Auguste Riedl 

Robert Parmenter 

LIBR-101-35079 

Research Question: “Do video games promote violent tendencies and other negative 

effects in humans or are there positive benefits?” 

Specific Information Needed: 

Effects of video games on happiness 

Effects of videogames on violent tendencies 

Studies on the effects of video games on human psychology 

Landmark cases/ court cases that sprung from perceived negative effects of 

videogames. 

Source One - ​full-text peer-reviewed scholarly article from a library database 

Citation: 

INGRAM, JAY, and JOSEPH CANGEMI. “Video Games: Motivation, Effects, and

Clinical Implications on Self-Esteem.” ​College Student Journal​, vol. 53, no. 1,

 Spring 2019, pp. 1–12.

EBSCOhost​,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=136193

456&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Link:

https://sbcc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc

t=true&db=a9h&AN=136193456&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Annotation: 

In this article by Jay Ingram and Joseph Candemi from Western Kentucky 

University, some background is given on gaming in general, the growth of the gaming 

industry, esports, and what self-esteem means. After giving the background 

information they dive into the effects that videogames have, such as PC gaming 

allowing for people to make connections and pursue friendships that they wouldn’t 

normally have. A study was also conducted on 1000 gamers, which found that games 

that gave them an experience of gaining experience or skill resulted in the gamer’s 

sense of self-esteem, both in-game and out of game. In an earlier study, a similar test 

was performed, however some of the test subjects did not enjoy the game or learning 

its systems, and those that gave up or stopped playing early showed a drop in 

self-esteem and general mood, whereas those that persevered and overcame the 

game’s systems showed boosted self-esteem and mood. The entire article seems to 

take information from many different studies and makes sure to give the reader a 
background on all the subjects covered so that the reader can make informed 

decisions on the findings they shared. Quality and thoroughness were quite high, and 

the purpose was to show the effects games could have on the self-esteem of 

participants. This article will be quite useful for my research later on, as it gave me 

several studies that directly tested the effects of games on people, this article coupled 

with the others I will find, should allow me to make a complete picture on the effects of 

games on mood, self-esteem, bad or good habits, beneficial and harmful psychological 

effects such as gaining friendships or violent tendencies, etc. 

Source type: Scholarly article 

Why I chose this source: 

When looking through the database, the effects of games on self-esteem 

seemed like it was a perfect fit for what I was trying to research. 

Source Two - additional full-text written source 

Citation:

Singh, Pankaj, et al. “Effect of Video and Mobile Games on Children’s Behavior.” Indian 

Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 7, no. 5, May 2016, pp. 488–492. EBSCOhost, 

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=115683935&site=ehost-liv

e&scope=site. 
 

Link: 

https://sbcc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=a9h&AN=115683935&site=ehost-live&scope=site 

Annotation: 

In this article, the results of a study on the effects of games on children aged from 7-10 

are examined in much detail with many statistics for a multitude of different issues, 

such as effects on sleep, eating habits, hyper behavior, social skills, motor skills, 

depression, anxiety, and communication. For each category, an excerpt is written 

stating what the authors of this article take the statistics to mean. In the end, it is 

stated that in general too much video games causes a slew of negative effects, but 

also cites a study that shows that exact opposite conclusion. If I ignore the 

grammatical issues here and there as relics of translation from another language, then 

this article still has some issues that reduce the credibility of this article. Firstly, it 

seems that every statistic was taken in the most negative way possible, even if the 

statistics weren’t quite as severe as what they were saying. This, coupled with the intro 

and the one positive source in the final paragraph leads me to believe that there is 

some inherent bias in this article. The sample size was only 160 as well, so I am not 

sure that any accurate conclusions as to the effects of video games on children could 

have been reached, at the very least not to the degree that they seemed to elevate it 

to. Despite it not being very credible, it is undeniable that there are cases where things 
do get this severe, and to act as if those negative aspects of video games would be 

even more biased than they were. This article helped me outline what many of the 

negative effects of videogames could be, as the effects studied are most likely not only 

applicable to children. 

Source Type: Article/study 

Why I chose this source: 

I picked this source among the list I found as I was interested on what effects on 

children video games could have, and while I am most likely going to take this study 

with a grain of salt, it did outline a huge multitude of negative effects that do actually 

impact people, especially those who play games in far excess. As with anything, it is 

important to not be too excessive in anything you can do, as it is almost always 

harmful. 

Source Three - non-fiction book 

Citation: 

Anderson, Craig Alan, et al. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents : 

Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford University Press, 2007. EBSCOhost, 

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=191242&site=ehost-live

&scope=site. 
Link: 

https://sbcc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr

ue&db=nlebk&AN=191242&site=ehost-live&scope=site 

Annotation: 

In “Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents : Theory, Research, and 

Public Policy”, the author mainly talks about how violent video games ultimately impact 

violence in children and adolescents by a substantial amount, and then backs up the 

statement with many studies cited in the book. She goes on to mention that the reason 

why these studies aren’t that accepted by the public is that people think that people 

think that those conducting the studies were searching directly for negative results and 

as such should be ignored. She counters this by saying that many of the studies are 

peer reviewed and are done by reputable sources, even counting the ones she’s cited 

in the book. The ultimate take away from the book at the end is that there should be 

greater restrictions in place to prevent those that are emotionally susceptible to things 

like violent video games. She also gives advice on what parents or guardians should 

do handling violent video games with their children, and things that can help them 

make decisions such as not only letting the rating on the box of the game make your 

decision. The book itself seems to be high in quality as it cites many different studies to 

support its claim. This study helped my research as it showed many negative aspects 

that video games can create. 

Source type: E-book 

Why I chose this source: 

When looking through the database, the effects of games on self-esteem 

seemed like it was a perfect fit for what I was trying to research. 

Source Four - Photograph or Video 

 
Citation: 

Source: Entertainment Software Association, “Essential Facts about Games and 

Violence,”  

Link: ​www.theesa.com 

Annotation: This image shows violent crime rate plotted against video game scales on 

a graph over time from 1995-2015, and it at the very least shows that video games are 

not directly causing violent crimes to increase. Its credible as it cites its sources at the 

bottom of the image and it is useful for my research as it runs a counterpoint to the 

ebook source.