Needs met through computer game play among adolescents

Medical Students' Perceptions of Play and Learning: Qualitative Study With Focus Groups and Thematic Analysis

Background

In times where distance learning is becoming the norm, game-based learning (GBL) is increasingly applied to health profession education. Yet, decisions for if, when, how, and for whom GBL should be designed cannot be made on a solid empirical basis. Though the act of play seems to be intertwined with GBL, it is generally ignored in the current scientific literature.

Objective

The objective of our study was to explore students’ perceptions of play in leisure time and of GBL as part of a mechanistic, bottom-up approach towards evidence-informed design and implementation of GBL in health profession education.

Methods

We conducted 6 focus group discussions with medical and dentistry students, which were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results

A total of 58 students participated. We identified 4 major themes based on the students’ perception of play in leisure time and on the combination of play and learning. Our results indicate that, while play preferences were highly various in our health profession student cohort, pleasure was the common ground reported for playing. Crucially, play and the serious act of learning seemed paradoxical, indicating that the value and meaning of play are strongly context-dependent for students.

Conclusions

Four key points can be constructed from our study. First, students play for pleasure. Perceptions of pleasure vary considerably among students. Second, students consider play as inefficient. Inefficiency will only be justified when it increases learning. Third, play should be balanced with the serious and only be used for difficult or tedious courses. Fourth, GBL activities should not be made compulsory for students. We provide practical implications and directions for future research.

The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning

Action video gaming (AVG) experience has been found related to sensorimotor and attentional development. However, the influence of AVG experience on the development of emotional perception skills is still unclear. Using behavioral and ERP measures, this study examined the relationship between AVG experience and the ability to decode emotional faces and emotional word meanings. AVG experts and amateurs completed an emotional word-face Stroop task prior to (the pregaming phase) and after (the postgaming phase) a 1 h AVG session. Within-group comparisons showed that after the 1 h AVG session, a more negative N400 was observed in both groups of participants, and a more negative N170 was observed in the experts. Between-group comparisons showed that the experts had a greater change of N170 and N400 amplitudes across phases than the amateurs. The results suggest that both the 1 h and long-term AVG experiences may be related to an increased difficulty of emotional perception. Furthermore, certain behavioral and ERP measures showed neither within- nor between-group differences, suggesting that the relationship between AVG experience and emotional perception skills still needs further research.

A Gamified, Social Media-Inspired, Web-Based Personalized Normative Feedback Alcohol Intervention for Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer-Identified Women: Protocol for a Hybrid Trial

BACKGROUND

Sexual minority women are more likely to drink alcohol, engage in heavy drinking, and experience alcohol-related problems than heterosexual women. However, culturally tailored interventions for this population have been slow to emerge.

OBJECTIVE

This type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial examines the feasibility and efficacy of a gamified, culturally tailored, personalized normative feedback (PNF) alcohol intervention for sexual minority women who psychologically identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer (LBQ).

METHODS

The core components of a PNF intervention were delivered within LezParlay, a fun, social media-inspired, digital competition designed to challenge negative stereotypes about LBQ women and increase visibility. The competition was advertised on the web through social media platforms and collaboration with LBQ community organizations. After 2 rounds of play by a large cohort of LBQ women, a subsample of 500 drinkers already taking part in the competition were invited to participate in the evaluation study. Study participants were randomized to receive 1 of 3 unique sequences of PNF (ie, alcohol and stigma coping, alcohol and control, or control topics only) over 2 intervention rounds. Randomization was fully automated by the web app, and both researchers and participants were blinded.

RESULTS

Analyses will evaluate whether PNF on alcohol use reduces participants' drinking and negative consequences at 2 and 4 months postintervention; examine whether providing PNF on stigma-coping behaviors, in addition to alcohol use, further reduces alcohol use and consequences beyond PNF on alcohol alone; identify mediators and moderators of intervention efficacy; and examine broader LezParlay app engagement, acceptability, and perceived benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

This incognito intervention approach is uniquely oriented toward engaging and preventing alcohol-related risks among community populations of LBQ women who may view their heavy drinking as normative and not in need of change because of the visibility of alcohol use in sexual minority community spaces. Thus, this intervention strategy diverges from, and is intended to complement, more intensive programs being developed to meet the needs of LBQ women already motivated to reduce their consumption.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03884478; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03884478.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/24647.

The effects of video racing games on risk-taking in consideration of the game experience

In the present study, we attempted to investigate whether it is the game experience that underlies processes leading to increased risk-taking while playing video racing games (VRGs). The aim of the study was to examine the indirect effect of playing VRGs on risky driving behaviour through various dimensions of the game experience. Thus, we examined the subjective experience of participants playing various VRGs and questioned whether this influenced subsequent driving behaviour. The results of the present study show that aspects of the playing experience, in particular “flow” and “competence”, appear to be important in the regulation of risk appetite. It can be assumed that, rather than the mere playing of VRGs, the type of game experience during play is determinant for subsequent risk propensity while driving.

