Young Brains & Video Games
Introduction
Video games are popular. They can be fun, challenging, and create social connections.
But too much time on video games can cause problems, especially for youth and emerging adults whose brains are still fine-tuning. In the following video our main character, BE, experiences what it’s like to be hooked on video games.
How Prevalent is Gaming Disorder?
In Ontario, one in five students meet the criteria for gaming disorder. This means that video games are negatively affecting some aspect of their lives including their mental and physical health, relationships, education, and finances. Because of gambling-like features such loot boxes, video games have become an early entry point for gambling. Loot box purchases are associated with the development of gaming and gambling problems.
Additional Tools
If you’re looking for more information, we have several resources available. These tools are free to use for educational purposes. We hope you find them helpful!
Young Brains & Video Games
This handout describes how video games affect the brain. It’s useful to gamers, parents, caregivers, educators, or anyone who is interested in reducing gaming harms.
Click the image to download the PDF!
Gaming’s Effects on Young Brains: Risk Factors and Video Game Design
This handout is for clinicians and other healthcare providers to help someone who is experiencing a problem with video games. It reviews several gaming harms, how the brain is affected by video games, how some game features are like gambling, and ways to reduce harms. Activities are provided to improve understanding and enhance a clinical session.
Click the image to download the PDF!
The Brain Connections Gaming Primer
If you don’t know much about video games and you’re interested in learning more, then the Gaming Primer is for you! The Gaming Primer has a glossary of terms that reviews key features of games (such as avatars, loot boxes, and cosmetics) and their impact on the brain. It also provides a timeline on changes in the gaming industry, relevant statistics, and a review of the different types of games that exist.
Click the image to download the PDF!
Brain Connections, authored by Iris Balodis, Deirdre Querney and Jean-Pierre Joubert, and is intended for educational purposes only. Our goal at Brain Connections is to help prevent gaming and gambling harms through education. We turn scientific research into tools that are easy to understand and use to make informed decisions. To learn more about what we do, check out the About Us page.
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