Running Head: The Influence of Video Games on Youth

The Influence of Video Games on Youth: A review of the Literature James Bias The University of Texas at El Paso

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

Abstract The purpose of this literature review is to review literature related to video games. The literatures will explain behavioral changes in players playing violent video games, How scientists test the effects that video games have on players, if there are positive and/or negative effects that video games have on players, and how video game technology have evolved since it was first introduced to the public.

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

The Influence of Video Games on Youth: A Review of the Literature Video games have been the center of controversy since they were first introduced to the public. Many people fear that video games are harmful to their children and can lead to violence, lack of motivation, and keeps children from doing their work. Violent video games have been the main topic when discussing the negative effects that video games have on youth, with the idea that violent video games leads to the youth wanting to be violent or commit violent acts. While researching the effects that violent video games have on the youth, researchers have also discovered positive effects that video games have on the youth. The most popular positive effect that researchers claim video games have on the youth would perhaps be that video games improve an individuals hand-eye coordination. Regardless of whether a person believes that video games have a positive or negative effect on the youth, it is a fact that video games in some way or another have an effect on the youth. For years researchers have been picking at video games, trying to figure out how they influence the youth, which factors have positive influences and which have negative influences. To learn more about the influences that video games have on the youth, the following questions have to be considered: 1. What behavioral changes do violent video games cause while playing and/after playing for extended periods of time? 2. How do scientists test the effects that video games have on people?

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

3. What are the positive and negative effects that are caused by playing video games? 4. How has video game technology changed since the first video game was introduced to the public? The following review on the literature will: describe the behavioral changes in people that play violent video games, describe how scientists test the effects that video games have on people, show the positive as well as the negative effects from playing video games, and show how video game technology has changed over the years since its introduction to the public. What behavioral changes do violent video games cause while/after playing for extended periods of time? The influences caused by violent video games have been the main subject for researchers for the past decade. Violent Video Games Stress People Out and Make Them More Aggressive, written by Hasan, Begue, and Bushman, it is stated that violent video games intentionally expose players to stressful situations in which enemies are trying to kill them. The three also say that during a study As expected, participants who played a violent game were more aggressive than were participants who played a nonviolent game. They make a strong case that violent video games cause aggression in the players and conclude that the indirect effect of violent video game exposure on aggression, through cardiac coherence, was significant (Hasan, Begue, Bushman 2013). Brad J. Bushman writes in the web article The effects of violent video games. Do they affect our behavior? that studies have shown that playing violent video games for an extended period of time increases aggression in the player. Bushman writes Over 130 studies have been conducted on over 130,000 participants around the world (Anderson et al., 2010). These studies

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

show that violent video games increase aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiological arousal (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure), and aggressive behavior. Violent games also decrease helping behavior and feelings of empathy for others. Many people that play violent video games claim that the game has no effect on them after they play the game for extended periods of time, but Bushman says that they are in denial about their behavioral changes, saying Although the scientific evidence clearly shows that violent video games have harmful effects, many people still deny these effects, especially violent game players (Bushman 2013). Bushman also shows in the graph below scientific reports of aggressiveness in violent video game players vs what the media reports.

How do scientists test the effects that video games have on people? There has been thousands upon thousands of research studies and tests conducted to determine whether or not video games have an influence on players as well as whether that influence is positive or negative. The question that not many people ask is how scientists conduct these tests to get their results.

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

Douglas Gentile wrote an article titled Video Games Affect the Brainfor Better and Worse and believes that the knowledge and purpose for these tests are beneficial to society. In the article Douglas writes Psychologists and neuroscientists conducting well-designed studies are beginning to shed light on the actual effects of video and adds Research projects of variable strength have substantiated claims of both beneficial and harmful effects. Knowing that these tests are beneficial then leads to the overall question of how they were conducted. Douglas describes different ways that these tests were conducted. The main method that scientists use is the use of research studies, to which Douglas writes Several lines of research suggest that playing video games can lead to different types of benefits. For example, a 2002 U.S. Department of Education report presented evidence on the effectiveness of educational games. Douglas continues with One neuroscience study, published in Nature, showed that playing action video games can improve visual attention to the periphery of a computer screen The graph below shows results from Gentiles research.

