Effects Of Playing Video Games Research Articles

Two Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage.

Video gamers can play to negate the psychological impact of stress, which may become problematic when users over-rely on the stress relief potential of gaming. This study used a repeated measures experimental design to investigate the relationships between stress, video gaming, and problematic video gaming behaviours in a convenience sample of 40 students at a UK university. The results indicated that positive affect increased and negative affect decreased, whilst a biological stress measure (instantaneous pulse rate) also decreased after a short video gaming session (t(36) = 4.82, p < 0.001, d = 0.79). The results also suggested that video gaming can act as a short-term buffer against the physiological impact of stress. Further research should focus on testing individuals who have been tested for gaming disorder, as opposed to the general population. Research could also utilise variations of the methodological framework used in this study to examine the intensity of a stress relief effect under different social situations. The study's findings in relation to published works are also discussed.

Evaluating the effect of action-like video game play and of casual video game play on anxiety in adolescents with elevated anxiety: protocol for a multi-center, parallel group, assessor-blind, randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAdolescence is a critical period for the onset and maintenance of anxiety disorders, which raises the importance of intervening early; one possibility of doing so is via digital interventions. Within that research field, at least two important research paths have been explored in the past years. On the one hand, the anxiolytic effect of casual video games has been tested as such gaming activity may distract away from anxious thoughts through the induction of flow and redirection of attention toward the game and thus away of anxious thoughts. On the other hand, the bidirectional link between weak attentional control and higher anxiety has led to the design of interventions aiming at improving attentional control such as working memory training studies. Taking stock that another genre of gaming, action video games, improves attentional control, game-based interventions that combines cognitive training and action-like game features would seem relevant. This three-arm randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and the efficacy of two video game interventions to document how each may potentially alleviate adolescent anxiety-related symptoms when deployed fully on-line.MethodsThe study aims to recruit 150 individuals, 12 to 14 years of age, with high levels of anxiety as reported by the parents’ online form of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders questionnaire. This trial contrasts a child-friendly, “action-like” video game designed to improve attentional control abilities in a progressive and stepwise manner (Eco-Rescue), a casual puzzle video game selected to act as a positive distraction tool (Bejeweled) and finally a control group with no assigned training intervention to control for possible test-retest effects (No-training). Participants will be assigned randomly to one of the three study arms. They will be assessed for main (anxiety) and secondary outcomes (attentional control, affective working memory) at three time points, before training (T1), one week after the 6-week training (T2) and four months after completing the training (T3).DiscussionThe results will provide evidence for the feasibility and the efficacy of two online video game interventions at improving mental health and emotional well-being in adolescents with high levels of anxiety. This project will contribute unique knowledge to the field, as few studies have examined the effects of video game play in the context of digital mental health interventions for adolescents.Trial registrationThe trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05923944, June 20, 2023).

Effects of video game play, avatar choice, and avatar power on motivation to prepare for earthquakes

This study investigates the potential for motivating earthquake preparedness through video game play. 112 participants played a custom-built video game for between 5 and 30 min in an experiment involving two avatar selection conditions (choice vs. random assignment) and two avatar power conditions (more vs. fewer resources). We assessed self-reported pre- and post-test changes in levels of self-efficacy, sense of control, outcome expectation, and intent to act relating to 20 earthquake preparedness and response actions. We found that increases in social cognitive variable scores were significantly greater for actions central to game challenges than for actions peripherally or not included in the game. Where avatar characteristics were significant, high power and randomly assigned avatars led to greater increases in social cognitive variable scores. After 7 months, self-reported changes in preparedness increased significantly for 8 out of 10 actions.

A Multimodal Analysis Combining Behavioral Experiments and Survey-Based Methods to Assess the Cognitive Effect of Video Game Playing: Good or Evil?

