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In recent years, video games have emerged as a popular form of media entertainment. According to the Pew Research Center, 49% of Americans report playing video games and 10% identify as "gamers" or those people who spend a majority of their media use playing video games (Duggan, 2015). People can play video games on a variety of devices, including video game consoles, televisions, computers, and smartphones. While the definition of video games has changed over time because of technological developments, in general, researchers understand video games as interactive electronic games that allow users to manipulate images on the screen (Wolf & Perron, 2014). Designers and scholars classify video games by both their technical elements, or what games allow users to do, as well as their genres. Video game genres include first-person shooter games (such as Call of Duty), puzzle games (such as Tetris), sandbox games (such as The Sims), casual games (such as Candy Crush Saga), and roleplaying games (such as Dungeons and Dragons). [Descriptions of video games mentioned in this paper appear in the appendix on pages 22-24.]
Video games have come under a spotlight because of debates about both their positive and negative impacts. Educators often laud the benefits that students gain from playing video games, especially from their potential for developing problem-solving skills and spatial reasoning, essential skills in 21st century learning (Gee, 2008; Prensky, 2006). Additionally, video games may help players to develop pro-social skills, such as empathy and tolerance (Greitemeyer, Osswald, & Brauer, 2010). However, in addition to acknowledging the potential positive effects of video games, people have raised concern about the anti-social impacts of playing video games. There is much debate about whether playing violent video games can cause people to be more violent and aggressive (Vieira & Krcmar, 2011). Those concerned about the effects of video games also argue that playing video games can lead to social isolation and negatively affect mental health. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) recently added Internet Gaming Disorder, or gaming addiction, as a condition in which someone has an unhealthy preoccupation with online video games (American Psychiatric Association, 2018).
In addition to anxieties over negative psychological and behavioral effects of video games, some have expressed concern about the how...