Video games can contribute to and support children's well-being if they are designed with children's needs in mind, according to new research.
This report is the second installment of the Innovation for Children (RITEC) project, which establishes that digital game companies and game designers can and should support the well-being of children through the games they create. are doing. This research also shows that digital play has a particularly positive impact on children's autonomy, competence, creativity and identity when it responds to children's deep interests, needs and desires.
New York University Steinhardt professor Jan L. Plass led one of the three studies included in the report. To understand the impact of digital play on children's well-being, Dr. Plas and his colleagues conducted his 10-week intervention, which included digital games such as: lego builder journey and rocket league 255 children between the ages of 8 and 12 are participating.
Among their findings, U.S. children with a stronger need for belonging conveyed more positive emotions toward social and parent relationships and felt increased autonomy. In Chile, children report increased independence and improved parent-child relationships. In South Africa, digital play generally supported the well-being of all children.
“Many parents are concerned about their children's screen time. This is the first study to examine the impact of digital play on the well-being of this age group in the United States, Chile, and South Africa,” said the association's founding partner. Director Plath said. Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education (CREATE) Laboratory at New York University.
In addition to the experimental study, an observational study was conducted over 14 months in the homes of 50 families with children aged 6 to 12 in Australia, Cyprus, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The lab-based study looked at heart rate, eye tracking, facial expressions and galvanic skin response (sweat gland activity) in 69 children aged 7 to 12 years old playing the digital She game in Australia. change) was measured.
Three studies found that games support children's sense of autonomy, competence, creativity, and identity, and help them regulate their emotions and build relationships.
However, to support one or more of these aspects of well-being, games need to consider certain features. For example, to support children's autonomy, games can allow children to take control and make decisions about gameplay, encouraging them to develop their own strategies to progress. Or, to support creativity, games give children the freedom to explore and solve problems or create their own characters and stories.
“For decades, people have thought that playing video games somehow negatively affects children and undermines their well-being. But our new research suggests a much more complex explanation. The picture is that these games can actually contribute to the well-being of children and actively support their development,” says Bo Victor Nylund, Director of UNICEF Innocenti.
“This exciting research by UNICEF and leading academics shows that safe and inclusive digital play can have a hugely positive impact on children's lives,” said LEGO Group Digital Consumption. said Anna Rafferty, vice president of customer engagement.
“These discoveries will enable responsible companies to create a digital future where children are safe and equipped to grow and thrive.”
“The finding that digital play can enhance children's well-being and meet their psychological needs, such as the need to connect with others, is especially important at a time when children's mental health is a concern.” Plath says.
“This research not only helps us understand how video games affect children's well-being, but also what factors producers and designers of these games are taking to support children. It also helps us understand what we can include,” says Nylund. “We hope that children will take these findings into account when designing the games they play in the future.”
Following the findings, a guide will be published later this year to help companies incorporate these findings into the games they design.
Other co-authors include New York University, UNICEF Innocenti, Western Sydney University, the Graduate Center, City University of New York, University of Sheffield, and the Australian Center of Excellence for the Digital Child.
The Lego Foundation funded this research.
Source: New York University