This study aims to bridge the gap between the discrepant views of existing studies in different modalities on the cognitive effect of video game play. To this end, we conducted a set of tests with different modalities within each participant: (1) Self-Reports Analyses (SRA) consisting of five popular self-report surveys, and (2) a standard Behavioral Experiment (BE) using pro- and antisaccade paradigms, and analyzed how their results vary between Video Game Player (VGP) and Non-Video Game Player (NVGP) participant groups. Our result showed that (1) VGP scored significantly lower in Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) than NVGP (p = 0.023), and (2) VGP showed significantly higher antisaccade error rate than NVGP (p = 0.005), suggesting that results of both SRA and BE support the existing view that video game play has a maleficent impact on the cognition by increasing impulsivity. However, the following correlation analysis on the results across individual participants found no significant correlation between SRA and BE, indicating a complex nature of the cognitive effect of video game play.

Improvement potentials in balance and visuo-motor reaction time after mixed reality action game play: a pilot study

Over the past several decades, there has been much interest regarding the effects of video game play. Research has evaluated the behavioral, cognitive, and psychological effects of video game play, and found individuals who play games using complex and dynamic game settings and require focused attention with quick responses, such as action video games, demonstrate improved cognitive performance. Action video game training has also yielded rehabilitation efficacy for a myriad of patients, such as stroke patients and individuals with vestibular and balance deficits. Recently, new technology platforms have been developed such as mixed reality (MR); however, little to no research has been conducted examining the effects of advanced technology platforms. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether MR game training improved visuo-motor reaction time and balance performances. Fourteen participants (11 male; 18–50 years of age) underwent baseline and post-intervention assessments, and then complete 8 h of MR action game training. Visuo-motor reaction times were obtained via computerized Automated Neurocognitive Assessment Metric testing and balance measures were obtained via Sensory Organizational Testing. Baseline and post-intervention comparisons were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Baseline and post-intervention visuo-motor reaction time and balance comparisons revealed that MR game training yielded significant reaction time improvements (p < 0.05) and vestibular performances (p < 0.05) following game training. Our results suggest visuo-motor reaction time and balance performances were significantly improved following of 8 h of action MR game training.

It's Double Edged: The Positive and Negative Relationships Between the Development of Moral Reasoning and Video Game Play Among Adolescents.

Due to the concerns over the effects of video game play, this study investigated adolescents’ moral development and their video game play. 166 adolescents aged 11–18 years (M = 13.08, SD = 1.91) attending an English school completed an online survey, which included a measure of moral development and questions regarding video game play. In contrast to previous research, male participants were found to have significantly (p = 0.02) higher moral reasoning scores than females. The results also suggested a transition in moral development, which takes place between the ages of 12–14. The results of moral development and video game played suggested both positive and negative relationships. Regression analysis suggested that there was a significant positive relationship between the more types of game genres played and higher moral scores. Although not significant, the results suggested a trend for the following variables; years playing video games, mature content, engagement, moral narrative, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and length of time playing video games which all had a negative relationship with moral scores. The implications of these results are discussed with regards to moral education and the variables involved in video game play, including the role of video game content.

Conceptual models and mental models in operation: Frustration, performance and flow with two different video game controllers

Control devices are an important variable of interest in studies of frustration, aggression, presence and engagement with video games. Findings have been mixed, depending on controller type and associated actions within games. In this study we look at hypothesized outcomes, from the perspective of conceptual models and mental models, in frustration, engagement and performance while playing a driving simulation using two controllers that are based on different conceptual models and have been available for differing amounts of time. Recognizing that conceptual models are exogenous as a part of the device design and mental models operate endogenously to access design features, it was found in this study that there was no difference in frustration or engagement on the basis of conceptual models while performance was better with the older, less-natural, standard-controller. Findings supported the importance of mental models that have developed over time through gaming experience. Frustration, engagement and performance have relationships in this data demonstrating the role and development of mental models. Conceptual models need to be understood in terms of mental models in the study of the effects of video game play and it is suggested that frustration may have a stronger connection to expectation than other technological factors in game play.

