The 12th International Scientific Conference

eLearning and Software for Education

Bucharest, April 21-22, 2016
10.12753/2066-026X-16-000

Citare / Citation

Călin, R.A. & Cernat, A. (2016). The Formative Impact of Video Games on Children`s
Personality, în volumul conferinței internaționale The 12th International Scientific
Conference eLearning and Software for Education (eLSE), Bucharest, April 21-22, 2016,
10.12753/2066-026X-16-000

THE FORMATIVE IMPACT OF VIDEO GAMES ON CHILDREN`S PERSONALITY

Răzvan-Alexandru Călin, Alexandru Cernat

Teacher Training Department, University of Craiova, A.I.Cuza 13, Craiova, Romania
calinrazvanalexandru@yahoo.com, acernat.email@gmail.com

Abstract: Designed to satisfy a human need less concrete, the entertainment one, video games are
expanding their area of distribution among consumers from one year to another. Consumption of video
games (gaming) brings both positive and negative contributions to the training and development of the
personality of "gamers", influences and motivations being different depending on their age. Direct or
indirect results of consumption of video games, outlined in the form of benefits or not, is also a concern
in terms of trying to understand how individual development is influenced by this activity. The aim of
the present study is to make a radiography of the strengths and weaknesses in terms of the influence of
video games on youth development, with a research foundation based on The Critical Incident
Technique by J. Flanagan, in conjunction with Scaling Behavioral Anchors by P.C. Smith and L.M.
Kendall. The research was made on a sample of 120 students aged between 10 and 11 years, who have
been playing video games from the age of 7-8 years, with a frequency of higher than three times a
week. The results take the shape of two lists comprising on the one hand the advantages and on the
other hand the disadvantages of early exposure to the formative influences of video games. The
comparison and the interpretation of the two lists provide a set of conclusions and recommendations of
potential formative interest, quantifiable in a possible code of good practice regarding the management
of the access to video games given to children in elementary school.

Keywords: Video games; Personality; Skills Development;

I. INTRODUCTION

Addressing this approach starts from a reality which can be observed nowadays, a reality that
shows us the transformation in the children's activities produced by the technological development
which increased a lot lately, and as a direct consequence its entering in the wide scope of children’s
activities and the direct influence on them [1]. Of course, by influence we understand the entire
assembly of the perception of the situation, not unilaterally, but only in terms of positive or negative
influence. It should be noted that it is also necessary to distinguish between children's interaction with
video games and interaction with the Internet, for example. Although the Internet can be a means to
obtain access to the games, it is essentially nothing more than a platform in this case [9]. Thus, in
terms of addiction for example, its foundation must be properly delimitated, but we will analyze this in
detail in this study. To that end, easier access to this technology represents, from the perspective
oriented towards the influence of games, a much easier means by which children come into contact
with the world of gaming. Of course, just as the Internet is a means which may influence quantitative
trends for access to games (but not only this), we should not ignore the data showing that Internet
access is looming as an upward and accelerated trend, from 1999 to 2013 internet access increasing up
to 10 times. Two billion users were recorded in 2010, the 3 billion threshold to be reached four years
later [16].
About the influence of different aspects of games we can discuss on different age categories.
Why did the authors choose a group of children aged between 10 and 11? One answer with direct
impact on its importance would be that this category is looming as one with a more pronounced degree
of vulnerability, the impact in terms of the effects at formative level that the games have on children
being a significant one. Children and teenagers form groups with particularly high risk in terms of the
degree of influence on personal development. Moreover, the tendencies of the formation of addictive
habits are underlied from childhood and adolescence [10]. Thus, the awareness of this vulnerability
and the importance of timely identification of the trends that could develop later into possible
addictions or reprehensible behavioral influences represents not only measures with scientific subtrate,
but, out of this context, it is simply represented by solutions through which the issue of video games in
the lives of children is viewed from several perspectives, leading to improve the way parents, for
instance, are relating to it. Establishing the age category in the context of video games consumption is
also interesting to analyze. According to the Entertainment Software Association's annual report from
2015, in the USA 26% of video games consumers are under 18. Regarding parental involvement as a
form of control over supervising the gaming activity of their children, the same report shows that 79%
of parents impose on their children a time restriction regarding playing video games, 72% impose time
restriction on Internet use, 70% impose a time restriction on watching TV and 66% impose a time
restriction on watching movies [6]. We can observe that the predominant restrictions are imposed on
playing video games.
With a history of over 50 years, the presence of video games has determined various ways in
which people in general, and specialists in particular, have related to their influence on consumers.
Thus, recent studies are trying to evidentiate also the positive perspective of video games on the lives
of children regarding the more nuanced phenomenon, rather in antithesis with the general approaches
of psychological research from the past, which mainly highlighted the negative impact [14].
In the following chapters we will outline a series of aspects in the form of potential abilities,
but also negative qualities, that children can develop through video games, thus contributing to their
development at formative level.
Of course there is no pretention to make a comprehensive approach, the context frame being
limited, but we will try to highlight those traits with a strong direct impact, both negative and positive,
in direct line and characteristic of gaming.

II. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF THE INFLUENCE OF VIDEO GAMES

At the level of the negative influence of video games we have the quantity of time allocated to
the actual activity of gaming, which renders the aspect of balance or imbalance of the activity. This
aspect will be outlined in the study. Thus, we can talk about both the excessive use of video games and
about a pathological problem in this regard. Studies show that there are tendencies towards
pathological manifesation regarding video games. This is shown by the disproportionality of the
allocated time and by a series of simptoms, such as withdrawal, solitude, lack of control, as well as
conflicts intra or interpersonal. The fundamental difference between the pathological and the excessive
gaming activity is given by the fact that the first type, the pathological one, leads to the manifestation
of a problematic behavior, whereas the latter leads to a behavior with disproportionate valence [11].
In this regard, from the perspective of a possible classification, the activity of gaming can
meet an initial stage of balance, but it can subsequently transform into an excessive one, with direct
implications at behavioral level, which, in turn, can degenerate into a pathological one, with more
pronounced negative effects. This creates a direct relationship between the balance of gaming activity
and the other aspects of daily activities. As the time spent playing video games increases, an effect will
be felt in neglecting other activities, such as school activities or communication, interpersonal
relations. The importance of this final stage, the pathological one, lies in the fact that, besides the other
negative aspects listed above, it also generates the development of an aggressive behavior, which can
be also found at the level of manifestation of other addictions. Thus, studies show that, for example,
when parents try to control through restrictions the children’s access to video games, they receive an
aggressive, even hostile, reaction from the children’s side. Other aggressive reactions are found at the
behavioral level also as a result of the influence of video games with explicit violent content that are
accessed regularly over a period of time. For instance, in a virtual environment where the survival of
the character depends on its ability to assert itself only through violence we can observe a model
which can be assimilated as a general pattern of problem solving [11].
Therefore, we can observe that the negative implications of video games tend to be more
pronounced as the balance of the allocated time for the gaming activity begins to fade. In other words,
the more the balance in the activities of a child starts to impose excessively, the more the neglect of
other activities begins to surface. In this regard, it is necessary to show an awareness of the boundaries
of addictions. For instance, one can easily confuse video games addiction with internet addiction.
Parents observe that the child spends a longer period of time on the Internet, without having the
curiosity to properly identify his/her activity during this time. Thus, he/she does not properly perceive
addiction. The child may be all the while engaged in a gaming activity, the Internet in this case
functioning as a platform through which one accesses the desired content, which is possibly the
subject of addiction. For a better understanding, for instance we cannot say that a gambling addict who
gambles online is dependent on the Internet itself, but on the gambling games that he/she accesses
through internet [9]. Of course, the Internet can lead to a more intense or more varied consumption of
video games. An example of this is represented by the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online
Role-Playing Games). A well-known game from this category is World of Warcraft. These kinds of
games tend to generate a greater addiction than the games that are accessed offline, one explanation
being that it requires the player to be very present, the game basically being in constant motion, in
progress, 24/7, with or without the presence of the player. Thus, if the game is not frequently accessed,
the achievements as a player will be limited. Creating your virtual alter ego and making online contact
with thousands of players, this type of game opens a world of impressive size and perspective, an
extremely complex one, in which the virtual reality experience is a very profound one [10].
This aspect has a positive side, as we shall see. However, regarded at the level of negative
effects, from an imbalanced perspective of the time spent in the game, this aspect can also lead to
negative effects. Basically, the achievements that players incorporate during their gaming activity and
the status that they create compensate the shortcomings in real life, leading to a kind of isolation and a
creation of a dimension parallel to real life, a virtual dimension which, in the light of its achievements,
the player tends to prefer to the detriment of a reality with less opportunities. This can lead to the
neglect of daily activities, resulting in decreased performance (at school, for example), disorder in the
networking and social relations, and behavioral problems [4].
The natural consequence which leads to negative aspects of the influence of video games
comes from a completely imbalanced management of activities. Thus, when the gaming activity
becomes, in time, a bit imbalanced, negative consequences start to surface. Of course, a natural
question arises: in terms of time, what is a balanced gaming activity? It is hard to offer a clear and
generally valid answer, presenting a subjective side, because it depends on the particularities of each
case. Moreover, the situation should be analyzed also through reference to the age category. However,
the figures show that the time spent by teenagers on average is higher than that of children (4-10
years), the latter spending an average of 2 hours per day, while teenagers spend almost 4 hours per day
[14].

III. POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE INFLUENCE OF VIDEO GAMES

The aspect of the positive influence tends to get even more emphasized, as stated earlier.
Studies are starting to tone down the influence of games on consumers. Educational games represent
an approach that attempts to gain direct positive experience, such games having been created to
improve and complete the educational means and tools. The development of this type of games was
marked by various projects developed over time, even in the early 2000s, when online games, for
example MMORPGs, were not so popular as they are today. One of the projects (Rochester Castle)
demonstrates that at the level of learning processes improvements occur, the idea of collaboration and
team work being relevant. Children find this approach much more interactive, and the learning
processes are positive. This type of games with this educational approach are called edu-games [3].
The positive aspects of gaming activity are also indirectly present, without talking about education-
oriented games. In this respect, for example in an environment of complex gaming, like MMORPG
(but not only), it appears the need of efficient management of the items that you own, leading to the
development of some management skills for their own real resources (financials, goods etc). Timely
finding solutions to achieve different quests leads to the development of fast thinking. Exploring
unknown areas requires improving the ability of spatial orientation, storing spatial cues, effective time
management, attention to details, and more. In the case of Shooter games, for example, studies show
that hand-eye coordination potential increases. The target is dynamic, it is moving, thus the player
needs to precisely use the mouse or joystick in accordance with what they observe visually [2].
Moreover, improving fast response when making decisions can be influenced by this type of games.
Trying to fight off the negative effect of sedentarism derived from formal gaming activity has
led to active video gaming, a type of video games that require physical activity. Sedentarism which is
looming as a constant issue for children has a great potential for triggering weight problems, the non-
active video games contributing to this. Incorporating movement, this kind of video games can be a
way to discourage sedentarism. Trying to analyze through studies the effect that the games have leads
to the thesis that, although viable in their purpose, many are insufficiently compelling or motivating to
be regularly used by children on medium and long term. This can lead, for example, to the situation
where a game involving dance, for children aged 9 to 12, can not be constantly used for more than 12
weeks [8]. The potential of new video games and consoles implementation in this regard may lead to a
more efficient category of video games in the future.
For MMORPG and Shooter games we outlined some skills that can be developed as a
consequence of their use. Other games, as well, through their peculiarities, have several positive
implications. For example, games like Sims, by stimulating the aesthetic features, can improve the
taste that the user develops, through the implications of the game at architectural level, fashion level
etc. Another category of games which is relevant to positive implications is represented by simulation
games. The activity in these games contains a high degree of plausibility and realism. The spatial
orientation and visual abilities (in the case of a flight simulator, for example) are being trained in these
games [13]. The benefits of the simulators can be observed also at pragmatic level, for example
simulators that create a war context, which are used also by the United States Army. When playing
strategy games, they can stimulate organizational capacity, the ability to anticipate being one of the
characteristics that lead to performance in this category of games. Perseverance, constant success in
the coherent mobilization of resources and finding more effective strategies are aspects within the
game that, taken out of this context, can produce positive results. Some types of games have
implications in the sphere of knowledge or can develop an interest in a specific field such as science,
history, politics etc [2]. The so-called prosocial games were shown to have a positive impact on
players. These types of games have a predilection for helping other characters in the game, studies
showing that they lead to the development of prosocial tendencies in real life. The ability to
empathize, for example, can be developed through the gaming activity oriented to this category and
they also have long term effects on the prosocial behavior in children who were influenced by such
games [13]. Socialization also plays an important role in the category of MMO (Massively Multiplayer
Online) games. Thus, planning strategies and approaches, negotiations and discussions where the
importance of the implication of persuasion starts to be more and more apparent, as well as effective
collaboration between people lead to the outlining of the advantages the users can gain by developing
these skills. A positive aspect involving all categories of games is the assimilation with greater ease of
a foreign language, as well as vocabulary development in the case of certain games based more on the
narrative aspect, on the text, and not necessarily on graphics.
Some positive aspects of previously discussed games were also identified by parents
interviewed in a study conducted in the city of Constanța (România) published in 2014, regarding the
implications of gaming on children's development. Thus, a total of 1,087 parents, from different
professional categories, thought that the major benefits of the gaming activity were: faster mental
connections (7.94%), dexterity (7.39%), spirit of competition (7.30%), learning foreign languages
(7.07 %), improved memory capacity (6.64%). These are the top 5 benefits observed [14].
Both positive and negative implications of video games will certainly further raise interest
both in the academic world and in the social non-academic world. The constant presence of all video
games in our lives, direct or indirect, implies a deeper and a nuanced knowledge of them.

