Introduction

Video gaming is a very popular leisure activity among adults . The amount of time spent playing
video games has increased steadily, from 5.1 h/week in 2011 to 6.5 h/week in 2017 Video
gaming is known to have some benefits such as improving focus, multitasking, and working
memory, but it may also come with costs when it is used heavily. By spending a predominant
part of the day gaming, excessive video gamers are at risk of showing lower educational and
career attainment, problems with peers, and lower social skills . On the one hand, video game
use is widespread, and it may come with certain precursors as well as consequences. On the
other hand, little is known about the relations between various video gaming habits and
psychological functioning. This study aims to shed light on these important relations using a
large sample. A video game is defined as “a game which we play thanks to an audiovisual
apparatus and which can be based on a story” In the last few years, the amount of scientific
research devoted to video game playing has increased . Most scientific studies in this area of
research have focused on the extent of video game play and its diverse correlates. While some
researchers have emphasized the benefits of game playing and even suggested a therapeutic use
of video games ; ), others have been intrigued by its potential dangers Parents and professionals
may be worried about their excessively playing children being “addicted.” However, problematic
and potentially addictive video game use goes beyond the extent of playing (in hours per week It
also includes such issues as craving, loss of control, and negative consequences of excessive
gaming. While it is still a matter of debate whether problematic video game play should be
considered a behavioral addiction, its status as a mental disorder has been clarified since the
release of the DSM-5 in 2013. In the DSM-5, the  defined Internet Gaming Disorder with
diagnostic criteria closely related to Gambling Disorder. Generally, this decision has been
supported by many researchers but has also caused controversies. Researchers have criticized
the selection of diagnostic criteria and the vague definition of the Internet Gaming
Disorder construct, which excludes offline games from being related to addictive use Several
studies, literature reviews, and meta-analyses have focused on the correlates of problematic
video gaming, usually assessed as a continuum with addiction marking the upper end of the
scale . The degree of addictive video game use has been found to be related to personality traits
such as low self-esteem and low self-efficacy , anxiety, and aggression and even to clinical
symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders Potential consequences of video game use have
been identified as well, such as a lack of real-life friends stress and maladaptive coping lower
psychosocial well-being and loneliness psychosomatic problems and decreased academic
achievement Effect sizes have varied widely across studies There seem to be sex and age
differences with regard to video gaming behavior: potentially problematic video gaming was
found to be more likely among males than females and among younger gamers In addition to
looking at problematic video game use and its relation to psychological functioning, it is relevant
to also focus on why individuals play video games. Players use video games for very different
reason such as to distract themselves from daily hassles or because they enjoy the social
relationships they have developed in the virtual world. Potentially problematic video gaming has
been found to be related to various reasons for playing such as coping and escape socialization
(), and personal satisfaction Coping (l), social interaction, and competition were among the
main reasons for gaming among males but not among females Mixed results emerged
concerning age differences but especially younger gamers seemed to be motivated for video
gaming by social interactions However, so far it remains unclear to what extent people’s various
reasons for playing video games are differentially related to their psychological
functioning.Besides investigating the links between potentially problematic video game use and
psychological functioning as well as between reasons for playing video games and psychological
functioning, it is relevant to also look at which game genres individuals prefer. Correlates of
preferences for certain game genres (e.g., simulation, strategy, action, role-playing) are cognitive
enhancemen but also the amount of time spent playing and psychopathological symptoms
Males were shown to prefer action and strategy games, whereas females showed a preference for
games of skill Younger gamers seemed to prefer action games, older players more so games of
skill However, it is not yet understood to what extent preferences for certain video game genres
are differentially related to psychological functioning. Typically, research has focused merely on
violent video games or one specific game within one specific game genre (frequently World of
Warcraft thereby neglecting the variety of possible gaming habits across various game genres.
In the present study, our objective was to examine the relation between video gaming and
psychological functioning in a fine-grained manner. For this purpose, we examined
psychological functioning by employing various variables such as psychological symptoms,
coping strategies, and social support. Likewise, we assessed

