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Eli Radosevich
Dr.Guenzel
ENC 1102
4-11-2016
The Effects of Video Games on Children: Good, Bad, or Both?
Ever since the inception of Pong and Pacman, the resulting effect of video games on
children has been an ongoing debate. Since the inception of video games, the business has
expanded at an exponential rate to where today, multiple billion dollar companies produce AAA
titles which sell hundreds of millions of copies every year. Video games have become a
household item of interest for children, a hobby just as common today as playing tag or going to
the pool. This brings up a relevant question: is the commonality of video games for children a
good thing? Most parents would tell you that video games are a waste of time for their children
and the majority of society has bought into the stereotype that video games are only bad for kids.
I wanted to dive headfirst into the issue to find research to support both sides of the argument
and see if gaming is really as bad for kids as people think, or if there are some benefits to gaming
that people dont realize. After my research its clear that gaming has both positive and negative
effects on children but it comes down to parental supervision and time spent playing video games
that determines what kind of effects children experience.
The Negative Effects of Gaming
A major negative topic of contention with video games for kids is that any violence in
gaming will promote more aggressive behavior in real life. From a parents standpoint, its easy
to understand why a parent wouldnt want their child to play a game with war violence, gore, or

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adult themes. The research published by Dr. Anderson and associates in Violent Video Game
Effects on Children and Adolescents supports and validates the protective view of most parents.
This research looks at how violent video games are very easily marketed and sold to youth. One
game that the researcher has studies is Americas Army which is distributed by the
government. This is a violent video game with similar content to other military first person
shooters. Dr. Anderson used an updated version of the general aggression model to study the
effect that violent games have on developmental processes and how media violence exposure can
lead to increased aggressive behavior in children. The results of this research found that children
who had played a violent video game were more likely than their peers to act in an aggressive
manner. Also, kids who had been exposed to violent media were more predisposed to aggressive
behavior than their peers who had not been exposed. This study strongly indicates that kids are
impressionable and take in what they see in their environment and use it in their everyday life.
Parents are very likely to think this way about their children and not to expose them to that kind
of violence.
Adding on to the idea that aggressive behaviors can be derived from violent video games,
extended periods of playing violent video games has been shown to increase aggressive
behaviors along with other negative effects. Some children are predisposed to a high trait
hostility and the longer they play a violent game the more and more likely they are to exhibit
those aggressive actions in real life (Jung). Children with low trait hostility are less likely to
exhibit these actions but the risk still remains. Jungs research shows that the length of time
playing video games is an important variable in how gaming affects kids. Imagine how much a
3rd grade boy learns in a week of school. He learns math, history, science, writing and more in
about thirty five hours of school in a seven day period. Now consider that every day after this

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boy comes home from school he plays his older brothers copy of GTA V for about five hours.
On the weekends, he has time to play video games for about seven hours. That means hes
playing twenty five hours during the week, and fourteen over the weekend for a grand total of
thirty nine hours of gaming a week. Thats more time spent gaming than going to school. In this
case the boy could be taking more from realistic video games like GTA V than he is from
school and applying that knowledge to his behavior (Glazer). This extended playing time
multiplies the effect of playing violent gaming as the violence is just as prevalent in his life as
school is. This might seem like an extreme case but an increasing number of kids in 1st through
8th grade have more free time to play video games unsupervised by a parent or adult either
because they are at work or dont monitor their childs time spent gaming. The negative effects
of extended playing times is obvious as too much of anything becomes unhealthy at a certain
point.
Expanding on how and why video games influence negative behaviors such as aggression
and violence in children, there is a growing trend in gaming that rewards socially unacceptable
behavior. With Growing advances in technology and a billion dollar industry in gaming,
companies are more and more motivated to create games that are increasingly more visually
realistic and violent to attract a target audience. One game in particular, you guessed it, GTA V
has become a staple example of how video games can capture a very real looking world and
allow gamers do everything that isnt legal and reward them for it. Grand Theft Auto as the
acronym stands for is a game series that has been around for since the first version launched on
the original PlayStation console in 1998. Ever since then, the game has undergone numerous
lawsuits from private groups calling for the content of the game to be censored. This was because
the games premise was the gamer was meant to steal cars and escape the police and kill innocent

