The effects of video game play on academic performance

The purpose of the present research is to determine whether playing video games impacts academic performance as determined by GPA. To accomplish this, 198 participants filled out a Gaming Habits Survey which was analyzed using a series of one-way ANOVAs. The study found that there was a significant effect of player status on GPA at the p < . 01 level for the two conditions of player versus non-player [F (1, 169) = 7.08, p = . 009]. Comparisons using descriptive statistics indicated that the mean GPA score for the player condition (M = 3.2, SD = .51) was significantly different than the non-player condition (M = 3.4, SD = .47). These results show that participants who indicated that they did play video games had significantly lower GPAs than participants who indicated that they did not play video games. The Effects of Video Game Play On Academic Performance Today's world is one that is largely composed of technology. In a relatively short span of time we have been immersed in a world of high-definition television, Facebook, YouTube, internet radio, "green" cars, outrageous thrill rides, 3-D technology, etc. But no area of technology has become as prominent as that of video gaming. According to Anand (2007), the penetration of video games into the United States alone is huge, with at least 90% of homes having children that have played (rented or owned) video games. This is a record level that continues to increase. 55% of console players and 66% of online players are over 18. The college demographic seems to be the major group of gamers simply because they have a lack of parental supervision and they have more flexible schedules, allowing for more play time (Anand, 2007). As with any other innovation in society, the introduction of video games brought the question "What are the negative effects or consequences? " Smyth (2007) notes that there seems to be an increased interest in research in the area of video gaming to answer this question. And there does indeed seem to be much research on the topic in recent years. In overviewing the research, one main concern seems to be whether the playing of video games impacts academic performance in a negative or positive way and what those consequences are. One study done by Anand (2007) found a negative correlation between the amount of time spent playing video games and the GPA and SAT scores of students. This means that GPA and SAT scores decreased as time spent playing increased. However, Anand (2007) did recognize the limitation of using SAT scores because they represent a one-time standardized score. Using GPA is more credible because it represents a continuous measurement of school performance. He also found that males were more prone to these results than females, because males tend to play video games more. Skoric, Teo, and Neo (2009) went one step farther and studied addiction to video gaming versus simple engagement in video gaming. Although no definitive definition of addiction was given, they found that those addicted to gaming consistently performed negatively in the academic setting, while there was no negative correlation between time spent playing or engagement and academic performance. Shao-I, Jie-Zhi, and Der-Hsiang (2004) also studied addiction (once again no definitive definition was given) and noted a decrease in school performance when the student was addicted to gaming. They found that gaming Modern Psychological Studies (2011) 17: 37-44 38 addiction physically impacts academic achievement because the student is too involved in the game to do homework or prepare academically. There are also others that have found decreased academic performance in relation to involvement in playing video games. Anderson and Dill (2007) studied video games and aggression and suggested that not only does gaming have an impact on performance directly, but it also triggers a higher level of aggression, which is often linked to problems in school and decreased academic performance. Wack and Tantleff-Dunn (2009) also found a negative correlation, although the relationship between GPA and academic performance in their study was not significant. Jackson et al (2008) found that time spent playing games was a negative predictor of academic performance and that those who played video games more often had poorer grades than those who played less. A study conducted by Wood, Griffiths, and Parke (2007) included open-ended questions that encouraged participants to report different feelings about playing video games. Some of the negative consequences indirectly related to school performance, in that participants reported often missing lectures, skipping homework, etc. They also found that these consequences were more likely to impact males, because males play more often and were more likely to report losing track of the time while playing. In an experiment by Williams (2006), school performance increased after the participants dramatically decreased (limited time spent using technology to 30 minutes per day) their usage of all technology, including video games. Finally, Jaruratanasirikul, Wongwaitaweewong, and Sangsupawanich (2009) found that the excessive playing of video games (five hours or more per session) resulted in school grades that were below a 3.00 average, and that time spent playing was a predictor of academic performance. They also suggested that video games indirectly lead to decreased performance through promoting violence. Finally, they noted that playing video games took time away from school activities, homework, social interaction, etc. Then there are those in the research field who have come up with neutral results. Smyth (2007) studied the difference between playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) and playing other types of video games and found that even though the MMORPG group reported greater interference in academic work (such as skipping homework, missing a class, etc) as opposed to the other groups, overall the groups did not differ in academic performance. Hart et al (2009) used the Problem Video Game Playing survey to measure four different areas of life, including academic behavior, impacted by the playing of video games and suggested that there was not a significant correlation in any area. However, there is also plenty of research to suggest that interactive video games can actually lead to increased academic performance (Anand, 2007). Jackson et al (2008) found that the usage of games is causally related to an increase in visual-spatial skills, which often come in handy in the fields of science, mathematics, technology, and engineering. A study done with Kindergarteners (Din & Calao, 2001) showed that students who played educational video games on the Sony Lightspan, which is a game system similar to the Sony Playstation One, made significant increases over the control group in the learning of spelling and reading; however, no significant gain was made over the control group in math. This suggests a facilitative role of playing video games in developing verbal skills (2001). Smyth (2007) suggested that complex games may lead to academic success by engaging players in problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. Skoric et al (2009) found that while game addiction leads to negative academic performance, moderate engagement in gaming can lead to improved performance in an academic setting. They found a positive correlation between game play Modern Psychological Studies (2011) 17: 37-44 39 and English test scores, which suggests that gaming can actually lead to better test scores. North Carolina State University is even experimenting with a synchronous online graduate course that integrates video game design with science curriculum (Annetta, Murray, Laird, Bohr & Park, 2008) To sum up this overview of the recent literature on the relationship between the usage of video games and academic performance, Anderson and Dill (2000, pg 17) quite aptly state the predicament in researching this topic: "There is no definitive answer to the question of whether video games disrupt academic performance. " As the literature review shows, much has been said to support every aspect of the topic, both positive and negative. The present study seeks to answer the question: Does playing video games have an impact on academic performance as measured by amount of time playing and school GPA? This proposal's hypothesis is that as time spent playing increases, GPA will decrease; also that as level of cognitive engagement as determined by number of puzzles/strategy situations encountered increases, GPA will increase. Method Participants Participants were 198 college students from University of the Cumberlands. Participants were recruited for the study from five different Old Testament Survey courses required for the general education curriculum. The ages of the participants ranged from 17 to 44, with 98.5% being in the 17 to 23 category and only 3 participants falling above this age range. There were 83 males (41.9%) and 115 females (58.1%). 169 participants (85.4%) were white and 29 participants were non-white (14.6%). There were 104 freshmen (52.5%), 61 sophomores (30.8%), 23 juniors (11.6%) and 10 seniors (5.1%) included in the study. The participants were also placed into categories according to self-reported major; the categories were natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and other. The natural sciences included the reported majors of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pre-pharmacy, and Engineering. Forty-six participants (23.2%) fell into this category. The social sciences included the reported majors of Psychology, Sociology, Public Health, Human Services, Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Pre-law. 43 participants (21.7%) fell into this category. The humanities included the reported majors of Art, English, History, Foreign Languages, Religion, Communication Arts, Journalism, Education, Theatre, and Music. There were 55 participants (