No priming in video games

Video games depict a variety of different concepts. Models of learning in games like the GLM (General Learning Model) and GAM (General Aggression Model) predict that exposing players to these in-game concepts can lead to important changes in player behaviour.Priming effects are thought to be key to determining these changes in behaviour. However, recent research has suggested problems with the priming effects that have previously been observed in the video game literature. Indeed, widespread methodological issues with this body of research make it unclear whether priming effects occur at all in video games.Two experiments (total N = 532) investigated whether priming effects still occurred in video games when known confounds in the literature were accounted for. Priming was observed in neither study. However, in both studies a novel negative priming effect was observed instead, in which exposure to a specific concept inhibited players’ reactions to things that were related to that concept.These studies support previous research which indicates there may be serious confounding in the video game literature. They also suggest that the priming-related effects of video games may be overestimated. Finally, they highlight the potential existence of negative priming as an effect of video game play.

Investigation of the Effect of Video Game Play on Cognitive Behaviour using Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Wavelet Transform

This work shows the effect on cognitive performance while playing action video game based on the beta waves variation. The Present work initially shows the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) improvement by using an adaptive noise cancellation technique for suppressing the noise, here is to eliminate the ECG artifact from noisy EEG signal and then the wavelet analysis of EEG signals is done to study the brain activity. EEG signal is acquired experimentally from the subject by using the 10-20 system of electrode placement. In first stage the adaptive noise cancellation technique is implemented with the help of an adaptive filter to remove the artifact and hence to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR). The adaptive algorithm used for the filter is the LMS which is a FIR based digital filter. A synthetic signal is also simulated to give a concept of the effect of the proposed active noise cancellation method to remove the noise or artifact. Synthetic signal analysis shows the suitability of the adaptive noise cancellation technique which is a de-noising tool, and here the de-noised signal is the error signal. Then in second stage, the de-noised signal is processed and the Wavelet Transform is used to provide the information of the β-activity. EEG signals from the frontal and parietal lobes are recorded and the effect is analyzed as the frontal and parietal lobe is associated with reasoning, planning, problem solving and orientation, recognition and perception of stimuli respectively. However, the presence of artifacts like electrocardiogram(ECG) in the EEG signal is a major problem in the study of brain activity. Though it is needed to record cerebral signals, it also records the signals that are not of cerebral origin called artifacts. Artifact removal from EEG signals is essential for better analysis and diagnosis. The EEG signal acquired from a patient is generally noisy and non-stationary by nature. So an adaptive noise cancellation technique is used to remove the artifact and hence the signal to noise ratio of the acquired EEG signal is improved. The EEG signal alone, is acquired from the subject and is used as the reference signal in the ANC noise cancellation technique to get the de-noise EEG signal. Then the de-noised signal is processed and the Wavelet Transform (WT) is used to provide the information of the β-activity. Experiments reveal that the proposed ANC method of noise or artifact removal along with the Wavelet Transform can be used to provide a clear information of the β-activity during the action video game play. The increase in the Beta activity in the eleventh hour of game play than the game play of the first hour indicates increase in cognition due to training in action video game play.

Retraction Notice

The editors of Communication Research, Drs. Gibbs and Knobloch-Westerwick, wish to issue a retraction of the article entitled ““Boom, Headshot!?”: Effect of Video Game Play and Controller Type on Firing Aim and Accuracy” by Jodi L. Whitaker and Brad J. Bushman. This article was first published online on April 30, 2012 and in print in the October 2014 issue of Communication Research (issue 41, pp. 879-891) as doi: 10.1177/0093650212446622 . It should be noted that, to ensure impartiality, Dr. Knobloch-Westerwick was not involved in the preparation of this decision, because she is on the faculty at the same institution as the corresponding author. This retraction is in response to inquiries from Drs. Markey (Villanova U) and Elson (Ruhr U Bochum), in agreement with the corresponding author Dr. Bushman.

