The impact of gaming on children and young people Joly Ghanawi April 2020 People Know How - Research Briefings - April 2020 Abstract The following research briefing examines the impact of gaming on children and young people’s social skills and isolation, and the game Fortnite in particular. Video games can have positive impacts on young people such as focus, memory, and learning skills. On the other hand, video games may have negative impacts on players, such as increasing loneliness and anxiety issues. Fortnite is a game that is played globally. It encourages team playing, collaboration and other learning skills. However, the game can be a distraction for school students which has led to banning it from schools. In general, video games can be used as an educational tool, depending on how this is done and what types of games are used. Further research is needed on the impacts of Fortnite on young people and its potential as an educational tool. Keywords Video games, children and young people, social skills, social isolation, Fortnite Key points • Games can have positive or negative impacts on young people. • Games can be used as an educational tool. • Fortnite encourages team playing, collaboration and other learning skills. • Fortnite could also be a distraction to students. • Further research is needed on the impacts of Fortnite on young people. Background Digital and video games are highly in particular Fornite, amongst many popular across the globe. There are more pupils in the schools in which they provide than two billion people worldwide using support, raising questions around its video gaming and it has become an influence, both positive and negative, in important component of young peoples’ young peoples’ day-to-day lives. lives regardless of socio-economic background (Newzoo 2017). People Video games have been shown to have Know How’s Befriending project has both positive and negative impacts revealed the popularity of video games, on young people. They can improve 1 People Know How - Research Briefings - April 2020 memory, focus and be used as an a result of video gaming are more likely educational tool. They also encourage to be found amongst male than female young people to acquire learning and and younger gamers (cited in von der communication skills (Gallagher 2014; Heiden et al. 2019). It is also important Bokolas and Panagouli 2019). For to understand why people play games. example, digital games have been useful For example, some of the reasons given in the education of history and culture for excessively playing games include (Darvasi 2017). The strategy game series using it as a distraction from problems, a Rome: Total War that takes place during coping mechanism, for social interactions the time of Ancient Rome has been used with others online, as well as as a form of to teach adolescents how historians think competition (von der Heiden et al. 2019). and gather information. The student- participants in the study responded well, using the game as a learning Fortnite tool in place of traditional methods Fortnite is a video game series launched of memorising dates, events and at the end of 2017 by Epic Games. There interpretations (McCall 2011). As Filsecker are three games in the series - Fortnite: and Hicke (2014) note, “commercial Save the World, Fortnite: Battle Royale, digital games players are developing and Fortnite Creative. All three games problem-solving and literacy skills and are of high demand but Fortnite: Battle these good commercial digital games Royale has become one of the most are good learning principles that provide popular games (Sloan 2018). As of 2019, opportunities for players to participate about 250 million people are playing the actively and interactively during the game worldwide (Iqbal 2019). Depending game”. Another study by Ameerbakhsh et on the analysis, either 45.75% or 62.7% al. (2019) reports that University students of these players are between the age found the use of serious games in marine of 18 and 24. Majority of the players are ecology enjoyable and that expert male (72.4 or 83.7% depending on study). demonstration is more effective than The median weekly time spent playing learning on their own. the game ranges between 6 to 10 hours Digital and video games can also (Iqbal 2019). About 15% of the players have some negative outcomes when spend excessive time on the game which used heavily. Players that spend an has led them to skip school (Iqbal 2019). excessive amount of time playing video In Fortnite: Battle Royale gamers are games have been shown to have lower dropped onto an island from a flying bus educational and career attainment as via parachute. Up to 100 players can be well as poorer social skills (Mihara and dropped into the landscape. Initially the Higuchi 2017). Some of the addictive players have only a pickaxe which they behaviours that gaming may create use to construct shelters, collect material might be linked to existing issues such and weapons. All players play individually as anxiety, a low number of friends, or in teams to be the last man standing decreased well-being, and higher (Marlatt 2019). The game is free to instances of reported loneliness (see download on different devices including von der Heiden et al. 2019). It has been Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and mobile noted that problematic behaviours as 2 People Know How - Research Briefings - April 2020 devices. There are a number of blogs, Fortnite gamers communicate through channels, and unofficial pages that specialized vocabulary which is highly offer community support for the game important for participation (Marlatt (Marlatt 2019). 2019). This is similar to academic success in literacy learning where understanding The popularity of Fornite may arise of what is read is needed for writing, from the cartoonish approach to the speaking, mastery of the subject and aesthetics of violence as compared to applications of these in field-based other shooting games such as Call of scenarios (see Marlatt 2019). One Duty and Grand Theft Auto (Marlatt possibility for using the game as an 2019). Fornite uses funny, quirky educational tool is to allow for discussions characters and situations (Marlatt 2019). about the game in the classrooms, rather The game is also easily accessible, than allowing the game to be played in which allows for broader use (Parkin class on mobile phones (Schwartz 2018). 2018). Paumgarten (2018) notes that “there’s something new emerging around Fortnite, a kind of mass social Negative impacts gathering, open to a much wider array of people than the games that came Although there are educational benefits before”. As the game has attracted many of the game and there are some modes adolescents, educational institutions have of the game that are non-violent. had increased concerns over its impacts Fortnite is a shooting game which and other games in general (Maag 2018; discourages educational leaders to Marlatt 2019). use it as an educational tool (Marlatt 2019). Furthermore, although “people can be cooperative within these spaces Positive benefits of the game and communities, but they can also compete fiercely for status” (Gee & Hayes, One of the benefits of Fortnite includes 2012). Other issues related to playing the creation of a collaborative the game include distractions from community. The synchronous multi- responsibilities. For example, at school, player format allows the participation the game is played during breaks, often of multiple players rather than them distracting the students from schoolwork merely operating as individuals (Marlatt (Hernandez 2018). Low energy and 2019). Playing the game allows meaning- poor concentrations have also been making and problem-solving in a “global noted in some schools (Hernandez neighbourhood” (Marlatt 2019). According 2018). A number of schools in Australia to Marlatt (2019), it has the potential to have warned parents against some of be an educational tool when it comes to these negative impacts of the game literacy learning. A literacy community as on the pupils (Zhou 2018). The parents defined by Rousculp and Maring (1992) have raised issues such as change in is “dynamic classroom environments behaviour including online bullying and that are rich in social relationships, in inappropriate language (Zhou 2018). partnerships, and in collaborations involving talking, reading, thinking, and The effects of a game depend on the writing” (p. 384). individual. In some cases it can become 3 People Know How - Research Briefings - April 2020 addictive. Addiction is defined as “any Conclusions & recommendations compulsive activity or involvement which decreases a person’s ability to Video gaming can have positive or deal with other aspects of his life to a negative impacts on players. Regarding point where the activity or involvement young people it can be viewed positively comprises the dominant source of as educational tool or negatively as a emotional reinforcement and identity for form of addiction. Similarly, the game the person” (Peele 1985). The addiction Fortnite specifically could either have could become a “gaming disorder” for positive or negative impacts. Some of the some individuals. According to the World benefits of Fortnite include the creation Health Organization 11th Revision of the of a community that is cooperative International Classification of Diseases in most cases. Fortnite also has the (ICD-11) gaming disorder is “characterized potential for improving literacy skills. by impaired control over gaming, The excessive use of the game and increasing priority given to gaming over the presence of violence makes it less other activities to the extent that gaming desirable to be used as an educational takes precedence over other interests tool. and daily activities, and continuation Much research has been conducted or escalation of gaming despite the around the topic of gaming however occurrence of negative consequences”. there is currently a lack of research on the Thus, family and friends can try to impacts of Fortnite in particular.