Why are video games all my kids think and talk about?
In association with Alberta Health Services and Recovery Alberta, I recently gave a presentation on the potential benefits, consequences, and motivations associated with playing video games in childhood and adolescence. To access this free presentation, please feel free to visit the Alberta Health Services YouTube page.
For those of you who don’t have the time to watch the presentation, here are some of the important takeaways:
Video games are everywhere
Gaming is a part of our society now. The heavy majority (85%) of individuals aged 13-17 play video games (Gottfried & Sidoti, 2024). They entertain. inspire, distract, connect, and isolate us. While the technologies involved in gaming have progressed quickly and steadily, our knowledge about how games impact us and how to manage our usage has moved slowly. There is still so much we don’t know about the impacts (positive and negative) of video games on our health and development, and helping our children and teens regulate how much they engage with them is an uphill battle. You aren’t alone, and there are ways to make it easier. To understand how something might hurt us, we have to know how it helps us.
What is it about gaming that they like so much?
We need to remember that video games are literally designed to be enjoyable for as many people as possible for as long as possible. They are made to grab and hold your attention for as long as they can, while also increasing the chances you will come and play again and again. In all fairness, they do a really good job. They reward us in ways that feels good, they are highly entertaining, and they engage us more deeply than some other forms of media.
Video games also may provide a means for tapping into some of the most important parts of our development in childhood and adolescence. Childhood is often a time where children want to feel a sense of industry. They want to feel competent, successful, and accepted by others. They are learning new skills and developing their self-worth, which often comes from comparing themselves to others and learning through interacting with one another. Video games may provide a means for them to tangibly see their skills increase, in relation to a topic their peers enjoy, and on a system where they can play and compete with their peers.
Adolescence is a time where we are finding ourselves. We are exploring the world and figuring out who we are, what we care about, and where we fit. Video games may provide a context for us to belong with others, to try out different personas, to express different parts of ourselves, and to test out our values. If you’re a teenager who is afraid of what to do with the rest of your life, gaming and streaming even offer career opportunities. There are a ton of reasons to love gaming, and knowing what makes them good for you and/or your children might help you find the right balance.
How might I tell if my child/ adolescent might be gaming too much?
There are lots of potential benefits and risks associated with playing video games. Overall, I believe we have accepted that there are good things we can get from gaming and that too much isn’t good either. Something I often come back to with parents is: what should I look for to know if gaming is becoming a problem? Here are some symptoms that might suggest that it might be important to take a critical look at gaming:
Playing more that 8 hours/ week
Neglecting personal care and health
Changes in performing/ functioning (e.g., lowering grades, not attending work or school, increased distractibility, etc., )
Isolating themselves from friends and/or family
Increasing anxiety during interpersonal interactions
Mood disturbances after or around gaming
Increased irritability or sadness
Utilizing gaming as a primary means for relieving negative moods
Withdrawing from previously enjoyed activities (while increasing gaming)
Large and steady increases in time spent playing video games
Continues excessive gaming despite negative consequences
So how can I help? What do I do?
If you believe that you or your child/adolescent is spending too much time playing video games, start off by first getting curious about why the games are so appealing at this time. If the games are being used to help with coping and calming then it’s important to develop alternative ways of tuning into and regulating emotions before reducing game time. If being used for social connection, you want to make sure to help them access alternative opportunities and activities for achieving social connection. In order to change, you have to find out what is maintaining the behaviour.
In order to help them with managing their gaming, the following may be beneficial:
Limit gaming to <8 hours per week (1 hour on school days and 2 hours on non-school days) -
Create bedtime routines for transitioning into bed and to sleep that are free of screens
Remove devices from bedrooms (i.e., phones, gaming consoles, etc.,)
Look for warning signs of overuse and changes in functioning/ engagement
Assist children/adolescents in developing and practicing coping/ calming strategies
Collaboratively establish clear rules and expectations around gaming that taking into account:
Times use is permitted before/ after school and weekends/holidays
Tasks to accomplish to earn game time
Appropriate behaviours while gaming
How parents can assist with transitions off games and when to begin shutting games down (e.g., how many prompts for time will parents give, last time online game can be started, etc.,)
Rewards/consequences for following or not following the rules/expectations
In order to help them with establishing a sense of competence, the following may be beneficial:
Help them plan and prioritize their time
Assist them in noticing the patterns of their behaviour (e.g., procrastinating, withdrawing, avoiding, etc.,)
Promote and reduce barriers to trying new activities
Model and teach coping skills for patience and resilience
Help them reflect on the challenges, setbacks, and opportunities they experience. Normalize things not going there way and it not reflecting on if they are good or bad; they are just getting better
Play with them! Let them teach you something
In order to help them with exploring their identities, the following may be beneficial:
Be curious about their gaming and ask about their expeirences
Provide a variety of opportunities for social engagement
Assist with accessing communities of peers they can feel a sense of belonging to
Emphasize that this is a time of exploring their identities and finding out who they are
Help connect them to potential role models
While there is still a lot we don’t know about video games and their long-term impact on our mental and physical health, like most other activities, moderation may likely be the key. With how games are made and the stage of their thinking that children and adolescents are at, we cannot expect that they will fully be able to regulate their gaming effectively without some support or guidance. If you want to know more about this, please feel free to watch the full video at the top of the page. If you still want to know more, please feel free to reach out. This is an ever-expanding topic with many more nuances and individual factors that heavily influence outcomes. Send me an email if you want to know more!
References
Chahal, H., Fung, C., Kuhle, S., & Veugelers, P. J. (2013). Availability and night-time use of electronic entertainment and communication devices are associated with short sleep duration and obesity among Canadian children. Pediatric Obesity, 8(1), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00085.x
Fletcher, S. (2024). What is the treatment for video game addiction? Canadian Centre for Addictions. https://canadiancentreforaddictions.org/what-is-the-treatment-for-video-game-addiction/
Gottfried, J. & Sidoti, O. (2024, May 9). Teens and video games today. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/05/PI_2024.05.09_Video-Games_REPORT.pdf
Petry, N. M. (2024). Healthy limits on video games. https://childmind.org/article/healthy-limits-on-video-games/
Petry, N. M., Rehbein, F., Ko, C. H., & O'Brien, C. P. (2015). Internet Gaming Disorder in the DSM-5. Current Psychiatry Reports, 17(9), 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0610-0
Pirrone, D., van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M., & Peeters, M. (2024). Why we can’t stop: The impact of rewarding elements in videogames on adolescents’ problematic gaming. Media Psychology, 27(3), 379-400. https://doi.org/1080/15213269.2023.2242260
Prot, S., Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., Brown, S. C., & Swing, E. L. (2014). The positive and negative effects of video game play. In A. B. Jordan & D. Romer (Eds.), Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents (pp. 109-129). Oxford. https://drdouglas.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/14PAGBS.pdf