can lead to negative psychological effects like depression, aggression, and damaged interpersonal relationships, it is important for researchers to continue investigating this issue.
Violence in video games
A 2014 study by Hollingdale & Greitemeyer examining violent video games found that playing violent video games led to more aggression than playing video games that were neutral in terms of violent content. Specifically, the authors found that university students who played 30 minutes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (online or offline) showed more behavioral aggression than participants who played 30 minutes of LittleBigPlanet 2 (online or offline). However, there were no differences in aggression among participants who played online or offline.
However, a longitudinal study by Lobel et al. examining a number of psychosocial factors over time found that violent gaming was not associated with any psychosocial changes over the period of a year. The participants in this study ranged from 7 to 11 years old, so the differences from the study described above could potentially be attributed to age. Still, it remains unclear whether violent video games increase aggressive or violent behaviors.
It should be noted that, in 2017, Anderson et al. examined on-screen violence throughout media. They found evidence of both short-term and long-term harmful effects of playing violent video games. However, they also found evidence of harmful effects from violent media in general. This suggests that while playing violent video games can have negative effects, depictions of violence in general can have similar effects outside of video games. The authors end on an interesting note:
From a logical standpoint, if we accept that exposure to violence in the home, school, and community can harm children, as research suggests it does … it seems inconsistent to suggest that exposure to violence in media would have no harmful effects … Similarly, if we agree that video games have the potential to teach positive behaviors, it again seems inconsistent to suggest that video games do not have the potential to also teach negative behaviors.
It is also important to understand that no single risk factor causes a child or adolescent to behave aggressively or violently. Instead, it is the accumulation of risk factors and the relative lack of protective factors that lead to aggressive and violent acts.
This seems like a reasonable conclusion. We should not immediately discount any potential negative effects of violent video games, but we should also not solely focus on violence in the medium of video games. For people who play video games, it is important to be aware of the potential negative effects to recognize these effects in themselves and their friends.
As is the case with the positive psychological effects of playing video games, it is clear that there are some negative psychological effects of playing video games.
Wrapping up
The literature shows clear evidence of both positive and negative psychological effects of playing video games, as well as negative effects of playing violent video games (while also showing negative effects of on-screen violence in general). At the end of the day, gaming as a hobby can be beneficial in a number of ways. However, it is also important for people who play video games to be aware of the potential negative effects of violent video games and video game addiction.
References
Anderson, C.A., Bushman, B.J., Bartholow, B.D., Cantor, J., Christakis, D., Coyne, S.M., Donnerstein, E., Brockmyer, J.F., Gentile, D.A., Green, C.S., Huesmann, R., Hummer, T., Krahé, B., Strasburger, V.C., Warburton, W., Wilson, B.J., Ybarra, M. (2017). Screen Violence and Youth Behavior. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S142-S147. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1758T.
Franceschini, S., Gori, S., Ruffino, M., Viola, S., Molteni, M., Facoetti, A. (2013). Action video games make dyslexic children read better. Current Biology, 23(6), 462-466. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.01.044.
Gentile, D.A., Bailey, K., Bavelier, D., Brockmyer, J.F., Cash, H., Coyne, S.M., Doan, A., Grant, D.S., Green, C.S., Griffiths, M., Markle, T., Petry, N.M., Prot, S., Rae, C.D., Rehbein, F., Rich, M., Sullivan, D., Woolley, E., Young, K. (2017). Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S81-S85. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1758H.
Hollingdale, J., Greitemeyer, T. (2014). The effect of online violent video games on levels of aggression. PLoS One, 9(11), e111790. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111790.
Kovess-Masfety, V., Keyes, K., Hamilton, A., Hanson, G., Bitfoi, A., Golitz, D., Koç, C., Kuijpers, R., Lesinskiene, S., Mihova, Z., Otten, R., Fermanian, C., Pez, O. (2016). Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51(3), 349-357. doi: 10.1007/s00127-016-1179-6.
Lobel, A., Engels, R.C., Stone, L.L., Burk, W.J., Granic, I. (2017). Video Gaming and Children’s Psychosocial Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(4), 884-897. doi: 10.1007/s10964-017-0646-z.
Sammut, M., Sammut, M., Andrejevic, P. (2017). The benefits of being a video gamer in laproscopic surgery. International Journal of Surgery, 45(1), 42-46. doi: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2017.07.072.
Stanmore, E., Stubbs, B., Vancampfort, D., de Bruin, E.D., Firth, J. (2017). The effect of active video games on cognitive functioning in clinical and non-clinical populations: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews, 78(1), 34-43. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.04.011.
