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Technology and Adolescent Mental Health pp 237–253Cite as

Video Games and Their Impact on Teens’ Mental Health

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Abstract

The role that video games play in the lives of teenagers has grown dramatically and without pause for the past generation or two. Between computers, smart phones, and dedicated game consoles, not only are individual adolescents spending more of their days playing video games, but the percentage of teens whose daily lives include video games is quickly approaching universality. In this chapter, we first review recent trends in video gaming and explore the various and myriad video games that teens tend to play as well as their motivations to play video games. Then, we review the literature regarding the influence of playing different types of commercial video games on mental health. And last, we explore recent innovations in game development whereby video games are specifically developed to improve mental health symptoms or psychosocial adjustment, including a review of the research supporting use of these “impactful video games.” It is hoped that the information presented in this chapter will provide practitioners with greater understanding of the diversity and breadth of experiences that fall under the umbrella term “video gaming” in order to help foster more open and productive conversations with teens about their video gaming behavior. We also hope the research evidence presented in this chapter will encourage practitioners to integrate the use of video games into their treatment of teen patients, both as a means of fostering the therapeutic alliance and as an innovative accompaniment to traditional therapeutic methods to enhance teens’ mental and behavioral health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank their three sons—Jefferson Thomas, Benjamin Thomas, and Lincoln Thomas—who provided considerable input (and fact-checking) for this chapter regarding popular commercial video games, video game genres, and video gaming experiences. Their feedback and sharing were integral in helping the authors conceptualize teens’ gameplay experiences when writing the first section of this chapter. The authors would also like to thank Mary Whatley who aided considerably in conducting a literature search and compiling the citations included in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 3C Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Melissa E. DeRosier Ph.D. & James M. Thomas Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Melissa E. DeRosier Ph.D.
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  2. James M. Thomas Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Melissa E. DeRosier Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Megan A. Moreno

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ana Radovic

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DeRosier, M.E., Thomas, J.M. (2018). Video Games and Their Impact on Teens’ Mental Health. In: Moreno, M., Radovic, A. (eds) Technology and Adolescent Mental Health . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69638-6_17

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