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civilians all of which was rewarded in the game. Seventeen years later, GTA V is released on
PlayStation 4 and rather than being censored, quite the opposite happened. The game was more
shocking and controversial than ever. The game takes 3 characters from three different walks of
life and has them meet and bond over a need to perform heists to pay off a huge debt. One
character is a petty gangster working as a repo man for a car sales man, another is a retired
middle aged former professional thief who made it big off his crime, and the last character is a
drug addict who was kicked out of the Air force for his life of crime. The story follows these
characters as they explore a fictitious Los Angeles called Los Santos completing heists and
missions while stealing as many cars and killing as many bystanders as necessary. Obviously this
kind of game of isnt for kids and such a gaming experience could definitely influence a child to
act more violently in real life since its rewarded in Grand Theft Auto.
In addition to promoting violent behavior, Video games and the people who play them
have been associated with unhealthy habits and obesity and this applies to children as well.
While many stereotypes surround gamers health and certain unhealthy habits, many have some
evidence and research supporting them. On average, children who play video games are more
likely to be overweight than children who dont (Gao). Also, children who play video games are
more likely to have cardiovascular problems later on in life than children who dont (Gao). This
research does make sense given some of the habits that gaming teaches kids. The vast majority of
video games require only the use of your hands and obviously a child who spends their time after
school playing football will be healthier and more active than a child the same age who spends
his free time exclusively gaming in their room. In addition, eating habits are affected as a result
of gaming. Children who play Video games are predisposed to eat snack foods that easily
accessible- chips, frozen goods, etc. - if their food isnt prepared for them (Gao). This is a staple

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stereotype in the gaming community that is supported by some truth in that gamers who become
overly involved in gaming often let it affect their eating habits and schedule. Children who game
for extended periods of time are much more likely to pick up bad eating habits. Knowing this its
no surprise that there is a clear trend connecting children who play video games with childhood
obesity.
Perhaps the most plaguing negative effect that video games have on kids is the addiction
of gaming itself. Video games are just a hobby for some kids, but for others, theyre an escape
from the real world (Clark). Especially with todays technology, video games are more realistic
and enticing than ever. The book, Game Addiction: The Experience and The Effects speaks to
the impact that games can have on someones life. It tells how some games can become as
necessary as play as sleep in the minds of children. One example used was the original World
Of Warcraft Massive multiplayer online role playing game, or MMORPG. This game was
notorious after its release for how addicted its player base was to the game. The average player
put three to four hours into the game while extreme cases saw players putting in a minimum of
twelve hours a day. The negative effects of such an addiction are dramatic and work to make the
addiction worse. For example, the more and more children get into and enjoy a game like
WOW the more time theyll want to spend playing it. The more time a child spends gaming,
the less time theyre taking to prepare for school, exercise, or just sleep. The worst part is that
when that childs life at school or at home becomes worse as a result, theyll want to find a way
to escape their situation, escape the pressure and the anxiety. The bad news is, they have a
perfect place to escape to: the world of Video games. Running around a beautifully digitized
version of Los Angeles where anything is legal and anything is possible sounds a lot better to a
child than studying for a reading test. Video game addiction stems from wanting to be inside the

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world of a video game more than a person wants to face reality (Clark). Not all gamers have this
mentality but its definitely a possibility that video games can easily be used as unhealthy coping
mechanisms.
The Positives Effects of Gaming
After seeing the negatives of gaming, evidence would point to their being no positives.
On the contrary, there are many benefits in video games that are hidden away by media and
society as a whole. For example, a stereotype about gamers is that they dont have a life, they
just play games alone. In reality thats become an almost obsolete stereotype in the past ten
years. Video game consoles are at a point now where they can support almost all the same
applications that a computer can and players can access parties or group calls with up to seven
other gamers in the party. Gamers themselves support the social aspect of video games and make
it social experience to play video games. For example, GTA V was the first Grand Theft Auto
to introduce an online mode meaning that people could play online with other players in the
same world at the same time and be able to have constant communication with those players.
Instead of a group of four friends going to out to get dinner and a movie together, they could all
load up their PlayStation 4s and join the same online server and play a Grand Theft Auto heist,
stealing millions of dollars after breaking a friend out of prison and jumping out of an aircraft or
two. This sounds exciting, but to mainstream society, that isnt a social activity. Even though a
group of four friends are communicating, having fun, and enjoying themselves, its not seen as a
social activity because they dont leave their rooms. Whether or not people view gaming as a
social experience doesnt matter because it yields the same positive results regardless. Gaming
with other people has become something far more complex than simply going to the movies.
Video games have evolved to where a group of friends can work together to accomplish