Can Videogames Be Used to Promote Emotional Intelligence in Teenagers? Results from EmotivaMente, a School Program

Objective: To carry out and investigate the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence (EI) training based on the EI ability model, using videogames as experience-based learning tools to increase EI abilities in adolescents. Materials and Methods: A pre-/post-test/follow-up quasi-experimental design was used with an experimental and a control group (121 adolescents, 15.7% boys, mean age of 14.1 years). The training called "EmotivaMente" consisted of eight sessions lasting 1.5 hours each, conducted with six first-year classes of two Italian senior high schools. Data on emotional competences were collected at baseline, at the end of the training and 3 months later. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Students who participated in the EI training reported an improvement in the evaluation and expression of emotions in relation to the self (own emotions) compared with the control group, immediately after the training, but this difference did not persist at the follow-up (3 months later). Furthermore, EmotivaMente found an increase in the use of cognitive revaluation as a strategy of emotion regulation in the experimental group over time. Conclusions: EmotivaMente helped adolescents to improve emotional skills. Results confirmed that videogames can be useful to promote EI in adolescents at school, if integrated with a guided and assisted framework. Implication of the findings and recommendations for future research are made.

Video Games and Stress: How Stress Appraisals and Game Content Affect Cardiovascular and Emotion Outcomes

Although previous studies have found that video games induce stress, studies have not typically measured all salient indicators of stress responses including stress appraisals, cardiovascular indicators, and emotion outcomes. The current study used the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat (Blascovich and Tomaka, 1996) to determine if video games induce a cardiovascular stress response by comparing the effects of threat and challenge appraisals across two types of video games that have shown different cardiovascular outcomes. Participants received challenge or threat appraisal instructions, and played a fighting game (Mortal Kombat) or a puzzle game (Tetris). Study outcomes were heart rate variability, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and positive and negative emotion ratings measured before, during and after gameplay. Results indicated that threat appraisal instructions increased negative emotion ratings and decreased heart rate variability, but not blood pressure, which is an essential marker for cardiovascular stress responses. Increased blood pressure and decreased heart rate variability was associated with fighting game players when compared with the puzzle game players, indicating a cardiovascular stress response; however, fighting game players also reported higher positive emotion ratings. Based on the study findings, video games do not induce stress responses like mental stressors used in previous research, demonstrating that the interactive player experience in video gaming may have more complex effects on stress outcomes. Future research should comprehensively measure biopsychosocial stress indicators and multiple emotional states over time to fully examine the relationship between video games and stress.

How Is Frustration Related to Online Gamer Loyalty? A Synthesis of Multiple Theories

Online games can frustrate their gamers, but little was known about how such frustration impacts gamer loyalty. Because novice and experienced gamers may respond differently to frustration, this study investigates how gamers' frustration influences their loyalty and how this influence may differ between novice and experienced gamers. Because of the complexity of this issue, multiple theories were synthesized to develop the theoretical model. This study collected responses from 558 online gamers. Findings indicate that frustration is positively related to novice gamers' participation in task teams, and subsequently their loyalty. However, frustration is negatively related to the self-efficacy of experienced gamers and to their loyalty.

Non-Digital Game Playing by Older Adults

Research on video games' effect on cognition and behaviour has been extensive, yet little research has explored non-digital forms of game playing, especially among older adults. As part of a larger survey on game playing, 886 respondents (≥ age 55) filled out questionnaires about non-digital game play. The study aims were to determine perceived benefits of non-digital game play and to determine socio-demographic factors that might predict perceived benefits. Survey results indicate that non-digital game playing is social in nature and common (73% of respondents) among older adults. Older adults play for fun, but also to help maintain their cognition. Regression analyses indicated various socio-demographic factors - age, education, gender, and race - were independently associated with perceived benefits from game playing. The results thus emphasize the importance of non-digital game playing in this population and suggest that efforts to facilitate game playing may improve social interactions and quality of life.

Enjoyment: A Conceptual Exploration and Overview of Experimental Evidence in the Context of Games for Health

Enjoyment is consistently noted as important for engaging audiences in games for health. However, as a term, enjoyment is often used interchangeably with a host of other terms, some of which overlap conceptually. This obscures what does and what does not constitute enjoyment, and in turn slows scientific progress by making the study of enjoyment and the synthesis of enjoyment-related research difficult. This article is aimed at improving our understanding of enjoyment by distinguishing enjoyment from other important constructs, such as fun and engagement, and by providing an overview of the experimental evidence on the determinants of enjoyment in videogames. Competence, narrative transportation, and relevance are identified as key factors related to enjoyment, and future studies examining these factors using games for health are recommended.