video gaming in a similarly detailed way, ranging from (a) problematic video game use, (b) the
reasons for playing, to (c) the preferred game genres. This strategy prevented us from making
potentially invalid generalizations about video gaming in general and allowed us to examine the
spectrum of gaming habits and the respective relations between such habits and a diverse set of
variables representing psychological functioning.Playing video games excessively should be
appealing to individuals with poor psychological functioning because games allow people to
avoid their everyday problems and instead immerse themselves in another environment
Moreover, video games offer people a chance to connect with other people socially despite any
more or less evident psychological problems they may have On the other hand, potentially
problematic video game use may also lead to psychological problems because it reduces the
amount of time and the number of opportunities gamers have to practice real-life behavior
Thus, we expected to find a negative correlation between problematic video gaming and
variables representing psychological functioning such that we expected more potentially
problematic video game use to be related to dysfunctional coping strategies negative affectivity
and poor school performance Moreover, we expected to find differential correlates of people’s
reasons for playing video games and their psychological functioning: Playing for escape-oriented
reasons such as distraction should go along with diverse indices of poor psychological
functioning whereas playing for gain-oriented reasons such as the storyline or the social
connections in the game should be related to adequate psychological functioning Also, we
expected to find people’s preferred game genres (e.g., strategy, action) to be differentially related
to their psychological functioning Finally, we aimed to shed light on the unique contribution of
each measure of psychological functioning to the prediction of problematic video game use.
 Background of study
There's no doubt that video games are popular among children, teens and adults. The latest
games and newest consoles often top wish lists and dominate talk at school and around the
dinner table. However, that interest may bring concern to parents who wonder if video games,
particularly those that feature violence or fighting, can affect their child's behavior.you have
probably heard about the latest video game phenomenon: Fortnite. In the game’s Battle Royale
mode, up to 100 players parachute into a small island, scavenge for armor and weapons, and
then kill or hide from other players in an attempt to be the lone survivor. The game’s cartoonish
violence and quirky features–including costumes and custom dance moves–have attracted
more than 125 million players across all the globe since its release last September. While not
overly gory, the premise for Fortnite is inherently violent; the primary goal is to kill other players.
The popularity of these types of games, and this one in particular, raises clear questions about
the effects of violent gaming. Specifically, do violent video games lead to real-life violence?

 Large analyses of violent crime and video violent game use find no evidence that
increased sales of violent video games leads to a spike in violent crimes. Researchers
make the case that if violent games directly led to violent behavior, the data would show
increases in violent crime on a large-scale as more people played violent games. In
fact, there is some evidence that as more youth play video games, rates of youth
violence have decreased.
 A recent analysis finds that research on video games is prone to false positives and
false negatives, which leads to faulty conclusions.

 Another review finds that much of the research on violence and video games is
affected by publication bias; essentially, studies that concluded that video games lead to
aggression and violence are more likely to be published than studies that find violent
video games don’t have an effect on violence. As a result, large reviews of the data
conclude violent video games lead to aggression without considering research to the
contrary.

 There is emerging research that finds no link between violent games and

negative outcomes, such as reduced empathy, aggression
and depression.

The link between violent media, such as violent movies and video games, and real-life
aggression and violence, has been discussed and analyzed since these types of media
have existed. Some of this has taken the form of tabloid hysteria, but this question has
also been addressed by numerous scientific studies. Previous studies have shown that
people who play violent video games can be desensitized towards emotional stimuli
(such as violence), and show decreased empathy, and increased aggression.
 2 related literature and studies

Behavior
Several scientific studies on violent video games and behavior concluded that violent video
games lead to increased passive aggressive behavior in people. Surveys have concluded that
the longer a child plays a violent video game, the more likely that child will act out with passive
aggressive attitudes. However, this type of behavior becomes subdivided into different types:
One is biological behavior, where behavior is determined by “the chemicals that are present and
active in the subject’s body during gameplay”, and the other is psychosocial behavior which is
“when subjects are critiqued by their emotional welfare and maturity level”. The anatomy of the
adolescent is a factor in passive aggression, for “there is an increase in adrenal
hormones(adrenarche) and gonadal hormones” when children hit their puberty ages. The
adrenaline in a person’s body can cause one to be more aggressive in attitude and physical
activity. Biological factors can cause psychosocial factors in cases such as puberty, but not
always in other cases of higher maturity level such as adulthood (Gentile, Dilll, 2004). Even for
some children, violent video games are seen as ways for them to externalize the anxieties they
have kept to themselves, such as resentment towards a bully in school or arguments with family
members
Parents are not the only kind of people that are concerned about their aggressive children. The
brevity of aggressive attitudes have gone to an extent that policy makers argue over the
disciplines of children who play violent video games. Their argument is that “if you control for
physical aggression at time one and ask if violent video-game playing predicts an increase in
physical aggression at time two, the answer is yes”

