Videogame Use & Abuse November-20-18 Objectives Provide an - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Videogame Use & Abuse

Today’s Culture of Gaming and its Impact on Youth

November-20-18

November-20-18

Objectives

Provide an overview of videogame types and design Examine context of videogames and addiction Outline resources, strategies and available services

Setting the Scene

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Canadian video game industry

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• Canada ranks third in the world in video game

development

• A focus industry in the national economic strategy
• In 2017, the Video Game Industry:
• Employed 21,700

people

• Operated 596 studios

across Canada

• Added 3.7 billion to

Canada’s GDP

Setting the Scene – Canada 2018

November-20-18

61% define self as gamers 64% are actually gamers

Average age – 39 years Average 10 hours per week

• f game play

50/50 split between male and female gamers Over 23 million Canadians are gamers

Single player games

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• Requires a console or

computer only

• No internet needed
• Ex. Tetris, Pac-Man,

Candy Crush

• Considerably below

average addictive potential

Real time strategy games

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• Competitive
• Resource

gathering/resource building game

• Economics system –

acquisition and expenditure

• f stores of value
• Above average addictive

potential

Massively multiplayer online games – MMOGs

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• 100s or 1000s (or more) play

simultaneously

• Requires internet connection
• Persistent virtual “world”
• Compete and interact meaningfully
• Achieve objectives with other players

(collaborative)

• Requires players to invest hours of

time

• Very much above average addictive

potential

Role playing games

November-20-18

• Persistent, preset virtual world

with 1000s/millions of players

• Open to player development
• Primary purpose: build up

characters in terms of experience, abilities, wealth

• Game objectives: quests,

exploring how your character interacts and furthers the game narrative

• Very much above average

addictive potential

First person shooter games – FPS or Shooter

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• Individual or team based
• Themed around competitive objectives

(build empire, win war)

• Fast paced
• World persistent as long as team

member(s) are still in the game

• May not be acceptable to leave game
• Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto
• Above average addictive potential

Life simulators

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• Can be multi-platform
• Can be persistent
• Non-competitive
• Creative and social

context – create characters, places, activities, etc.

• Player-created
• bjectives
• Player controls intricate

details of appearance and behaviour

Social and casual games

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• Social games: Web-based, played
• n social media platform
• Casual, multi-player, turn-based
• Lack of rules, commitment
• Can play

spontaneously/infrequently

• Few controls, low learning curve
• Below average potential for

addiction

November-20-18

• Sandbox, shooter, multiplayer game
• Two games: Save the World and Battle

Royale

• Battle Royale free to play, but…
• Hone skills in practice mode
• Cartoony/violent
• Cooperation/leadership
• Online chat feature

Fortnite

November-20-18

Ratings

• Early Childhood
• Everyone
• Everyone 10+
• Teen
• Mature
• Adults only
• Rating pending

November-20-18

What‘s the catch?

Operant conditioning

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• A process of behavior modification in which the

likelihood of a specific behavior is increased or decreased through positive or negative reinforcement each time the behavior is exhibited, so that the subject comes to associate the pleasure or displeasure of the reinforcement with the behavior.

Behavioral psychology

November-20-18

How hooked you get depends

• n…

Investment of :

• Time
• Effort
• Attention
• Activity

Rewards that are:

• Frequent
• Large
• Random
• No rewards, but

punishment

Motives for gaming

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Escape Fantasy Coping Social Competition Skill development Recreation

Potential for problem behavior

What makes games addictive?

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• Happiness
• Social element -- socialization through gaming
• Friends who also spend time gaming lead to

superficial relationships are still rewarding and reinforcing

• In-game achievement and respect – kudos from

companions contributes to self-worth

• Excessive play leads to normalizing of behaviors

within videogaming populations social world

• Heightened levels of a sense of time being altered –

flow state

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• As powerful as these strategies are, you

are much more likely to experience a problem if you are already experiencing mental health stressors – at work, at school, or at home.

Fertile soil

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Social/Peers Relationships Legal Mental/Emotional Health

Major life areas

School/Work Home/Family Finances Physical Health

Distinguishing between two different issues

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Attachment Content

• Are the hours of play

excessive? Late into the night? Impeding school or other MLAs?

• Will the young person

play despite being bored?

