When gaming is good for teens and kids
Two new reports on gaming point out how game design can lead to healthy outcomes
Addiction, harmful exposure to strangers, and the celebration of violence—these are common concerns when we think about kids and video games. However, two recent studies from UNICEF and the Digital Wellness Lab shed light on how video games can be beneficial for children and teens, provided they are designed with their well-being in mind.
“For decades, people have often assumed that playing video games is somehow bad for children, undermining their well-being,” according to Bo Viktor Nylund, Head of UNICEF Innocenti—UNICEF’s global office on Research and Foresight. “But our new study paints a far more complex picture—one in which these games can actually contribute to children’s well-being and positively support them as they grow up.”
More specifically, the UNICEF report points to how well-designed digital games can support children's autonomy, competence, emotional regulation, relationships, and creativity. The report drew from three studies across seven countries using mixed methods including observation, discussion and in one study, the tracking of heart rate, eye tracking, facial expression, and galvanic skin response of the gamers. Funded by the LEGO foundation as part of the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) project, the study involved researchers from the University of Sheffield, New York University, City University of New York, and the Queensland University of Technology.
Five ways kids grow with games
Dozens of games were tested. The greatest gains came when gaming met needs the kids couldn’t meet in real life. Different games support different aspects of well-being depending on how they are designed.
Autonomy: Games like Plants vs. Zombies and World of Goo allow players to develop their own strategies, promoting a sense of control.
Competence: Games such as Rocket League Sideswipe help children recognize their progress through feedback mechanisms, building confidence.
Emotional Regulation: Engaging narratives and challenging puzzles in games like LEGO Builder’s Journey teach children to manage frustration.
Relationships: Platforms like Minecraft and Roblox facilitate social interactions, strengthening bonds with friends and family.
Creativity: Games that allow customization, like Theme Park Tycoon 2, foster creativity and personal expression.
With Teens, gaming is social
Given recent attention to Jonathan Haidt’s ‘Anxious Generation’ on the harms of teens’ online lives, it was timely to read what the Digital Wellness Lab’s study found out about teens, gaming and their social well being, including loneliness. The study found that three out of four of the 1,000 teens studied engage in social gaming, often using platforms like Discord or in-game chat to communicate.
“For many teens, gaming is not just a way to pass the time, but a critical means of connecting with friends and maintaining social relationships,” points out Dr. Michael Rich, Director of the Digital Wellness Lab, which undertakes research as part of changing the paradigm for how young people use technology and interactive media.
Three key insights stand out from the study:
Social Connectivity: Gaming serves as a critical means for teens to connect with friends and maintain relationships, especially during times of social isolation.
Gender : Boys and girls experience gaming differently, with boys engaging more in competitive play, while girls favor collaborative gaming.
Loneliness: There is a correlation between various types of gaming and perceived loneliness. Although this connection does not imply causation, it suggests that gaming may attract young people who are already feeling lonely. For boys, local multiplayer gaming showed the strongest correlation with loneliness, possibly due to the competitive nature of these games not fulfilling their need for meaningful connections.
How to make gaming good for kids and teens
Based on the findings from both studies, here are some key recommendations for designing video games that promote prosocial outcomes. These would seem applicable both for younger kids as well as teens, given how much the latter spends gaming.
Encourage Positive Social Interactions: Design games that promote cooperation and teamwork, baking it into the design that collaboration is a winning tactic.
Provide Autonomy and Choice: Allow players to make meaningful choices within the game to help kids and teens develop a sense of control and independence.
Foster Emotional Regulation: Include challenges that teach players to manage frustration and build resilience, such as pause-and-resume features.
Enhance Creativity: Offer tools for players to create and customize their environments, fostering creativity and personal expression.
Keep it safe: Ensure robust content moderation and provide tools for reporting and blocking harmful content.
Integrate Educational Content: New skills can be learned and practiced. Games can enhance problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration skills.
AI in the picture
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, there’s an opportunity for game developers, educators, and policymakers to collaborate in designing and promoting games that prioritize children's well-being. Surely, AI integration in gaming will be transformative - but will its capacity for hyper-personalization undermine players’ chances to get good at dealing with challenges?
If you’re developing games, researching their impact, or thinking of incentives to popularize games that are good for us, we’d love to hear from you!
Lena Slachmuijlder is Co-Chair of the Council on Tech and Social Cohesion and Executive Director of Digital Peacebuilding at Search for Common Ground