From Playing to Programming: The Effect of Video Game Play on Confidence with Computers and an Interest in Computer Science

Research on the effects of playing video games has been limited by a preoccupation with possible negative repercussions. Nevertheless, research has shown that video games can have positive effects on young players’ social lives. The existing body of research, however, has largely ignored the more computer-related aspects of video game play and its effects. This study provides empirical evidence to support theoretical arguments about the relationship between playing video games and computers. The type of scientific thinking encouraged by video games and the technological abilities needed to play video games is suggested to result in an increase in players’ confidence with computers and interest in computer science. These potential relationships are examined using data from over 1,000 undergraduate students to empirically assess the relationship between video game play and: 1) confidence with computers, and 2) interest in computer science. The results indicate that game play is statistically significant as a predictor of confidence and interest. In comparison to the other predictors in the model, the strength of the effect from playing video games is relatively very strong. The findings suggest that exposure to video games as a recreational technology help inform players’ abilities with non-recreational technology and build an interest in technology in general.

Impact of videogame play on the brain's microstructural properties: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses.

Videogame play (VGP) has been associated with numerous preferred and non-preferred effects. However, the effects of VGP on the development of microstructural properties in children, particularly those associated with negative psychological consequences of VGP, have not been identified to date. The purpose of this study was to investigate this issue through cross-sectional and longitudinal prospective analyses. In the present study of humans, we used the diffusion tensor imaging mean diffusivity (MD) measurement to measure microstructural properties and examined cross-sectional correlations with the amount of VGP in 114 boys and 126 girls. We also assessed correlations between the amount of VGP and longitudinal changes in MD that developed after 3.0±0.3 (s.d.) years in 95 boys and 94 girls. After correcting for confounding factors, we found that the amount of VGP was associated with increased MD in the left middle, inferior and orbital frontal cortex; left pallidum; left putamen; left hippocampus; left caudate; right putamen; right insula; and thalamus in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Regardless of intelligence quotient type, higher MD in the areas of the left thalamus, left hippocampus, left putamen, left insula and left Heschl gyrus was associated with lower intelligence. We also confirmed an association between the amount of VGP and decreased verbal intelligence in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. In conclusion, increased VGP is directly or indirectly associated with delayed development of the microstructure in extensive brain regions and verbal intelligence.

Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior

BackgroundPast research has found that playing a classic prosocial video game resulted in heightened prosocial behavior when compared to a control group, whereas playing a classic violent video game had no effect. Given purported links between violent video games and poor social behavior, this result is surprising. Here our aim was to assess whether this finding may be due to the specific games used. That is, modern games are experienced differently from classic games (more immersion in virtual environments, more connection with characters, etc.) and it may be that playing violent video games impacts prosocial behavior only when contemporary versions are used.Methods and FindingsExperiments 1 and 2 explored the effects of playing contemporary violent, non-violent, and prosocial video games on prosocial behavior, as measured by the pen-drop task. We found that slight contextual changes in the delivery of the pen-drop task led to different rates of helping but that the type of game played had little effect. Experiment 3 explored this further by using classic games. Again, we found no effect.ConclusionsWe failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior. Research on the effects of video game play is of significant public interest. It is therefore important that speculation be rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior.

Effects of video-game play on information processing: A meta-analytic investigation

Do video games enhance cognitive functioning? We conducted two meta-analyses based on different research designs to investigate how video games impact information-processing skills (auditory processing, executive functions, motor skills, spatial imagery, and visual processing). Quasi-experimental studies (72 studies, 318 comparisons) compare habitual gamers with controls; true experiments (46 studies, 251 comparisons) use commercial video games in training. Using random-effects models, video games led to improved information processing in both the quasi-experimental studies, d = 0.61, 95% CI [0.50, 0.73], and the true experiments, d = 0.48, 95% CI [0.35, 0.60]. Whereas the quasi-experimental studies yielded small to large effect sizes across domains, the true experiments yielded negligible effects for executive functions, which contrasted with the small to medium effect sizes in other domains. The quasi-experimental studies appeared more susceptible to bias than were the true experiments, with larger effects being reported in higher-tier than in lower-tier journals, and larger effects reported by the most active research groups in comparison with other labs. The results are further discussed with respect to other moderators and limitations in the extant literature.