• Does the content

violate household values, norms, or rules?

• Violent and/or cruel

content may impair emotional and social development

Interactive factors for risk of gaming addiction

November-20-18

Increased risk

• Pre-aggressive
• Poor social skills
• Anti-social or

violent

• ADHD
• Conduct disorder

Gaming seems to solve these problems in the short term…. But it may exacerbate them over time

Interactive factors for risk of gaming addiction

November-20-18

• Non-aggressive youth
• Pro-social tendencies
• Positive developed ethical frameworks
• Good focus in social and academic

spheres

• Kids with boundaries set with/by

parents/adults

Decreased risk

Harmful involvement/excessive play might look like:

November-20-18

• Poor social

skills

• Isolation
• Lower grades
• Reading less
• Inactivity
• Insomnia
• Obesity
• Evasiveness

Time away from: Family Work Study Other interests Aggressive: Thoughts Behaviors

November-20-18

Getting clinical

• Preoccupation
• Escalation
• Failure to stop
• Restless/Irritable
• Escape
• Lying about time
• Stealing
• Skipping chores
• Skipping

homework

• Poorer grades
• Needing money

8% met criteria for pathological use (6 or more)

Benefits of play

November-20-18

• Pain management
• Social connection
• Narrative development
• Fine motor skills
• Cognitive development
• Fun
• Improved social skills –

collaboration, strategy, team play

• Stress and anger management
• Flow state
• Language skills
• Next, the Olympics?

Benefits of play

November-20-18

How can you tell for sure?

• No one sign alone indicates a problem
• Different signs manifest for different people
• People who know the person best should

trust their instincts

• Changes in behaviour may be due to other

reasons, but still worthy of attention

November-20-18

Core Issue Examples of a Problem What Games Provide CONTROL Environment is

• verwhelming

Shelter SELF-ESTEEM and COMMUNITY Lack feeling valued, not contributing Achievement and online community IDENTITY No direction, no sense of self Growth MASTERY Difficulty succeeding, difficulty practicing Skills

Taking a balanced approach

Adapted from K. Dini, “Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents” (2008)

Effective interventions

November-20-18

• Limit

type/duration

• Play AFTER work

is done

• Promote social

skills

• Promote social

activity

• Promote physical

activity

• Know child’s

friends

Effective interventions

November-20-18

• Monitor play
• Monitor bullying
• Monitor grades
• Put the wifi on a

timer (ie. Ends at 10pm)

• Ask

questions/start conversations

November-20-18

Media Smarts/American Academy of Pediatrics

• No screens in bedrooms
• Screen time –

dessert/reward

• Set a media curfew and

stick to it

• Limit screen time to less

than 1 – 2 hours per day

• Co-view

programs/games and discuss values

• Choose games that model

good interpersonal skills

• View age appropriate

content

• Control video screens –

gaming console in public area

• Set family viewing time
• Pay attention to family’s

media diet: www.healthychildren.org

How to start the conversation

November-20-18

• What game(s) are you playing?
• What do you like most about that game?
• What do you like least about that game?
• Who do you play with?
• Do you know them personally or just through the

game?

• Do you have a role with your online friends in the

game?

How to start the conversation

November-20-18

• If you don’t play, do your online friends get mad at you?
• Do you think the time you play is not enough or too

much?

• What similarities and differences are there between
• nline and offline worlds?
• What kind of lessons do you learn from gaming that you

can use offline?

• Where do you see gaming taking you in life?

CAGE – the videogame edition

November-20-18

CAGE

Cut down: Have you ever felt you should cut down on your playing? Annoyed: Have people annoyed you by criticizing your playing? Guilty: Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your playing time? Eye opener: Have you ever started playing first thing in the morning? Do you think about playing when you’re not playing?

Techaddiction.ca

November-20-18

Mediasmarts.ca

November-20-18

Healthychildren.org

November-20-18

November-20-18

Youth Addiction Services- Calgary

• Walk in appointments

– Mon, Wed, Fri 8:30-10am

• 403-297-4664
• No referral needed
• We can refer to other CAAMHPP programs

Foothills Addiction Centre

• Family Dr. or referral through ACCESS MH

Access Mental Health – 403-943-1500

Where to get help

November-20-18