IV. RESEARCH DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

Starting from these premises organized as an X-ray of the strengths and weaknesses from the
perspective of the influence of video games (a concept which includes games played on consoles,
smartphones, tablets or computers), our study intends to identify how the effects of video games on the
development of the children are being observed and perceived by their parents. To this end, the
research started from an investigative approach based on The Critical Incident Technique, by J.C.
Flanagan [7], in conjunction with Scaling Behavioral Anchors by P.C. Smith and L.M. Kendall [15].
The targeted result was to obtain inventories of the positive and negative contributions of video games
to the psychological development of children, which are organized and ranked from the perspective of
the importance perceived by the parents.
Six primary schools from Craiova took part in the research. The subjects aged between 10 and
11 (4th grade pupils) included in the study had to meet the condition to have accessed video games
from the age of 7-8 or earlier, with a frequency of more than three times per week, with a total of at
least six hours per week.
Our exploratory study is presented in two stages with four steps each.

4.1 Stage I – The inventory of advantages

Step 1.
Initially, the parents of the pupils who met the required conditions were requested to compile a
list of their children’s observable behaviors, measured in skills.
These lists were centralized. From the list with the detailed behaviors, the ones with similar
meanings, only the first 20 were combined and were incorporated into a single list, which had the
highest frequency of occurrence.
Step 2.
From this list, the parents were asked to choose the top 10 behaviors / skills which they think
the gaming activity has a notable contribution to.
The chosen dimensions were collated and the dimensions that were retained were those which
had a higher frequency of occurrence. This new list, containing the description of the 10 skills,
constituted the grid of indicators on which it was operated below.
Step 3.
Starting from this grid, the parents were asked to rank the 10 skills, using a Likert scale with 7
levels linked to each skill, depending on how much the parents think that each of the 10 skills
characterizes their own child.
Step 4.
To eliminate the natural subjectivity from the parents’ assessments, in this step a second
opinion was requested on the possession of those skills by each pupil from the teacher in the
classroom. The opinions that proved to be diametrically opposed have led to the elimination of that
subject from the study. Thus, there were only 120 subjects left, 83 boys and 37 girls. Moreover, we
have to mention that only the skills which scored a percentage higher than 10% of the stated opinions
were retained.
The centralized results are presented in Table 1.

Skill description Percentage from Rank

opinions (%)
Fast assimilation of the English language 62 1
Reading and vocabulary development 55 2
Rapid socialization and integration within the group of 53 3
friends/colleagues
Spatial orientation 45 4
Individual study and self-learning 34 5
Attention to details 21 6
Anticipation capacity, expectation and perseverance 12 7
Correct management of personal resources 10 8
Table 1. The inventory of advantages

4.2 Stage II – The inventory of disadvantages

In a similar maner, the disadvantages were distinguished by the parents in relation to the early
exposure of their own children to the formative influences of video games. The results are summarized
in Table 2.

