Games and the Mind

James A. Whitney
Intro to Research Methods, Summer 2014

As human beings, we all crave entertainment; something to make our leisure time enjoyable, to
take our mind off of the stresses of daily life. One of the most common forms of entertainment
a huge industry in todays worldis gaming. Gaming comes in may different varieties: video
games(both on home consoles and computer), card games, pen and paper roleplaying games,
and miniatures games, just to name a few broad categories. They are very different but are
linked by the central concept of games: they are an interactive medium through which one can
not only experience something, but affect it, and very often involve an element of chance as well
making the outcome unpredictable and potentially different each time.

Gaming has been around for ages, but in relatively recent years people have begun to question
its validity as a hobby and pastime. Is there something more worthwhile you could be spending
your time on? Video games in particular have been accused of rotting your brain or
encouraging bad behavior, while roleplaying games have caught the brunt of bad attention from
moral and religious institutions who claim that they corrupt people to evil deeds.

But what effects does gaming really have on your mind? I myself have been an avid gamer for
nigh-on twenty years now, playing all of the above listed types of games and more. I and others
like me have seen the potential in gaming to not only be innocuous entertainment, but a
wonderful tool for expanding and aiding the mind. With these conicting opinions, it seems that
gaming as a primary hobby or pastimesomething that might cause one to identify as a
gamercould have positive or negative effects on someones mind, perhaps some of both, or
potentially even little measurable effect at all.

How effective is gaming as a stress release and mood enhancer? As a form of entertainment,
these are ostensibly its primary functions. Does gaming help with mental faculties and acuity,
such as increased creativity? Many consider games to be a form of art, and art is nothing if not
an expression of creativity. Could games be used as a method for treating mental illnesses,
such as post-traumatic stress disorder or autism? Mental disorders are becoming more and
more of an issue in todays world, and any aid in treating them would no doubt be welcome.

These are the primary questions addressed in this study. To nd answers, evidence has been
gathered from other reputable, peer-reviewed sources, providing a backdrop on which to base
any conclusions. In addition, a voluntary survey was addressed to the local populacegamers
and non-gamers alikein order to discover the observable and identiable effects of gaming on
a personal level. The survey had eight required questions, each rated on a scale of 1-9, where 5
was neutral, 1-4 were anti-gaming, and 5-9 were pro-gaming. Several optional questions
followed, which were ll in the blank and allowed respondents to talk freely about their thoughts
and experiences on gaming.

To facilitate understanding, what follows is a denition of terms as used during the course of the
study.


Denition of Terms

Non-Gamer: a person who does not play games or plays them only incidentally, such as socially
or as brief distractions in idle moments.

Gamer: a person whose primary hobby or pastime is gaming, and who devotes a considerable
number of hours each week to it.

Hardcore Gamer: a person whose primary hobby or pastime is gaming, and who devotes so
many hours each week to it that they have little if any time for other hobbies or pursuits outside
of required activities(work, school, family, etc).

Gaming Addict: a person whose primary hobby or pastime is gaming, and who devotes so many
hours each week to it that they neglect required activities(work, school, family, etc) in favor of
gaming.


Potential Benets of Gaming

Games are primarily a form of entertainment. As such, they are by their nature designed to be
fun. Generally, people engage in fun activities to elevate their mood and reduce stress; if they
didnt accomplish these goals, they wouldnt be fun in the rst place. Studies have indicated that
gaming is effective in these areas.

Smartphones and the games that are available on them are ubiquitous in todays world. The
American Psychological Association reports that such simple, easy to access games can
improve moods, promote relaxation, and help protect against anxietywhile also teaching
people resilience against the threat of failure(Granic).

Workers in a call centertypically considered a very stressful positionsaw a 17% reduction in
the stress-related hormone cortisol after playing a game called the Matrix, according to Liberty
Games(Stanford).

Many people agree that games rated E for Everyone by the ESRBthe ratings bureau that
controls age warnings on video gamesare largely fun and harmless. A long-held belief,
however, is that violent video games have a negative effect on their players. Violent games are
more and more prevalent in the market today, and their depictions of gore and visceral scenes
get more realistic with each generation of improved graphics and sound. Many people believe
that these horric depictions of violence encourage violent behavior.

Studies have found that this is not the case, however; The violent action games that often
worry parents most had the strongest benecial effect on the brain(Lee Hotz). In a detailed
study, researchers at the University of Buffalo found that Rather than leading players to
become less moral, this research suggests that violent video-game play may actually lead to
increased moral sensitivity We found that after a subject played a violent video game, they felt
guilt and that guilt was associated with greater sensitivity toward the two particular domains they
violate: those of care/harm and fairness/reciprocity, Grizzard said(Elise, Bad Behavior in
Games May Lead to Better Behavior in Real Life).