For Education
There were situations in which the aggressive effect of video games on children can actually
help their cognitives skills in terms of education about the world around them. Texas A and M
student Christopher J. Ferguson writes “Blazing Angels or Resident Evil? Can Violent Video
Games Be a Force for Good?” a scholarly analysis on how video games are portrayed by
society and why violent video games in particular are often portrayed negatively. He describes
these perceptions as a sort of “moral panic” that violent video games are possibly correlated
with real-life violence, even claiming that past statistical studies dedicated to this research is
blatantly weak and flawed. In fact, he points out the positive effects in playing a violent video
game such as increasing one’s visuospatial memory, a “process related to attending, scanning,
selecting, processing, and mentally altering visual information.” He even conducts an analysis to
prove that visuospatial cognition is apprehended by subjects more than the actual violent acts in
a game: “A recent meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of violent video games on
visuospatial cognition found that, after controlling for publication bias effects, video games still
had a moderate effect on visuospatial cognition where as no effect was found in studies of
aggressive behavior These results appear to support the earlier suggestion that cognitive
information can be transmitted more easily via video games than can moral information or
personality traits.” (Ferguson,2007)

Recommendation

How can I encourage healthy gaming behavior?

"The strongest protector against any problematic behaviors or mental health issues is a
healthy relationship with parents," Dr. Westers states. "Children feel more comfortable
speaking with parents when they have a strong connection and parents are more likely
to recognize and empathize with children."

Dr. Westers recommends two simple ways to establish a healthy video game playing
behaviors:

1. Establish rules about video game use

"Video games are a privilege, not a right," Dr. Westers says. "Parents need to establish
clear and consistent rules around playing games."

Those rules should include:

 When children can play video games

 How long they can play
 Responsibilities that must be completed before playing video games, including
homework or chores
 Proper behavior and sportsmanship during play, including how to react to winning and
losing

Setting rules around video game play may feel challenging for parents when it's their
child's favorite activity. However, these guidelines help prevent a child from playing for
too long, which can inadvertently lead to a cycle of lack of sleep, unhealthy eating and
overall feelings of unhappiness or depression. Putting a limit on play can also prevent
negative effects of video games on behavior. "It's unlikely a child or teenager will set
limits for themselves when engaging in a fun activity, especially when it's one they may
use as an escape," Dr. Westers says. "They need their parents' help to set limits and
learn self-control."

"It's best to establish rules sooner rather than later," Dr. Westers adds. "It's hard to put
limits on video games after they've started playing. Parents should also keep in mind
the rules apply to them as well, to set an example for their children."
2. Play together and show empathy
"Parental involvement is key across the board when it comes to relationships with
children," Dr. Westers says. "That's just as true with video games as it is for anything
else. When parents are present and involved, it's easier to talk with children about what
they see, and model good behavior. Plus, having a shared interest, like video games, is
a great way to bond with your kids."

When playing video games, Dr. Westers recommends parents talk about what's
happening in the game and separate it from reality.

"Show empathy," he says. "Talk to your child about how it makes you feel when your
character gets hurt or hurts someone else, and compare it to how you would feel in the
real world. Remind your child about your values as a family, and say clearly what type
of behavior is absolutely off limits in real-life."

Treat video games as you would any other media, and take the opportunity to talk about
certain situations and lessons that can be applied, including how you feel when you win
or lose.

"Video games elicit a lot of emotions – from excitement to frustration," Dr. Westers says.
"Talk about good sportsmanship and how you cope with those feelings – whether that's
not being a sore winner or loser, or knowing your limits and when it's time to turn off the
game and walk away when you're getting too frustrated."

This relationship helps children learn how to regulate their emotions and apply them to
everyday life, and it helps make them more receptive when parents do express their
concerns.

"When parents are worried about violence in games, children are more likely to hear
them out because it's coming from a place of experience and understanding," Dr.
Westers explains. "That doesn't mean they will like it, but they will be more likely to hear
you out, especially if you've played with them the very video game about which you're
expressing concern."

What warning signs should I be watching for?

Parents know their children best. Dr. Westers encourages parents to talk with their
family if they become concerned about video game use or behavior, and look for the
following concerns that could become red flags:

 Increased aggression, which could indicate kids learning violence from gaming
 Change in behavior, such as increased social isolation or a decline in grades at school
 Irritability
  Difficulty sleeping
 Increased or peculiar interest in the real-life equivalent of the weapons used in the video
game(s)

All of these things could be the effects of video games on behavior.

"In isolation of each other, these signals can mean a lot of different things," Dr. Westers
says. "But they shouldn't be brushed off as typical adolescent behavior if they co-occur.
Try to talk with your child to see if you can get to the bottom of what's bothering him or
her. And if you are still concerned, connect with your child's doctor or a mental health
specialist."

Parents can also watch for early signs of video game addiction if they are concerned
their child is playing too frequently and it is affecting their behavior.