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

Many of the research studies are conducted in groups. Using a group of people gives the results more validity since it isnt just one person giving the result because that one person could be different than other people, but with a group of people getting the same results, the results are more valid. Douglas writes In one study, 161 college students were randomly assigned to play one of several violent games, neutral games, or pro-social games (in which helpful behavior was required) (Gentile 2009). The study that Douglas mentions uses 161 test subjects to get a better understanding of the results. Another study was mentioned by Benedict Carey in Shooting in the Dark who writes Christopher Barlett, a psychologist at Iowa State University, led a research team that had 47 undergraduates play Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance for 15 minutes (Carey 2011). In research studies it has been a standard to use a group of test subjects rather than an individual test subject to test the effects of video games on players. What are the positive and negative effects that are caused by playing video games? Scientists have researched and discovered that there are both positive and negative effects that video games have on youth. Though the negative effects have been studied by the majority of the researchers researching video games, positive effects have been found and are evident in video games. Negative effects have been the more popular research for scientists when studying video games, but there has been research on the positive effects of video games as well. Researchers, such as Isabela Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutger Engels, have all studied the positive effects that video games possess and published their research findings in The Benefits of Playing Video Games. American Psychologist. They claim video games provide youth with immersive and compelling social, cognitive, and emotional experiences. Further, these experiences may have the potential to enhance mental health and well-being in children and adolescents. Figure 1

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

shows the connections between the complexity of a video game and the amount of social interaction between the players. The three go into further detail about the social experiences that children have when playing video games by saying that children are able to experiment with social experiences and simulate alternative emotional consequences, which can then bring about feelings of resolution outside the play context. They continue with make-believe play provides children opportunities to reproduce real-life conflicts, to work out ideal resolutions for their own pleasure, and to ameliorate negative feelings. The evidence shown here should be enough proof to back up the claim that video games do have some type of positive influence among youth. (Granic, et al, 2014)

Figure 1 Interactions between Complexity of Games and Social Interactions

Scientists have also researched and discovered that video games have many negative effects on youth. Adrienne Ivory, author of The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Games on Players' Hostile Expectations, Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings, and Other Responses has given proof that video games have negative effects on youth. Ivory states An extensive body of research indicates that violent video games can increase aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.

The Influence of Video Games on Youth

She goes into further detail by claiming that Some meta-analyses show that exposure to violent games increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and physiological arousal, and decreases helping behavior.Ivory believes that the violence in video games may not be the issue, she believes that it is the vulgar language in the game that causes violence and backs up this claim by writing media users may be more likely to imitate verbal aggression than physical aggression because it is easier for them to model, and some forms of verbal aggression may cause long-term psychological damage. Exposure to verbal aggression can also have negative effects on self-concept. Ivory continues supporting her claim that it is the language in video games that cause an influence in you by showing evidence found in a survey, stating a recent survey (Coyne et al., 2011) found that adolescents exposure to profanity in video games and television was correlated with their engaging in both physical and relational aggression. Based on those correlational findings, that surveys authors note the need for experiments investigating the causal effects of profanity on aggression (Coyne et al., 2011). (Ivory, 2013) Video games have both positive and negative effects on youth. This claim is supported by evidence from The Benefits of Playing Video Games. American Psychologist and The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Games on Players' Hostile Expectations, Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings, and Other Responses. The first resource, in the order previously stated, gives evidence that there are positive effects that video games have on youth, while the second source provides evidence that video games have negative effects on youth. How has video game technology changed since the first video game was introduced to the public? Video game technology has changed dramatically since the first console was introduced to the public. Michael Poh explains the first console when writing The demonstration of the

