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Mark Griffiths Online Computer Gaming: Advice for Parents and Teachers

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Mark Griffiths Online Computer Gaming: Advice for Parents and Teachers 271a.qxd 09/03/2009 09:47 Page 3 Vol.27 No.1, 2009 Education and Health 3 Professor Mark Griffiths is based at the International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University. For correspondence please e-mail: [email protected] Mark Griffiths Online computer gaming: Advice for parents and teachers ome years ago in a previous issue of playing, I would not view that behaviour as SEducation and Health, I provided some an addiction. advice to parents and teachers on Online gaming addiction comes about by responsible playing of video games by the partial reinforcement effect (PRE) children and adolescents (see Griffiths, (Griffiths, 2008a). This is a critical 2003). psychological ingredient of gaming More recently, I have received a large addiction whereby the reinforcement is increase in the number of e-mails from intermittent (i.e., people keep responding in parents and teachers concerning online the absence of reinforcement hoping that games like World of Warcraft, Everquest another reward is just around the corner). and Lord of the Rings. The most typical e- Knowledge about the PRE gives the game mails I get are along the lines of 'Could my designer an edge in designing appealing child become addicted to an online game?, games. Magnitude of reinforcement (e.g., 'Are online computer games more addictive high points score for doing something in- than offline games?', 'Isn't online gaming game) is also important. Large rewards lead pointless?'' and 'My child is addicted to to fast responding and greater resistance to online gaming, what can I do?" In this article extinction - in short to more "addiction" I will attempt to answer these types of (Griffiths, 2008a). Instant reinforcement is question. also satisfying. Is it possible for an adolescent to Is online gaming more addictive than become addicted to an online offline gaming? computer game? Online gaming involves multiple Addiction basically boils down to reinforcements in that different features constant reinforcement (i.e., rewards). An might be differently rewarding to different adolescent cannot become addicted people (what I would call 'the kitchen sink something unless they are constantly approach'). In video games more generally, rewarded for the behaviour they are the rewards might be intrinsic (e.g., engaged in. Online gaming is potentially improving your highest score, beating your addictive although the number of people friend's high score, getting your name on the who are truly addicted is small in number. "hall of fame", mastering the machine) or In my research I have only come across a extrinsic (e.g., peer admiration) (Griffiths, handful of people who I would genuinely 2008a). In online gaming, there is no end to call addicts. Such individuals may play over the game and there is the potential for 80 hours a week on games like World of teenagers to play endlessly against (and Warcraft and Everquest. However, playing with) other real people. This can be excessively does not mean someone is immensely rewarding and psychologically addicted. If there are no negative engrossing. For a small minority of people detrimental effects as a result of excessive this will lead to addiction where online 271a.qxd 09/03/2009 09:47 Page 4 4 Education and Health Vol.27 No.1, 2009 gaming is the single most important thing would argue that this is more positive than and that person's life and which the drug use, drinking alcohol or other activities compromise and neglect everything else in like gambling. Simulated environments also there life. Currently there is little research allow people to explore their personalities indicating how the addiction establishes (e.g. gender swapping) and test out itself and what people are actually addicted boundaries. to (Griffiths, 2008b). Is online gaming pointless? Is there potential for long-term Accusations of 'pointlessness' can be damage to an adolescent's mental levelled at almost any leisure activity in life, health through playing online games? not just online gaming. More and more As with all addictions, there is a potential people engage in some kind of computer for long-term damage but the good news is gaming so the number of people attacking that very few people appear to have such activities will decrease over time. developed such problems although there is People are also becoming more digitally research suggesting that in extreme cases, literate. The demographics of online gaming online gamers can experience all the core are also expanding (Griffiths, Davies & signs and symptoms of more traditional Chappell, 2004a). The average age of a addictions such as withdrawal symptoms, gamer is steadily getting older and more conflict with other activities, mood females are starting to play. People only modifying effects, and relapse (Chappell, engage in leisure activities that are Eatough, Davies & Griffiths, 2006). Healthy psychologically