Research On The Multiple Dimensions Of Video Game Effects

From an 11 May 2011 Medical News Today article

Douglas Gentile is painfully aware of how research on the effects of video games on kids is often oversimplified to say that games are either “good” or “bad.” The associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University has had his own research typecast on the “bad” side with studies on violent video game’s effects and video game addiction, even though he’s also done studies demonstrating the benefits of games.

A new article by Gentile appearing in the journal Child Development Perspectives argues that existing video game literature can’t be classified in black and white terms.

[The abstract of the journal article may be found here.

For suggestions on how to get the full text of the article for free or at low cost, click here]

Instead, there’s a vast grey area when considering the multiple dimensions of video game effects on children and adolescents.

Gentile writes that there are at least five dimensions on which video games can affect players simultaneously – amount of play, content of play, game context, structure of the game, and the mechanics of game play. …

Click here to read the rest of the article

Related articles

• Careful with Violent Video Games (brain4biz.wordpress.com)
• Can focus on Video Games and Visual Effects enhance STEM education efficiency? (computinged.wordpress.com)
• Video games effective treatment for stroke patients: study (eurekalert.org)
• Video Memory Game Shown to Boost Kids’ Brain Power (news.yahoo.com)
• Training Via Video Game Shown to Boost Kids’ Brain Power (nlm.nih.gov)

Not Just the Newest Toys Hold Risks for Kids

Not Just the Newest Toys Hold Risks for Kids

Danger lurks among tricycles as well as battery- and magnet-loaded gadgets, experts warn

From the December 17 Health Day news item

FRIDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) — Toys today are often cutting-edge wonders, loaded with gadgets and gizmos. But as toys become more sophisticated, they often pose new dangers for children that safety experts urge parents and gift-givers to consider.

Tiny magnets, powerful batteries and laser lights are among the features on modern toys that can be just as dangerous as small parts and sharp edges have always been…..

Choking hazards have long been a leading cause of death in children, prompting the creation of warning labels detailing small parts and recommending minimum ages for certain toys….

But in recent years, riding toys have proven to be the most dangerous type of toy on the market, according to the consumer agency. They were associated with the most deaths in 2008: Two children on tricycles were hit by a motor vehicle, and two others drowned after riding their tricycle into a pool. Other types of non-motorized riding toys accounted for another five deaths…..

…..Parents also should be mindful of new dangers presented by modern toys. For example, many toys contain small but powerful magnets, and “magnets have proven to be incredibly dangerous,” Weintraub said.

The hazard comes when a child swallows more than one magnet. The magnets can stick together through the walls of the child’s digestive tract, potentially causing internal tears or blockages. “It can rip through a child’s intestines,” she said.”

Small batteries contained in toys present another danger to children. If swallowed, the batteries can lodge in the esophagus and cause a potentially fatal burn as the battery’s current eats through the body’s internal tissues. Medical experts whose research on battery hazards appeared in the June Pediatrics found that a swallowed battery has to be removed from the child’s esophagus within two hours to prevent serious injury or death.

“Consumers Union performed a presentation where they put a piece of ham on a battery and it burned through,” Weintraub said.

Laser pointers and toys with laser attachments also present a risk. A 15-year-old Swiss boy playing with a laser pointer accidentally beamed the laser into his eyes, permanently damaging his vision, according to a letter published Sept. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Even video games have their problems. Too much play can create eyestrain, Kehoe said.

“If you do anything too much, it’s not good for you,” he said. “Children should not spend more than 20 to 30 minutes playing a video game without taking a visual break.”

Parents who want to make sure toys remain fun and treasured possessions rather than potentially dangerous devices should follow a few key suggestions, according to Weintraub, Kehoe and Prevent Blindness America:

• Follow the age recommendations listed on toy packaging. The recommendations now are available on toys advertised over the Internet as well, Weintraub said.
• Consider how a child plays with and interacts with toys. For example, if the youngster still places objects in his or her mouth, be keenly aware of potential choking hazards on any toys.
• Make sure that battery-powered toys keep the batteries in compartments that cannot be easily opened by children.
• Don’t buy any magnetic toys for children who are still placing objects in their mouth.
• Examine all toys for loose parts and sharp points or edges.
• When buying a riding toy, also provide all the proper protective equipment and make sure it is worn. Supervise the child’s play on riding toys at all times.
• Don’t buy costume jewelry for a child. “Metal children’s jewelry has been such an ongoing problem in terms of high levels of lead and cadmium that we recommend that people not purchase it and children not play with it,” Weintraub said.

SOURCES: Rachel Weintraub, director, product safety, Consumer Federation of America; Peter Kehoe, O.D., optometrist, Peoria, Ill.; June 2010Pediatrics; Sept. 9, 2010, New England Journal of Medicine

 

 

Violent Video Games Don’t Predict Aggressive Behavior

Violent Video Games Don’t Predict Aggressive Behavior
New study takes issue with current thinking, points to depression instead

From the December 17 2010 Health Day News item by Robert Preidt

FRIDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to violent video games or television shows is not a strong predictor of aggression or violence among youth, says a new study from Texas A&M International University.

