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Many parents are concerned with their child’s seemingly obsessive video game play. Fortnite, the most recent gaming phenomenon, has taken the world by storm and has parents asking if the shooter game is okay for kids. The short answer is yes, Fortnite is generally fine. Furthermore, parents can breathe easier knowing that research suggests gaming (on its own) does not cause disorders like addiction.
However, there’s more to the story. A comprehensive answer to the question of whether video games are prejudicial must take into account other factors, and parents need to understand why kids play, as well as when to worry and when to relax.
The word “addiction” gets tossed around quite a bit these days, but if it isn’t causing serious harm and disorder to daily function, it isn’t an addiction. Parents may worry that their kids are addicted, but if the children can pull themselves away from a game to join the family for a conversation over dinner and shows interest in other activities, like sports or socializing with friends, then they are not addicted.
Generally, parents panic when their kid’s video game playing comes at the expense of doing other things, like studying or helping around the house. But let’s be honest, kids have been avoiding these activities for ages. Equally true is the fact that parents have been complaining about their unhelpful children well before the first video game was plugged into its socket.
In fact, moderate video game play has been shown to be beneficial. A study conducted at Oxford by Dr. Andrew Przybylski revealed that playing about one hour per day improved psychological well-being, while when taken to an extreme, playing over three hours per day, was correlated with less well-being.
The real question should be what is it about the special attraction of gaming that makes it the preferred pastime of so many millions of kids? What makes it so difficult for even non-addicted kids to step away from video games sometimes? The answer has to do with the way games address basic psychological needs.
Fortnite, like any well-designed video game, satisfies what we are all looking for. According to Drs. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, people need three things to flourish. We look for competence — the need for mastery, progression, achievement, and growth. We seek autonomy — the need for volition and freedom of control over our choice. And finally, we look for relatedness — the need to feel like we matter to others, and that others matter to us. Unfortunately, when considering the state of modern childhood, many kids aren’t getting enough of these three essential elements.
School, where kids spend most of their waking hours, is in many ways the antithesis of a place where kids feel competence, autonomy, and relatedness. There, kids are told what to do, where to be, what to think, what to wear, and what to eat. While some argue that discipline and control provide structure, it’s clear why teachers and students might struggle with motivation in the classroom.
Gamers feel competence when they practice strengths to reach their goals. In a game, players have the autonomy to call the shots, do what they want, and experiment with creative strategies to solve problems. Games are also social outlets where players can feel relatedness. In Fortnite, for example, players often meet in the virtual environment to chat and socialize, because doing so in the real world is often inconvenient or off limits.
Of course, none of this is to say video games are a good substitution — quite the opposite. No game
can give a child the feeling of competence that comes from accomplishing a difficult task or learning a new skill on their own accord. Fortnite can’t compete with the exhilaration that comes from the autonomy of exploring reality, where a child is free to ask questions and unlock mysteries in the real world. No social media site can give a kid the sense of relatedness, safety, and warmth that comes from an adult who loves that child unconditionally just the way they are, no matter what, and takes the time to tell them so.
Some kids suffer from gaming disorders, but such dependencies are often combined with preexisting conditions, including problems with impulse control. For most children, however, parents understanding the deeper truth behind what kids are getting out of games empowers them to take steps to give their children more of what they need. Video games are this generation’s outlet, and some kids use them as a tool to escape the same way some of us use our own flavor of dissociative devices to tune out reality for a while.
(Adapted from https://www.psychologytoday.com. Access on March 25th, 2021)
Glossary:
1. to toss around – to discuss possibilities or new ideas
2. to step away – to not become involved with something
3. to flourish – to grow or develop successfully
4. volition – the power to make your own decision
5. exhilaration – excitement and happiness
6. to call the shots – to be in position to decide
7. outlet – a way in which emotions, energy or abilities can be expressed or made use of
8. to tune out – to stop paying attention to something or someone
According to Dr. Andrew Przybylski,
