Video games are immensely popular, particularly among teens and young adults. Yet there is much to learn about the content and context of teens\u2019 gaming experiences, the mechanics of their play, and the relationships between playing games and a range of academic, social, and civic outcomes.<\/p>\n\n
To date, the main areas of research have considered how video games relate to children\u2019s aggression and to academic learning. There has also been limited research on how video games contribute to (or, perhaps, undermine) the civic development of young people. To date, no large-scale national survey has examined the civic dimensions of video games.<\/p>\n\n
The goal of the Gaming and Civics Survey is to provide the first nationally representative study of teen video game play and of teen gaming and civic engagement. To achieve a portrait of teen gaming, the survey looks at which teens are playing games, the games and equipment they are using, the social context of their play, and the role of parental monitoring. To explore the relationship between gaming and civics, the study examines how particular civic gaming experiences and contexts relate to teens\u2019 civic activities and commitments. Though arguments have been advanced regarding the civic potential of video games, this is the first large-scale study to examine the relationship between specific gaming experiences and civic outcomes.<\/p>\n\n
Video games: any type of interactive\nentertainment software; here we use the term\n\u201cvideo game\u201d to mean any type of computer,\nconsole, online or mobile game.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
When Steve Russell wrote the world\u2019s first video game in 1961\u2014the two-player spaceship fighter Spacewar<\/i>\u2014he likely had no idea that more than 40 years later, the gaming industry would be an economic juggernaut and entertainment staple for the majority of the U.S. population. By some estimates, industry sales that include consoles, hardware, software, and accessories generated nearly $19 billion in revenue domestically in 2007.[3. numoffset=”3″ NPD Group, Inc. http:\/\/www.npd.com\/press\/releases\/press_080131b.html<\/a>] Popular video games can gross more than popular film releases: the highly anticipated April 2008 release Grand Theft Auto IV grossed $500 million in its first week of release,[4. Feldman, Curt, “Grand Theft Auto IV steals sales records.” http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2008\/TECH\/05\/08\/gta.sales\/index.html<\/a>] more than twice the largest domestic movie premiere to date, Batman: The Dark Knight.[5. http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2008\/SHOWBIZ\/Movies\/07\/20\/dark.knight.ap\/<\/a>; http:\/\/www.suntimes.com\/entertainment\/movies\/1077194,CST-FTR-box28.article<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n
Moving beyond the polarized video game debate reveals a variety of gaming experiences and contexts.<\/h3>\n\n
Since their inception, there has been multi-faceted controversy about whether video games are good, bad or benign in their impact on young people. Media watchdogs like the National Institute on Media and the Family warn that video games can foster social isolation, aggressive behavior, and gender bias.[6. numoffset=”6″ National Institute on Media and the Family, \u201cFact Sheet\u2014Effects of Video Game Playing on Children,\u201d http:\/\/www.mediafamily.org\/facts\/facts_effect.shtml<\/a> (accessed July 8, 2008).] Research by psychologists Craig Anderson, Doug Gentile, and Katherine Buckley finds that that violent video games and violent media can normalize violent, aggressive, and otherwise anti-social behavior[7. Anderson, C., D. Gentile, and K. Buckley, K. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy<\/em> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).] Researchers at the University of Maryland express concerns that video games may promote gender stereotypes.[8. A. Brenick et al., \u201cSocial Evaluations of Stereotypic Images in Video Games,\u201d Youth and Society<\/em> 38:4 (2007), pp. 395-419.]<\/p>\n\n
Others, like Mark Bauerlein argue that video game culture distracts youth from such disciplined activities as reading that ultimately pay greater dividends.[9. Bauerlein, Mark, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don\u2019t Trust Anyone Under 30)<\/em> (New York: Penguin Group, 2008).] Kaiser Family Foundation data suggests that without counting games played on a computer, online or not, that the average teens spends 49 minutes a day playing console or handheld games and 43 minutes a day reading magazines, books or newspapers.[10. Rideout, V., D.F. Roberts, and U.G. Foehr, U. G., Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8\u201418 Year-Olds<\/em> (Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005), p. 7.] In addition, Robert Putnam, a Harvard professor and author of Bowling Alone<\/i>, notes that traditional social leisure activities like card games have been replaced by electronic versions that lack social interaction.[11. Putnam, R., Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community<\/em> (New York: Simon & Shuster, 2000), p. 104.] The concern is that youth are spending an increasing amount of their time alone, leaving less time for the social group interactions that develop the civic skills. Not only may youth have less time for civic life, but less inclination to participate.<\/p>\n\n
On the other side of the argument, many scholars dispute the strength of findings regarding the negative impact of video games. Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson, for example, argue that evidence showing video games promote aggression and violence is often exaggerated by those with strong ideological leanings.[12. Kutner, L., and C. Olson C., Grand Theft Childhood<\/em> (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008).] James Gee adds that \u201cvideo games are neither good nor bad all by themselves, they neither lead to violence or peace. They can be and do one thing in one family, social, or cultural context, quite another in other such contexts.\u201d[13. Gee, James, Why Video Games Are Good for your Soul<\/em> (Vancouver: Common Ground Publishing, 2005), p. 5.]<\/p>\n\n
Highlighting another facet of the discussion around games, scholars call attention to the \u201ctremendous educative power\u201d games have to integrate thinking, social interaction, and technology into the learning experience.[14. Shaffer, D.W., et al., \u201cVideo games and the Future of Learning,\u201d Phi Delta Kappan<\/em> 87:2 (2005), pp. 104-11.] Responding, in part, to those who argue that games isolate individuals, Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams find that games are not necessarily isolating, and can open up new game-based social networks.[15. Steinkuehler, C., and D. Williams, \u201cWhere Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as \u2018Third Places\u2019,\u201d Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication<\/em> 11 (2006), pp. 885-909.] New media scholars, such as MIT\u2019s Henry Jenkins, argue that video games and other forms of digital media have \u201crelatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement.\u201d[16. Jenkins, H., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century<\/em>, White Paper (Chicago: MacArthur Foundation, 2006).]<\/p>\n\n
These debates raise important considerations. They highlight the importance of varied youth gaming experiences and contexts. At the same time, these discussions are often polarized and public consideration of video games\u2019 is often framed in terms of video games being \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad.\u201d Lost is attention to the diversity of gaming experiences and the significantly different social contexts that surround game play. Hence, this study explores that diversity of gaming experience and context.<\/p>\n\n
Educational games<\/h3>\n\n