Instead, it found that depression influences children and teens levels of aggression and violence.

The study’s dismissal of violent video games as a risk factor in aggression contrasts to some other recent findings, including an analysis of 130 studies on video games and violence released in March by researchers at Iowa State University and colleagues. That analysis concluded the evidence strongly suggests that playing violent video games increases aggressive thoughts and behaviors and reduces empathy….

…

After the researchers adjusted for such variables as exposure to domestic violence, bullying and depressive symptoms, they found exposure to violence in video games or television was not a strong predictor of aggressive behavior or rule-breaking, concluded investigator Dr. Christopher Ferguson, of Texas A&M International University.

However, depressive symptoms were a strong predictor for aggression and rule breaking and their influence was particularly strong in young people with preexisting antisocial personality disorders.

“Depressive symptoms stand out as particularly strong predictors of youth violence and aggression, and therefore current levels of depression may be a key variable of interest in the prevention of serious aggression in youth. The current study finds no evidence to support a long-term relationship between video game violence use and subsequent aggression. Even though the debate over violent video games and youth violence will continue, it must do so with restraint,” Ferguson wrote.

The study was published online in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Related articles

• Youth Violence Symptom of Untreated Depression – Not Video Games (brain4biz.wordpress.com)
• Do Violent Video Games Really Make Us Violent(Medical News Today)?

  “Drs Simon Goodson and Sarah Pearson, who both lecture in Psychology, have revealed how playing a sporting video game is more emotionally evocative than a violent one.”

• Careful with Violent Video Games (brain4biz.wordpress.com)
• Influence of Media Violence on Youth (Psychological Science in the Public Interest)
• Play Violent Video Games, Just Don’t Think About Them (fyiliving.com)
• Research On The Multiple Dimensions Of Video Game Effects (May 10, 2011, Medical News Today)”A new article by Gentile appearing in the journal Child Development Perspectivesargues that existing video game literature can’t be classified in black and white terms. Instead, there’s a vast grey area when considering the multiple dimensions of video game effects on children and adolescents.Gentile writes that there are at least five dimensions on which video games can affect players simultaneously – amount of play, content of play, game context, structure of the game, and the mechanics of game play. “

• REPORT – Gamers May Not be Desensitized by Violent Video Games (gonintendo.com)
• Do Video Games Hone Players’ Killer Instincts? Not So Much (reason.com)
• War: It’s not like a video game (preternaturalpost.wordpress.com)
• What you don’t know can hurt you: Violence, catharsis, and video games (psychologytoday.com)

Video Game Teaches Young Students Emergency Preparedness

“The Day the Earth Shook” is a video game which the Illinois Emergency
Management agency has created to teach young people about earthquake
safety.
http://www.iema.illinois.gov/iema/EarthquakeGame/Welcome.html

Video Games Not Harmful to Most Teens: Study

But a minority of ‘problem gamers’ may embrace unhealthy ways, research suggests

From a November 15, 2010 Health Day news item

MONDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDay News) — Most teens who play video games don’t fall into unhealthy behaviors, but an “addicted” minority may be more likely to smoke, use drugs, fight or become depressed, a new Yale University study suggests.

The findings add to the large and often conflicting body of research on the effects of gaming on children, particularly its link to aggressive behavior. However, this study focused on the association of gaming with specific health behaviors, and is one of the first to examine problem gaming.

“The study suggests that, in and of itself, gaming does not appear to be dangerous to kids,” said study author Rani Desai, an associate professor of psychiatry and public health at the Yale University School of Medicine. “We found virtually no association between gaming and negative health behaviors, particularly in boys.”

“However, a small but not insignificant proportion of kids find themselves unable to control their gaming,” she said. “That’s cause for concern because that inability is associated with a lot of other problem behaviors.”

The study was published Nov. 15 in the online edition of Pediatrics.

 

 

Violent Media Can Desensitize the Minds of Young Males

 

Study found repeated exposure dampened their reaction to seeing aggression

Excerpts from a Health Day news item

TUESDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) — The more adolescent boys absorb violence in media such as movies, television shows and video games, the less sensitive certain areas of their brains become to these images, researchers report.

And those areas of the brain are the ones involved in controlling aggression, notes a study published Oct. 19 in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

It’s possible that these boys might become more aggressive later in life (although the study didn’t actually track this), but a larger societal desensitization may be taking place that might be even more troublesome, the researchers said.

“There are always going to be people who are violent no matter what they’re exposed to,” said study senior author Jordan Grafman. “What’s even more dangerous is when society accepts such behaviors. . . If something becomes acceptable, then those who are creating the violence and aggressive behavior are allowed to get away with it more because society is not going to police it as much.”

Prior studies have indicated that violent media can make people more violent, but this is one of the first studies into how that mechanism plays out in the brain.

Full article in the October 19th issue of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
Article is available only by paid subscription. The article may be available at or through a local public, academic, or medical library. A library fee may be charged. Ask a reference librarian for details on how to obtain this and other medical/science journal articles.