Content Effects: Online and Offline Games

The amount of time people spend playing video games is steadily increasing and this finding is evident internationally. There is consistent evidence that video game play can lead to changes in physiology and psychology. The effects of these changes can be both positive and negative. The accessibility of video games on the Internet and on mobile phones has had a large impact on the gaming environment, and this affects gaming at several levels. This entry explores, selectively rather than systematically, key areas of research in this field and briefly overviews the effects of video gaming. Video games have been shown to have positive effects on both health and education. There is little evidence that playing in moderation, online or offline, has any negative effects. Most reported negative effects (e.g., medical-psychosocial impacts of gaming, playing violent video games, and gaming addiction) appear to occur when individuals play excessively.