The research, published in Pediatrics, found that young people who play video games for less than an hour every day were ‘better adjusted’ than those who do not play video games at all. This manifests itself through these young people being very sociable, satisfied with their lives and having fewer friendship and emotional problems.
The study of over 5,000 young people also showed that children who played on consoles for over three hours a day had lower satisfaction with their life and were the least well adjusted. Three-quarters of those questioned said they played video games on a daily basis.
Dr Andrew Przybylski analysed the research. He said: ‘In a research environment that is often polarised between those who believe games have an extremely beneficial role and those who link them to violent acts, this research could provide a new, more nuanced standpoint. Being engaged in video games may give children a common language. And for someone who is not part of this conversation, this might end up cutting the young person off.’
Earlier this month, a panel at the Children’s Media Conference explored the way that children’s entertainment is changing. The session explored a variety of different scenarios for the future of children’s media. One of the most interesting possibilities was the fact that gaming has become the most popular medium of children’s entertainment, and that so many successful franchises start off as games (eg Minecraft).
