By: Scarlett Davidson, Community Engagement and Partnership Lead at mindyourmind
In-home electronic gaming, also called ‘e-gaming’ (the term I’ll be using hereafter), ‘video gaming’, or simply ‘gaming’, began over 50 years ago (Lowood, 2021)! In addition to its wide array of names, e-gaming has been the subject of a wide amount of controversy. As with many facets of technology, the consensus in research is that e-gaming can have negative and positive impacts. After discussing some of each, I’ll highlight common signs of problematic e-gaming, recommendations for reducing risk, and resources for support.
There is typically little to no discussion of any positive impacts of e-gaming within dominant discourses, so let’s start there! A research review on benefits of e-gaming was done by Granic et al. (2013), which highlighted positive relationships between e-gaming and a variety of cognitive, emotional, and social skills, e.g.:
Evidence-based benefits have even been seen in the use of e-games in mental health treatment. For example, Merry et al. (2012) studied the effects of a video game (SPARX) based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression. Their randomized controlled trial showed the game was as effective in treating depression as a CBT program administered by therapists.
Granic et al. (2013) also contended that such video games could help fill a big gap in the accessibility of traditional mental health interventions (p. 75). Though it was the COVID-19 lockdowns that led to the expansion of virtual mental health care in the last couple of years, this reduced accessibility barriers for innumerable folks who needed these services long before the pandemic. Not only could mental health interventions delivered through e-games increase accessibility and engagement, it would also be incredibly cost-effective and could reduce waitlists.
Studies in the last decade have continued to show benefits of integrating gamification in mental health care (Cheng & Ebrahimi, 2023), which is a monumental exemplification of the positive impacts that e-gaming can have. However, there is no denying that there are a number of negative effects that can arise, too.
I’m sure most people have heard the platitudes about the harms of e-games, particularly that they’re a “leading cause of violence” in younger generations. While the risk of increased aggression and violence absolutely exists, along with other dangerous ethical issues (e.g. sexism and racism) involved, this is true for almost all forms of mainstream media. Consequently, this is a much bigger and more nuanced conversation than what can be squeezed into this article. As such, I’m only going to briefly touch on one negative outcome specific to e-gaming that is being increasingly and empirically researched: the theory of e-gaming addiction.
In 2013, the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) noted “internet gaming disorder” as a condition to further research in order to determine whether it should be listed as a formal disorder in the next edition. In this recommendation, the concept of internet gaming disorder was described as “the compulsive preoccupation some people develop in playing online games, often to the exclusion of other needs and interests” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
In 2018, “gaming disorder” was officially recognized as a diagnosable condition by the World Health Organization (WHO). Their definition was similar to the one proposed by the DSM-5, with an additional trait: “continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences''. Important to note, they stated that individuals with gaming disorders make up only a small fraction of those who play e-games (WHO, 2018). Nonetheless, it’s good to know some of the signs that may indicate a person’s e-gaming has become a problem.
The following suggestions can help reduce the risk of problematic e-gaming in young people:
As expressed in the Negative Impacts section, there are a troubling number of risks and ethical issues entrenched in e-gaming. However, it would be remiss to say it’s inherently harmful or that these issues are unique to just this domain of media.
Aptly said by distinguished scholars Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green, “One can no more say what the effects of video games are, than one can say what the effects of food are” (Bavelier et al., 2011). In other words, e-gaming is not simply “good” or “bad”; there is so much nuance to be accounted for.
Thankfully, more resources are becoming available for folks experiencing negative impacts of e-gaming — some are listed in the next section.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Section III. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Section-III.pdf
Bavelier, Daphne & Green, C & Han, Doug & Renshaw, Perry & Merzenich, Michael & Gentile,
Douglas. (2011). Brains on video games. Nature reviews. Neuroscience. 12. 763-8.
10.1038/nrn3135.
Cheng, C., & Ebrahimi, O. V. (2023). A meta-analytic review of gamified interventions in mental
health enhancement. Computers in Human Behavior, 141, 107621.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107621
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games.
American Psychologist, 69(1), 66–78.
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf
Lowood, H. E. (2021, November). Electronic game. Britannica Encyclopedia. Retrieved January
2023, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/electronic-game
Merry, S. N., Stasiak, K., Shepherd, M., Frampton, C., Fleming, T., & Lucassen, M. F. (2012).
The effectiveness of SPARX, a computerized self help intervention for adolescents
seeking help for depression: Randomised controlled non-inferiority trial. British Medical
Journal, 344, e2598. doi:10.1136/bmj.e2598
World Health Organization. (2018). Gaming disorder. World Health Organization.
Retrieved January 2023, from
https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/frequently-asked-questions/gaming-disorde
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