and socially rewarding for enthusiasms add to life, addictions take them. Recent research from our research away from them. The vast majority of unit has also shown that around a third of excessive gamers will say their activity has online gamers make good friends in the positive effects for them. There are many game (Cole & Griffiths, 2007) and that online people who play excessively without having games allow players to experiment with any negative impact on their life at all other parts of their personality that would although many players experience some be difficult to do offline, such as gender signs of addiction without necessarily being swapping (Hussain & Griffiths, 2008). addicted (Grüsser, Thalemann & Griffiths, 2007). The 'golden rules' of gaming Finally, just to reiterate some 'golden What are the benefits to having a rules' that I have made before in relation to virtual life? children and adolescent gaming. There is lots of evidence suggesting that · Check the content of the gaming gaming can have very positive effects in activity. Try and give children and peoples' lives. Online gaming can make adolescents games that are educational people feel psychologically better about rather than violent. Parents usually have themselves and help raise self-esteem. The control over what their child watches on immersive and dissociative experience of television - gaming should not be any gaming can also be very therapeutic and different. help people deal with every day stresses and · Try to encourage gaming in groups strains. Research by our research unit shows rather than as a solitary activity. This will that many gamers love the fact that playing lead to children and adolescents talking and games leads to time loss (Wood & Griffiths, working together. Also remember that 2007; Wood, Griffiths & Parke, 2007). Many many online games are based on social 271a.qxd 09/03/2009 09:47 Page 5 Vol.27 No.1, 2009 Education and Health 5 activity and working together. Our research gaming addiction (Griffiths, 2008b). has consistently shown that the main reason Whether such activity needs to be legislated for playing online games is for the social for is arguable. For me, it comes down to element (Griffiths, Davies & Chappell, 2003; moderation and common sense. Any 2004b). activity when taken to excess can cause · Set time limits on playing time. Tell problems in a person's life. We would not children and adolescents that they can play legislate against people excessively reading for a couple of hours after they have done or exercising. Why should online gaming be their homework or their chores - not before. treated any differently? I have only come · Parents and guardians should always across a handful of genuine gaming addicts get their children to follow the in all the time I have been researching. recommendations by the game However, I am the first to admit that online manufacturers and/or the service providers gaming can be problematic to some (e.g., sit at least two feet from the screen, individuals. As mentioned earlier, one of the play games in a well-lit room, never have main reasons why online gaming may be the screen at maximum brightness, and more problematic than 'stand alone' (offline) never engage in gaming when feeling tired). gaming is that 24/7 online games are never · Finally, if all else fails, temporarily ending (unlike 'stand alone' games which prohibit gaming and then allow them to can be paused and returned to some time play again on a part-time basis when later). In some cases, the Internet may be appropriate. providing a potentially ever-present addictive medium for those with a Conclusions predisposition for excessive game playing. In over two decades of examining both The way forward lies not in legislation the possible dangers and the potential but in education and prevention. For the benefits of videogame playing, evidence vast majority of individuals, online gaming suggests that in the right context is an enjoyable and harmless activity - at videogames can have positive health and least that is what the empirical evidence educational benefits to a large range of says at present. Maybe the situation will different sub-groups (Griffiths, 2005; 2008b). change over time and/or research will show There are also recent overviews showing there are cultural differences (suggesting that online gaming can be used in an different policies in different countries). Real educationally beneficial context (Defreitas & life problems need applied solutions and Griffiths, 2007; 2008). If care is taken in the alternatives, and until there is an established design, and if they are put into the right body of literature on the psychological, context, videogames (both online and sociological and physiological effects of offline) have the potential to be used as online gaming and online gaming addiction, training aids in classrooms and therapeutic directions for education, prevention, settings, and to provide skills in intervention, treatment, and legislative psychomotor coordination, and in policy will remain limited in scope.
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