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practically anything. A classic example of this is the World Of Warcraft where activities called
raids were part of the reason why the game was so addictive. Raids in this game were group
activities where twenty, thirty or up to forty people would have to work together to beat a very
challenging series of bosses and challenges. Its hard to imagine working with someone on the
internet whom you barely know; try thirty nine all in one call communicating and problem
solving to accomplish the raid challenges. Thats the kind of positive experience video games can
give to children that they cant get in the real world at their age.
In addition to video games being a major platform for social interaction, they also
provide cognitive, motivational, and emotional benefits as well (Granic). Almost all video games
whether first person shooter or storytelling, involve puzzles and challenges that challenge
childrens cognitive ability. Granice discusses how video games have incredible potential in
making learning experiences fun for kids. Puzzle mechanics have become staples in games such
as Zelda and make up the entirety of games like Tetris. Challenges in video games develop
the critical thinking skills in children and makes solving problems something thats enjoyable.
They also work to motivate kids in a similar way. Granic add that few things are more frustrating
for a child who is stuck on a level in a video game and nothing can deter them from figuring out
the puzzle in the game or finally figuring out how to beat a boss. Video games not only make
solving problems fun, they motivate kids to want to think critically. Feeling that kind of
motivation builds character in a child and gives them an experience of overcoming a challenge
that will undoubtedly help them during their education. Lastly, Granics research also shows that
video games can benefit children emotionally through the stories and morals that they teach.
Children can be taught many emotional themes that are prevalent in modern day society through
gaming. Stories in video games, especially classic favorites, hold a special place in the hearts of

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many of the people who played them as kids. The best thing about the emotional impact of video
games is that any game can be meaningful to a child, whether it was because it taught a valuable
lesson or is associated with positive memories, video games can mean a lot to children and adults
alike.
Video Games have also been used to enhance the mental wellbeing of children with
cancer (Li). This study was conducted in Hong Kong, China where children with cancer were
split into two and the group that underwent intervals of therapeutic play sessions saw fewer
depressive symptoms than the control group. The study found that therapeutic play promotes the
overall wellbeing of the children while they were undergoing treatment. A similar study looked at
the effects of short term periods of playing video games paired with family counseling with
children who have developmental delays (Hsieh). The study found that video games paired with
family counseling treatment improved the physical health of children with developmental delays.
Even AAA titles can be therapeutic to children as long as the game itself allows for the relief of
stress. In the same way people watch their favorite show or eat their favorite meal to relax, kids
can play a videogame and get a cathartic experience out if it. I spoke before about games being
an escape from reality and how thats a bad thing; however, if someone can use video games
every once in a while to destress themselves so that they are better prepared for their daily lives
than video games can be a very beneficial hobby.
Clearly video games have their negatives and positives but it comes down to parental
supervision and the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) to maximize the good effects
of gaming and minimizing the bad effects. The balance of these factors creates a safe gaming
experience for children (Video Game Safety Guidelines for Parents). A major negative of violent
video games is that they make children more likely to be aggressive in their daily lives; however,

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FPS games greatly improve the hand eye coordination of children. To balance these two effects,
parents or guardians of a child must make sure they are the appropriate age to play said video
game. Rating for the ESRB are eC for early childhood, E for everyone, T for teen, M for
mature and A for adults only. Than the parents needs to monitor and manage how much time
their child plays the video game. By making sure the content of the game is appropriate and that
they dont play for excessive periods of time, the positive effects of gaming can be seen rather
than the negative.
For children growing up, the difference between reality and video games may seem
unclear. In these cases its up to parents or a childs caretakers to explain to them that gaming is a
virtual game for fun. Normally, children confusing reality and gaming couldnt hurt them unless
that child was playing a game rated above their age range. With the correct mentoring a child
would play games rated in their age range by the ESRB and by the time they were old enough to
play more mature content, they would be old enough to understand that mature content in video
games arent accepted in daily life.
Parents need to learn how to monitor the games their children are playing, how long
theyre playing and if children learn to use gaming as a healthy hobby rather than an escape from
daily life then children can experience all of the positives of video games without the bad.
Parents need to be aware that unsupervised gaming could cause aggressive behavior, bad eating
habits, unrealistic expectations in real world situations, and gaming addiction. Parents can
prevent these negative effects with the right supervision and allow children to experience the
positives of gaming: social growth, increased cognitive, motivational, as well as emotional
development, and therapeutic effects.

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