The Effect of Video Game Play on Performance in a Vigilance Task

Traditional vigilance research typically employs static stimuli presented in discrete trials within a highly structured laboratory setting with few similarities to operational environments. The current study employs a dynamic video game-based environment in which the vigilance task has crucial elements of real world detection tasks, in this case the detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The novel platform for this vigilance task and its similarity to popular video games on the market motivated the current study to compare performance between video game players (VGPs), to non-video game players (NVGPs). The results indicate that, relative to NVGPs, VGPs achieved improved performance on the vigilance task, regardless of whether they received training using knowledge of results (KR).

RETRACTED: “Boom, Headshot!”

The editors of Communication Research, Drs. Gibbs and Knobloch-Westerwick, wish to issue a retraction of the article entitled ““Boom, Headshot!?”: Effect of Video Game Play and Controller Type on Firing Aim and Accuracy” by Jodi L. Whitaker and Brad J. Bushman. This article was first published online on April 30, 2012 and in print in the October 2014 issue of Communication Research (issue 41, pp. 879-891) as doi:10.1177/0093650212446622. It should be noted that, to ensure impartiality, Dr. Knobloch-Westerwick was not involved in the preparation of this decision, because she is on the faculty at the same institution as the corresponding author. This retraction is in response to inquiries from Drs. Markey (Villanova U) and Elson (Ruhr U Bochum), in agreement with the corresponding author Dr. Bushman. A Committee of Initial Inquiry at Ohio State University recommended retracting this article after being alerted to irregularities in some variables of the data set by Drs. Markey and Elson in January 2015. Unfortunately, the values of the questioned variables could not be confirmed because the original research records were unavailable. In 2016, Drs. Markey and Elson sent their report to Dr. Gibbs, one of the editors of Communication Research, who decided that a retraction was warranted. A replication of the study by Dr. Bushman is in review.

The role of selective attention on academic foundations: A cognitive neuroscience perspective

To the extent that selective attention skills are relevant for academic foundations and amenable to training, they represent an important focus for the field of education. Here, drawing on research on the neurobiology of attention, we review hypothesized links between selective attention and processing across three domains important to early academic skills. First, we provide a brief review of the neural bases of selective attention, emphasizing the effects of selective attention on neural processing, as well as the neural systems important to deploying selective attention and managing response conflict. Second, we examine the developmental time course of selective attention. It is argued that developmental differences in selective attention are related to the neural systems important for deploying selective attention and managing response conflict. In contrast, once effectively deployed, selective attention acts through very similar neural mechanisms across ages. In the third section, we relate the processes of selective attention to three domains important to academic foundations: language, literacy, and mathematics. Fourth, drawing on recent literatures on the effects of video-game play and mind-brain training on selective attention, we discuss the possibility of training selective attention. The final section examines the application of these principles to educationally-focused attention-training programs for children.

The effects of videogame playing on the response selection processing of elderly adults.

Within an information processing framework, age-related declines in speeded responding are attributed to one or more stages of processing. It was the purpose of this experiment to demonstrate the potential reversibility of this decline in at least one processing stage, response selection. Two groups of elderly participants (57 to 83 years) were pretested on a two-choice reaction time (RT) task under two levels of spatial stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility, a task demand shown to affect response selection. Following the pretest, one group participated in 7 weeks of videogame play, whereas a second group did not. All participants were posttested on the same two-choice RT task. The results of the analysis of covariance revealed that those elderly individuals who played videogames were faster than the control participants under both levels of S-R compatibility. The effect of videogame play, however, was greater for low compatibility. These results are taken as support for a potential to improve response selection through videogame play.

The Effects of Videogame Play on the Emotional States and Affiliative Behavior of Nursing Home Residents

The impact of videogame play on the emotional states and affiliative behavior of nursing home residents was examined. Experimental group members had an opportunity to play videogames 3 times a week for up to 3 hours per session over a 6 week period. It was found that relative to the control group the experimental group underwent: insignificant changes in their pleasure and dominance states; and, significant changes in their arousal state and affiliative behavior. Furthermore, the amount of change in experimental group members' pleasure state had an insignificant effect on their affiliative behavior. Variations, however, in the amount of change in experimental group members' arousal and dominance states had significant effects on their affiliative behavior. Future research ideas and practical implications of the results are discussed.