This document provides an introduction to video games, including their history, cultural impact, intended effects, and research on positive and negative outcomes. It discusses how video games have grown to a $20 billion industry in the US with average gamers being 35 years old. Important historical figures who developed early games are identified. Research on motivations for playing video games and their effects on aggression, learning, and addiction are summarized. The popularity of online multiplayer games is also covered.

1. Video Games: An Introduction
Paul Skalski, Ph.D.
Cleveland State University

2. Why Video Games?
• Facts:
• More than $20 billion in sales in U.S.
• 77% of households play video games.
• Average age of a gamer: 35 years old.
• 40% of gamers are women.
• Also: Game sales now surpass all movie,
music, and DVD sales…
• …combined! (Sources: ESA; Goldberg, 2011)

3. Important Historical Figures
• Steve Russell (early 1960s)
– Creator of the first computer game, Spacewar!
• Ralph Baer (late 1960s)
– Inventor of home video game technology.
• Nolan Bushnell (1970s)
– Founder of the first successful home video game
company, Atari.
• Shigeru Miyamoto (1980s-present)
– Creator of classic games with iconic characters, such
as Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Link, and Zelda.

4. Cultural Effects of Video Games
• Case Example: Nintendo and MARIO
• The game that launched Nintendo….
• Re-imaginings of the classic.
• Mario ROCKS!
• Current hit on the nostalgia/novelty circuit.
• My favorite piece of new merchandise?

5. Intended Effects of Video Games
• Uses and Gratifications Theory:
Designed to lend insight into the ways
people use media to meet their needs.
• Based on notion of ACTIVE audience.
• Focuses on individual motivations for
media use.
• IMPORTANT: May vary by medium.

6. Sample Motivations for TV Use
• Learning
• Surveillance
• Habit
• Companionship
• Arousal
• Relaxation
• Escape
• To Pass Time

7. Motivations for Video Game Use
(Sherry et al., 2006)
• 1. Arousal: Playing video games to stimulate
emotions as a result of fast action and high
quality graphics.
• 2. Challenge: Playing games to push self to
higher level of skill/personal accomplishment.
• 3. Competition: To prove to other people
who has the best skills and who can think
and react the fastest.

8. Motivations for Video Game Use
(Sherry et al., 2006)
• 4. Diversion: Playing to avoid stress or
responsibilities.
• 5. Fantasy: Playing to do things that one
can’t do in real life.
• 6. Social Interaction: Using games to
interact with friends, family, etc. and learn the
personalities of others.

9. QUESTIONS
• Why do YOU play video games?
• Can specific games lead to multiple
gratifications?
• Let’s review popular games now and think
of what gratifications they fulfill:
• First: Madden football
• Second: Tetris!
• What about Super Mario Bros.???

10. Video Game Violence Effects
• Unique aspects of video game violence:
• 1. Interactivity—the active role of users in
decisions to behave aggressively is #1
cause of concern.
• 2. First-person point of view.
• 3. Rapid, repeated streams of violence.
• 4. Lack of consequences/punishments.
• 5. Low salience of models, expected to
decrease aggressive responses.

11. Meta Analysis of Video Game
Violence Effects Experiments
• Sherry (2001) estimated effect size across
25 studies on video games & aggression
• Effect size (d = .30) smaller than TV effect
size (d = .65) – Paik and Comstock (1994)
• However, effect size correlated with year
(r = .39)
–Effect of violent games on aggression
has increased over time.

12. Death Race (1976)

13. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

14. Mortal Kombat (2011)

15. Manhunt 2 (2007)

16. Other Negative Effects of Games
• 1. Verbal Aggression
– EXTREME example: Croyt’s Rage
• Warning: If you are offended by strong
language… earmuffs….
• 2. Addiction/Dependency
• 3. Sexual Stereotyping/Body Image
• 4. Poor Health/Lack of Fitness

17. Positive Effects of Video Games
• Video games in general have been shown
to relate positively to:
– Training/Learning
– Sociability
– Academic Performance (if not excessive)
– Physical Fitness (e.g., DDR, Wii, Wii Fit).

18. Positive Effects of Video Games
• Educational video games have been
shown to relate positively to:
– Learning (esp. in math)
– Motivation
– Retention Memory
– Spatial Skills
• Popular examples include….

19. Oregon Trail

20. Number Munchers

21. Where in the World is Carmen
Sandiego?

22. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

23. Questions
• What educational video games did you play?
• Do you think they helped you learn their
respective subjects better?
• In general, what are the strengths of video
games as an educational tool?
• One thing: They’re HARD to put down, which
can’t be said of many textbooks.
• They are now being developed for students
of all ages, including college level (e.g., MIT
Games-to-Teach Project).

24. Online Video Gaming
• Online video games like the MMORPG
(Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing
Game) are a recent development singled out
for:
• their ability to connect players socially, and
• HIGHLY addictive nature.
• Yee (2005) did a survey of over 30,000
players of these games! Results as follows:

25. Yee (2005) general findings
• 85% of players are male.
• Average age of players: 26.57.
– Only 25% teenagers.
– More than ¼ of female players are 35+ years old.
• 50% of players work full time.
– Another 22.2% are full time students.
– 13% of female players are homemakers.
• Average time spent per week: 22.72 hrs.
• 15.8% of male users and 59.8% of female users
play with a romantic partner.

26. Yee (2005) social findings
• 22.9% of male players and 32% of female
players said they told personal issues or secrets
to MMORPG friends that they never told to real
life friends.
• 39.4% of male players and 53% of female
players felt their MMORPG friends were
comparable to or better than real-life friends.
• 5.1% of male players and 15.7% of female
players said they had physically dated someone
they met in first met in an MMORPG.

27. Yee (2005) emotional findings
• Around ¼ of players indicated:
– Their most rewarding or satisfying experience
in past 7 days occurred in a MMORPG.
– Their most infuriating or annoying experience
in last 7 days occurred in a MMORPG.
• Nearly 50% (HALF) of players considered
themselves to be addicted to a MMORPG
environment.

28. Online Video Gaming
• Most popular MMORPG: World of Warcraft
• Spoofed perfectly on South Park.
• Let’s watch the classic episode NOW.

29. GAME OVER
Questions? Email: p.skalski@csuohio.edu
Thanks!

30. In-Between Effect
• Excitation Transfer Theory—says general
arousal from any source can intensify a
subsequent emotional experience and
make it more prominent than it would be
without the source.
• Can go (e.g., joy) or (e.g., anger).
• Highly arousing games lead to stronger…
• ...as in our GOTD, Left 4 Dead! Thoughts?

31. Other New Media Technologies
• Web 2.0 = a term coined in the middle of this
decade to describe the 2nd generation of the
World Wide Web, which allows for:
• More collaboration.
• More information sharing.
• Greater ease of use.
• Examples of user generated media include:
• Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.