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The Multiple Dimensions of Video Game Effects
Author(s) -
Gentile Douglas A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00159.x
Subject(s) - video game , psychology , context (archaeology) , affect (linguistics) , game mechanics , game play , cognitive psychology , social psychology , multimedia , computer science , communication , paleontology , biology
— Video games are at the center of a debate over what is helpful or harmful to children and adolescents, and there is research to substantiate both sides. The existing research suggests that there are at least 5 dimensions on which video games can affect players: the amount of play, the content of play, the game context , the structure of the game, and the mechanics of game play. This article describes each of these 5 dimensions with support from the scientific literature, arguing that this approach can allow people to get beyond the typical “good–bad” dichotomous thinking to have a more nuanced understanding of video game effects and to provide testable hypotheses for future research.