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"Brown Box" led to the licensing of the technology by Magnavox in 1972, resulting in the release of the first official home video game console Magnavox Odyssey. Just as the earliest films do not feature recorded sound, the first video game console is silent as well, with graphics which we would consider very primitive by todays standard. Poh goes on to explain Nintendos first steps in developing video game systems, saying Nintendo, the company which eventually became a major player in the video gaming industry for the next three decades, delivered their first series of video game console from 1977 to 1979. The Color TV Game Series were only for sale in Japan. These consoles essentially followed in the footsteps of Atari and featured Pong-style games. Video games went from two dimensional graphics with simple controls, to three dimensional games with numerous buttons to control the on screen character/object as well as new motion sensing games. Poh describes this generation of video game technology with the statement With full 1080p HD graphics for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and Wiis innovative remote for sensing 3D movements, it seems that video gaming had indeed came a long, long way. Poh then adds the motion sensering capabilities of consoles by saying all three consoles had expanded with add-ons such as the MotionPlus for Wii (2009), Kinect (2010) for Xbox 360 and Move (2010) for Playstation 3. These three add-ons similarly involved the capability to sense physical motion accurately, enhancing the interactive experience for players (Poh, 2011).

Figure 2"Brown Box"

Figure 3-2 "XBOX 360 Kinect

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With the advancement of technology, video games have become increasingly beneficial to the player. In The Effects of Technological Advancement and Violent Content in Video Games on Players' Feelings of Presence, Involvement, Physiological Arousal, and Aggression authors James Ivory and Sriram Kalyanaraman believe that As media have become increasingly advanced, technological dimensions have grown increasingly pertinent to an understanding of media effects. They add onto their statement with the implications of advancements effects on presence in video game players could be substantial. The authors also write that advancement in other media have been found to increase users involvement with these media, suggesting that technological advancements in video games may also enhance users involvement while playing video games. The authors claim that players are more involved in the game than ever, stating that Increased technological sophistication in media has also been linked to increased physiological arousal (Ivory, Kalyanaraman, 2007). Conclusion Video games have influenced players around the world. Violent video games have lead players to stress and aggression. The main way scientist test whether or not video games have an influence on the players is research studies, mainly in big groups. There are both positive and negative effects that have been scientifically proven to effect players. Video game technology has gone from no sound pixelated graphics to motion sensing high definition graphics.

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References Hasan, Y., Bgue, L., & Bushman, B. J. (2013). Violent Video Games Stress People Out and Make Them More Aggressive. Aggressive Behavior, 39(1), 64-70. doi:10.1002/ab.21454 Bushman, Brad. "The effects of violent video games. Do they affect our behavior?." ITHP. N.p.. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html>. Carey, Benedict. "Shooting in the Dark." The Ney York Times. N.p., 11 Feb 2013. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/science/studying-the-effects-of-playingviolent-video-games.html?_r=0>. Gentile, Douglas. "Video Games Affect the Brainfor Better and Worse." Cerebrum. N.p., 23 Jul 2009. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39414 The Benefits of Playing Video Games. By: Granic, Isabela, Lobel, Adam, M. E. Engels, Rutger C., American Psychologist, 0003066X, Jan2014, Vol. 69, Issue 1 Ivory, A., & Kaestle, C. E. (2013). The Effects of Profanity in Violent Video Games on Players' Hostile Expectations, Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings, and Other Responses. Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57(2), 224-241. doi:10.1080/08838151.2013.787078 Ivory, J. D.; Kalyanaraman, S. Journal of Communication); 2007 Vol. 57, p532-555, 24p. Document Type: article; DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00356.x; (AN JC.EG.ECB.IVORY.ETAVIC) [Citation Record], Database: EBSCO Poh, Michael. "Evolution of Home Video Game Consoles: 1967 2011." Hongkiat.com. N.p.. Web. 14 Apr 2014. <http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/evolution-of-home-video-gameconsoles-1967-2011/>.