Video Games and Their Effects on Well-Being: A Review YEMAYA J. HALBROOK, AISLING T. O DONNELL, RACHEL MSETFI, UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK

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1 Video Games and Their Effects on Well-Being: A Review YEMAYA J. HALBROOK, AISLING T. O DONNELL, RACHEL MSETFI, PEPIJN VAN DE VEN UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK

2 What effects do different aspects of video games have on well-being? Aspects examined: Presence of violence Social interaction Physical activity Frequency of gaming

3 Methods PsychInfo, PsychArticles, Medline, Scopus, and Embase databases Search terms: video game online game active game MMORPG physical social well-being mental health and physical health. All papers in English concerning video games and some aspect of well-being were included Well-being was guided by how each piece of literature individually defined it Narrative approach

4 Violent Video Games and Aggression Experiments with short-term exposure show increases on aggression (e.g. Barlett, Harris, & Baldasarro, 2007) Realistic violence > non-realistic violence > no violence (Barlett & Rodeheffer, 2009) Longitudinal demonstrates preferences for and exposure to VVGs at T1 predicted higher aggression at T2 (e.g. Möller & Krahè, 2009) Quantity of violence over time increased aggression (Greitemeyer & Sagioglou, 2017) In contrast, context and perception of violence influences aggression (Shibuya et al., 2008)

5 Outlet of Aggression Catharsis hypothesis (Feshbach, 1985) Violent video games also shown to be an outlet for anger and frustration (Greitemeyer, 2015) Particularly for adolescent boys (Colwell, 2007) Potentially increase rather than curb aggression (Geen, Stonner, & Shope, 1975)

6 Social Gaming Video games with a social component have shown to have positive effects Social skills (Harrington & O Connell, 2016) Personal relationships (Greitemeyer & Osswald, 2011) Potential alternative for in-person socialization, particularly chatrooms In youth (Kowert, Vogelgesang, Destl, & Quandt, 2015; Shen & Williams, 2011) Populations with physical disabilities or remote locations (Odrowska & Masar, 2014) Negative influence of VVG on aggression counteracted (Gitter, Ewell, Guadagno, Stillman, & Baumeister, 2013) Prosocial behaviour increases (Greitemeyer & Osswald, 2011) Sharing, cooperation, and empathy increases (e.g. Jin & Li, 2014)

7 Exergames Games with physical activity or exercise In young and middle-aged adults, increases physical health (i.e. flexibility, heart rate, etc.) (e.g. Nitz et al., 2009) In older adults (65+) increases in balance (Lee, Taylor, & Ray, 2014) Decreases rates of falling More enjoyable than traditional exercise Potential higher adherence rate (e.g. Bieryla & Dold, 2013)

8 Excessive Gaming Similar to other forms of addiction (Ko, 2014) Stems from obsession with the game (e.g. Lafreniere, Vallerand, Donahue, & Lavigne, 2009) Increases in psychological symptoms Anxiety, depression, loneliness (e.g. Schou Andreassen et al., 2016). Negative impact on relationships Partners, family, and friends (e.g. Northrup & Shumway, 2014) Disruption in daily activities Work and school (e.g. Lafreniere et al., 2009)

9 Further Research Violent video game research to examine aggression at multiple timepoints and exposure participants for longer For both longitudinal and experimental designs Social interaction to measure prosocial behaviour, not word tasks Also measure social activity across various groups Exergames to include control variables Longitudinal studies to determine adherence rates Excessive gaming outcomes measured at multiple timepoints Will help for the comparison of variables

10 Conclusion Violent video games can lead to aggression Also potential outlet Can be counteracted by social components Social gaming has positive benefits Social skills Prosocial behaviour Personal relationships Potential alternative Exergames can increase aspects of physical health Also more enjoyable Excessive gaming negates these positive effects Increase in psychological symptoms Negative impact on relationships Negative impact on work and school life

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12 References Barlett, C., Harris, R., & Baldassaro, R. (2007). Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: Examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play. Aggressive Behavior, 33(6), Barlett, C., & Rodeheffer, C. (2009). Effects of realism on extended violent and nonviolent video game play on aggressive thoughts, feelings, and physiological arousal. Aggressive Behavior, 35(3), Bieryla, K. A. & Dold, N. M. (2013). Feasibility of Wii Fit training to improve clinical measures of balance in older adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 8, Colwell, J. (2007). Needs met through computer game play among adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, Entertainment Software Association. (2017). Essential facts about the computer and video game industry. Feshbach, S. (1984). The catharsis hypothesis, aggressive drive, and the reduction of aggression, Aggressive Behavior, 10, Geen, R. G., Stonner, D., & Shope, G. L. (1975). The facilitation of aggression by aggression: Evidence against the catharsis hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(4), Gitter, S. A., Ewell, P. J., Guadagno, R. E., Stillman, T. F., & Baumeister, R. F. (2013). Virtually justifiable homicide: The effects of prosocial contexts on the link between violent video games, aggression, and prosocial and hostile cognition. Aggressive Behavior, 39,

13 References Greitemeyer, T. (2015). Everyday sadism predicts violent video game preferences. Personality and Individual Differences, 75, Greitemeyer, T. & Osswald, S. (2011). Playing prosocial video games increases the accessibility of prosocial thoughts. The Journal of Social Psychology, 151(2), Greitemeyer, T., & Sagioglou, S. (2017). The longitudinal relationship between everyday sadism and the amount of violent video game play. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, Harrington, B. & O Connell, M. (2016). Video games as virtual teachers: Prosocial video game use by children and adolescents from different socioeconomic groups is associated with increased empathy and prosocial behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, Jin., Y & Li, J. (2017). When newbies and veterans play together: The effect of video game content, context, and experience on cooperation. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, Ko, C-H. (2014). Internet gaming disorder. Current Addiction Reports, 1, Kowert, R., Domahidi, E., Festl, R., & Quandt, T. (2014). Social gaming, lonely life? The impact of digital game play on adolescents social circles. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, Lafrenière, M., Vallerand, R., Donahue, E., & Lavigne, G. (2009). On the costs and benefits of gaming: The role of passion. Cyberpsychology & Behavior: The Impact of the Internet, Multimedia and Virtual Reality on Behavior and Society, 12(3),

14 References Lee, A., Biggan, J. R., Taylor, W., & Ray, C. (2014). The effects of a Nintendo Wii exercise intervention gait in older adults. Activities, Adaptation, and Aging, 38, Möller, I., & Krahé, B. (2009). Exposure to violent video games and aggression in German adolescents: A longitudinal analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 35(1), Nitz, J. C., Kuys, S., Isles, R., & Fu, S. (2009). Is the Wii Fit a new-generation tool for improving balance, health, and wellbeing? A pilot study. Climacteric, 13(5), Northrup, J. C. & Shumway, S. (2014). Gamer widow: A phenomenological study of spouses of online video game addicts. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 42, Odrowska, A.M., & Massar, K. (2014). Predicting guild commitment in World of Warcraft with the investment model of commitment. Computers in Human Behavior, 34, Schou Andreassen, C., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M., Kuss, D., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), Shibuya, A., Sakamoto, A., Ihori, N., & Yukawa, S. (2008). The Effects of the Presence and Contexts of Video Game Violence on Children: A Longitudinal Study in Japan. Simulation & Gaming, 39(4),