Description of the dysfunctional behavior Percentage Rank

from
opinions
(%)
Lack of concentration on something which is not interactive or engaging 53 1
Lack of patience in case of important, but unattractive activities 46 2
Health problems (eye, mobility, rheumatism, spine problems) 43 3
Haste and superficiality (especially to gain more time to play video games) 32 4
Behavior which denotes aggressiveness and irritability 27 5
Tendency to narrow the circle of friends only to those with similar interests 23 6
Tendency to limit the subject of discussions to topics related to gaming 19 7
Lack of will to play outdoor games 15 8
Table 2. The inventory of disadvantages

V. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCLOSURES

Several observations are required.

1. We are aware of the limitations of our study, which for example did not make the difference
between the types of games played by children. The children were chosen exclusively from the
perspective of the time allocated weekly to playing video games. Moreover, another limited thing is
the fact that the entire investigative approach is based on the subjective assessment of the subjects'
parents. In other words, the study can always be refined by inserting, tracking and interpreting other
variables, aspects that may become research targets in the future.
2. It is obvious that the gaming activity involves reducing the allocated time for other
activities, some which are necessary for the harmonious development of children, among which we
may include communication with adults or peers, movement and outdoor sports or other various
activities aimed at identifying the vocational attributes. However, in our case, we are interested in
those identified advantages and disadvantages which are diametrically opposed. These do not occur at
the same time, in all cases, for the same child, but this happened in 23 cases (19%). For example, we
are talking about the items in the two tables that refer to sociability, to the ability to pay attention and
to perseverance. The explanation is that, in terms of behavior, early video game addiction manifests
itself through irritability (due to the fact that the child is eager to quickly complete any other activity in
order to return to "his universe"), through minimal interpersonal communication or through lack of or
reduced relational capacity. Thus, negative behaviors seen in children in our study could indicate
incipient forms of addiction.
 3. From the descriptions of the behavior of children made by their parents we can observe the
fact that four interrelated and simultaneous phenomena accompany the gamer’s activity – we dare to
extrapolate and say that this is the case in every age -, partially observed in [4]:
a. The phenomenon of interactivity - which attracts and captures the attention and significantly
diminishes fatigue which usually appears after a volunteer effort to concentrate the attention;
b. The phenomenon of immersion – of subjective and profound adhesion to the gaming
activity, concomitant with the detachment from immediate reality;
c. The feeling of safety / security – given by the a priori awareness that the acts performed
during the game do not have consequences in real life;
d. The feeling of the ability to control / possess / modifiy a reality, albeit a virtual one, at their
own free will.

Their simultaneous action results in the rapid removal of psychological and social barriers that
would otherwise occur in the way of developing a psychological addiction to this activity.
4. According to the findings of a study belonging to Durkin K. and Barber B. [5], we consider
it inappropriate to attribute a causal relationship exclusively to video games in relation to children’s
aggression. There may be other factors associated with the exposure of children to an aggressive,
repetitive, trivial or destructive activity during the game, such as lack of parental supervision,
exposure to a social environment (family or group of friends) characterized by aggression, a home
placed in an area of the city with increased criminality etc.
5. Advantages and disadvantages are identified and organized in two lists and constitute
landmarks worthy of consideration from any parent’s side who is actively involved in the complex
process of building a harmonious personality of their child.
Against this background, in the end, some recommendations arise from the conclusions of the
conducted investigative study:
 The child involved in the gaming activity requires constant supervision. To this end, it
is recommended that access to video games be offered in communal places and it is
therefore contraindicated to give free access to the children in their own room;
 From the perspective of achieving a balance between the gaming activity and other
activities necessary for a harmonious and healthy development in early childhood, we
consider it worthwhile to establish a fixed schedule / program to offer / to allow
access to video games;
 Frequent participation of the parent, actively or pasively, to the gaming activity of the
child is also an opportunity to strengthen their relationship. The parent can offer
potential courses of action or desirable solutions from socio-moral perspective to the
problematic / conflictual situations which appear in the game, while offering
explanations. The parent should also monitor the categories of the games played by
the child by limiting the access to those games that offer any kind of bonuses for
completing violent / aggressive actions.
 Involving the child (and/or participating with the child) in extracurricular activities
and leisures which do not require using video games.

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