The Effects of Video Games on Learning: The Negative View

In the last post, I described the positive effects of video games as established by research. Now, I want to describe the negative effects that have been identified by researchers.

In his book Boys Adrift, Leonard Sax (2007) presents a compelling argument that video games rob boys of motivation to learn. Granted, he never actually cites research that proves this, but he cites numerous studies that show a negative correlation between amount of time spent playing games and academic performance (see n. 6 on p. 235). He also reveals that he has not found a single study that shows a positive correlation between academic performance and video game playing.

To support his argument, he also draws on the fact well established by research that violent video games cause aggressive behavior in the players. He argues that video games are so addictive because they satisfy the male need for power and control. To guard against the negative effects of video games, he offers practical guidelines for parents to follow: prohibit video games with graphic violence, especially those that depict killing police officers and noncombatant civilians; limit video games to forty minutes a day on school days and one hour on other days; and do not allow video games to displace other activities and priorities, such as family, schoolwork, and friends.

In their review of the evidence, Barlett, Anderson, and Swing (2009) describe a number of negative effects of video games. As they did with the positive effects, they categorize these as “confirmed,” “suspected,” and “speculative.”

Confirmed Negative Effects

The one negative effect of video games established by the research is that exposure to violent video games is causally related to aggressive thoughts, physiological arousal, aggressive behavior, and antisocial behavior. They note that this causal relation is as well established by research as the causal relation between asbestos exposure and cancer or the relationship between calcium intake and bone mass. They also note that age, sex, socioeconomic status, video game genre, or video game systems are not variables that affect these outcomes.

However there are two variables that heighten the effect. One is depiction of blood, which results in higher levels of physiological arousal, aggressive feelings, and aggressive thoughts. Another is rewarding of violent acts, which also increases these effects.

Suspected Negative Effects

Barlett, Anderson, and Swing (2009) describe five negative outcomes that have substantial empirical support but not enough to confirm causal claims:

1. Violent video game exposure may affect long-term attitudes toward violence.
2. Violent video games are related to desensitization toward violence.
3. Exposure to electronic media (violent and non-educational media in particular), especially in early childhood, is associated with attention disorder diagnosis or the symptoms of attention disorders such as ADHD.
4. Playing violent video games is associated with decreased ability to exert executive control (i.e., behavior consistent with personal goals), which may in turn increase aggressive behavior.
5. Amount of time spent consuming screen media (TV and video games) is negatively associated with school performance. With respect tof college students, the amount of video game play is associated with a lower GPA. The issue here is the amount of time rather than the particular type of media because that time could be spent on activities that would lead to better educational outcomes.

Speculative Negative Effects

The authors speculate that there is a connection between narcissism and violent video game play. Highly narcissistic individuals may behave more aggressively after violent video game play. Also, playing video games that reward violent responses to threats and that encourage narcissistic behavior and attitudes may increase the trait of narcissism.

Conclusion

Most of this research on the negative effects of video games has focused on violence and aggression. But what is the connection between video games and intelligence? Do video games enhance a person’s memory and reasoning abilities or do they harm them? These questions continue to be investigated, especially in connection with video games designed for educational purposes (Stansbury, 2009). In the meantime, parents are advised to screen the video games that their children play and limit the amount of time that they play.

My wife and I, for example, require our son to earn time on his Leapster by performing certain tasks on time, such as getting out of bed, changing his clothes, and brushing his teeth. He is given a poker chip for successful completion of such activites, and he can cash in four chips for one game on his Leapster. This policy provides incentives and rewards for responsible behavior, but it also limits the amount of time that he can spend on his video games. In addition, the video games that he plays teach him reading and math skills. One of the ways that he can earn a chip is by completing three daily tasks on the GoGoLingo website, which teaches Spanish through interactive entertainment. So by playing an educational video game, he works toward the right to play another educational video game.

Sources:

Barlett, C.P., Anderson, C.A., & Swing, E.L. (2009). Video game effects confirmed, suspected, and speculative: A review of the evidence. Simulation & Gaming, 40(3), pp. 377-403.

Sax, L. (2007). Boys adrift: The five factors driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men. New York: Basic Books.

Stansbury, M. (December 18, 2009). Can gaming change education? eSchool News. Accessed December 18, 2009 at http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/12/09/can-gaming-change-education/.