By Nick Stollard, Reporter
The image of video gamers as young boys with few social skills is a stereotype of popular culture.
Yet for those on the far end of the gaming spectrum—the video game addicts—it might not be that far from the truth, new research suggests.
The latest study, which followed 3,000 students in third, fourth, seventh and eighth grade, shows that heavy gamers, who play more than 31 hours a week, are more likely to show signs of depression, anxiety and social phobias. Of the 3,000 children who were followed, between 7.6 percent and 9.9 percent were classified as pathological gamers.
Douglas Gentile, a professor at Iowa State University and the author of the study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, found that there are five dimensions that can effect video game players: the amount of play, the content of the game, the context of the game, the structure of the game and the mechanics of game play.
“Parents tend to care about either how much time their kids play or what types of games their kids play. But when I did a study where the effects couldn’t be explained by the amount someone played or the content of the game, it made me realize there’s a lot more going on here. And puzzling through what that more was, I realized there are at least five dimensions on which games have effects,” Gentile said.
In addition to depression, anxiety and social phobias, once game players become pathological gamers, they began to get poorer grades and start to have poorer relationships with their parents. The study also shows that teens who begin playing more violent games become more likely to be victims of aggression.
“I think some video games limit the social life in some teens in the fact that they keep teens inside and away from people,” sophomore Alex Brenwall said.
The symptoms go both ways, though. Those teens who are more impulsive, who have lower social competence and empathy and who have poorer emotional regulation skills are more likely to become pathological gamers, according to Gentile.
Teens who tend to be depressed tend to play video games in search of relief, but video games only make the depression worse. When a pathological gamer reduces the amount of time spent playing video games, levels of depression, anxiety and social phobias recede again.
“I think if you play too much, it is all you will think about. It may lead to depression,” junior Joe Kuipers said.
“I think some games are okay, but the violence and shooting games can be bad. Video games in general can keep you from doing other activities, such as going outside,” sophomore Amber Winquist-Bailey said.