Do Angry Birds Make for Angry Children? A Meta-Analysis of Video Game Influences on Children’s and Adolescents’ Aggression, Mental Health, Prosocial Behavior, and Academic Performance

The issue of whether video games—violent or nonviolent—“harm” children and adolescents continues to be hotly contested in the scientific community, among politicians, and in the general public. To date, researchers have focused on college student samples in most studies on video games, often with poorly standardized outcome measures. To answer questions about harm to minors, these studies are arguably not very illuminating. In the current analysis, I sought to address this gap by focusing on studies of video game influences on child and adolescent samples. The effects of overall video game use and exposure to violent video games specifically were considered, although this was not an analysis of pathological game use. Overall, results from 101 studies suggest that video game influences on increased aggression ( r = .06), reduced prosocial behavior ( r = .04), reduced academic performance ( r = −.01), depressive symptoms ( r = .04), and attention deficit symptoms ( r = .03) are minimal. Issues related to researchers’ degrees of freedom and citation bias also continue to be common problems for the field. Publication bias remains a problem for studies of aggression. Recommendations are given on how research may be improved and how the psychological community should address video games from a public health perspective.

Gaming well: links between videogames and flourishing mental health

This paper is a review of the state of play of research linking videogaming and flourishing, and explores the role of videogames and technology to improve mental health and well-being. Its purpose is to develop understandings about the positive intersection of gaming and well-being, to document evidence regarding links between videogames and positive mental health, and to provide guidelines for use by other researchers as they design and use tools and games to improve mental health and well-being. Using Huppert's (Huppert and So, 2013) proposition that to flourish is more than the absence of mental disorder but rather a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively, resulting in high levels of mental well-being, and Seligman's (Seligman, 2011) PERMA theory of well-being, the paper identifies strengths in existing games that generate positive affect, positive functioning, and positive social functioning, contributing to, and supporting mental health and well-being.

The Relationship of Computer Games and Reported Anger in Young People

Playing computer games is a routine activity for most young people today. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of time spent playing computer games, the violence of the game, and self-reported anger of students in North Cyprus. Four hundred participants between the ages of 15–18 completed the State-Trait Anger and the Anger Expression questionnaire, together with a section on gaming. The results showed that most (43%) students played computer games 3–4 days a week, with many (31.5%) playing every day. It was found that students who played computer games for 2–3 hours a day scored higher on expressed anger than those who played for less than half an hour a day. Those young people who preferred to play action, adventure, fight and strategy games were found to have reported higher levels of anger than those who played other types of computer games. The implications for guidance counsellors, parents and teachers are discussed.

Perceptions, quality and motivational needs in image tagging human computation games

Human computation games (HCGs) are applications that use games to harness human intelligence to perform various computational tasks. That is, users perform computations as a byproduct of being entertained while playing a game. Such games are increasing in popularity and it is critical to examine how different types of HCG affect players’ perceptions and performance. In addition, understanding their motivational appeal to different players is also important to good HCG design. In the present research, we focus on image tagging HCGs, where users play games to generate keywords for images. Three versions were created: a collaborative HCG which required players to cooperate, a competitive HCG where players worked against each other, and a control non-game manual tagging application. The applications were evaluated to uncover the quality of the tags, users’ perceptions of these variants, and the influence of motivational needs on usage intention. Results suggest that, while participants reported liking the collaborative and competitive HCGs over the control application, those using the latter seemed to generate better quality tags. Further, using the trichotomy of needs theory, we found that an individual’s need for achievement and power influenced intention to use the various applications.

The Hitman Study

This article explores commonly discussed theories of violent video game effects: the social learning, mood management, and catharsis hypotheses. An experimental study was carried out to examine violent video game effects. In this study, 103 young adults were given a frustration task and then randomized to play no game, a nonviolent game, a violent game with good versus evil theme (i.e., playing as a good character taking on evil), or a violent game in which they played as a “bad guy.” Results indicated that randomized video game play had no effect on aggressive behavior; real-life violent video game-playing history, however, was predictive of decreased hostile feelings and decreased depression following the frustration task. Results do not support a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior, but do suggest that violent games reduce depression and hostile feelings in players through mood management.

Young children's video/computer game use: relations with school performance and behavior

This study examined the amount and content of children's video game playing in relation with behavioral and academic outcomes. Relationships among playing context, child gender, and parental monitoring were explored. Data were obtained through parent report of child's game play, behavior, and school performance. Results revealed that time spent playing games was related positively to aggression and negatively to school competence. Violent content was correlated positively and educational content negatively with attention problems. Educational games were related to good academic achievement. Results suggest violent games, and a large amount of game play, are related to troublesome behavioral and academic outcomes, but educational games may be related to positive outcomes. Neither gender nor parental monitoring emerged as significant moderators of these effects.

Relationships between electronic game play, obesity, and psychosocial functioning in young men

Most estimates suggest that American youth are spending a large amount of time playing video and computer games, spurring researchers to examine the impact this media has on various aspects of health and psychosocial functioning. The current study investigated relationships between frequency of electronic game play and obesity, the social/emotional context of electronic game play, and academic performance among 219 college-aged males. Current game players reported a weekly average of 9.73 hours of game play, with almost 10% of current players reporting an average of 35 hours of play per week. Results indicated that frequency of play was not significantly related to body mass index or grade point average. However, there was a significant positive correlation between frequency of play and self-reported frequency of playing when bored, lonely, or stressed. As opposed to the general conception of electronic gaming as detrimental to functioning, the results suggest that gaming among college-aged men may provide a healthy source of socialization, relaxation, and coping.