Another study in the United Kingdom focused on the effects of gaming on younger children,
wondering if younger minds would be more impressionable to the perceived negative effects of
gaming.

The study focused on the impact of video games and television on 11,000 children
and whether exposure to gaming could eventually lead to battles with anger, depression
or ADD. Researchers were curious if games may have more powerful effects due to
active user engagement, identication with characters and repeated rehearsal and
reinforcement.

The outcome of the study found that regular exposure to video games had virtually no
effect on the behavior of participants. However, viewing three or more hours of television
per day at the age of 5 did lead to a minor increase in behavioral problems in children
aged 5 to 7, regardless of gender. (Elise, Video Games Have No Effect On Childrens
Behavior)

Despite these studies, courts across the country continue to wage legislative battles against
violent media, video games in particular. The Video Game Voters Network
(www.videogamevoters.org) formed to keep gamers informed of such legal issues and report on
the benets games have to counteract the beliefs of negative effects.

Many of gamings benets can enhance the mind in a variety of ways. Certain video games
have high levels of customizability, sometimes to the point of most playable parts of the game
being created by players, a phenomenon called user-created contentand a great showcase
for players exing their creative muscles. Tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons and
Dragons take this even further by allowing players to create almost literally everything within a
certain rulesetand even the rules are malleable if the players desire.

Many studies report on concrete, measurable cognitive benets, as well. The Wall Street
Journal reports that People who played action-based video and computer games made
decisions 25% faster than others without sacricing accuracy Indeed, the most adept gamers
can make choices and act on them up to six times a secondfour times faster than most
people(Lee Hotz).

Liberty Games lists a litany of effects: 30 minutes per day for 2 months on platform games
increases the right prefrontal cortex, right hippocampus, and grey matter in cerebellum, while
also positively affecting strategic planning, memory formation, spatial navigation, and hand
motor skills; 12 hours spent playing action games can drastically improve reading abilities of
dyslexic children; and 40 hours spent playing real time strategy games can improve brain
exibility(Stanford).

The American Psychological Association also found multiple cognitive benets for different types
of gamesaction shooter games were especially highlighted. Granic, Lobel, and Engels write
spatial skill improvements derived from playing commercially available shooter video games
are comparable to the effects of formal (high school and university-level) courses aimed at
enhancing these same skills(Benets of Playing Video Games). Strategic and role-playing
games also reportedly enhanced problem solving skills and improved school grades, according
to a study in 2013(Granic).

A new area where potential benets of gaming are being explored is the treatment of mental
illnesses. As researchers uncover more about the human brain, mental disorders are becoming
more and more of a concern, and any method to help treat them or provide release is a help.
Games are a familiar and acceptable activity that may prove easy to introduce to those suffering
from mental illness.

Due to recent military actions, PTSD has become a large concern for soldiers returning home.
Ben Johnson reports that With record numbers of soldiers committing suicide and suffering
from a host of mental health issues after returning from the battleeld, the military has been
investing in all sorts of ways to help veterans with mental illness virtual reality simulations are
being used to treat soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder(Using virtual reality video
games to treat PTSD).

Evidence has been uncovered that games can help more than just soldiers returning home with
PTSD, as well. Johnson also tells us that Foran, at Motion Therapy in Rockville, Maryland, has
found that video games can be a meaningful physical activity for people on the autism
spectrum, and can help them engage socially(Video games and the autism spectrum). And
Liberty Games also found that 44% of depressed teenagers who played a cognitive-behavioral
therapy game called SPARX recovered completely(Stanford).


Potential Drawbacks of Gaming

The number of studies into aggressive or violent behavior caused by gaming over the years
may be declining, but they must have been based on something. However, violent content may
not be to blame for aggression and poor behaviorthere are many other factors to consider.

The University of Rochester has found that increased aggression from gaming may not be
related to violent content at all. Science Daily reported on their ndings thusly: Any player who
has thrown down a remote control after losing an electronic game can relate to the intense
feelings or anger failure can cause, explains lead author Andrew Przybylski When people
have no control of the outcome of a game, that leads to aggression, (Richard Ryan) explains
If you press someones competencies, theyll become more aggressive, and our effects held up
whether the games were violent or not(Rage-Quitting).

Przybylski and his colleagues conducted six experiments, using customized video games in
which they manipulated the interface, controls, and difculty. The games included both violent
and nonviolent variations. Afterwards, the participantsof which there were nearly 600were
tested for aggressive indicators.

In one experiment, undergraduates held their hand in a bowl of painfully cold water for
25 seconds. They were led to believe that the length of time was determined by a prior
participant, but in fact, all participants were assigned the same duration. Next,
participants were randomly asked to play either a simple or challenging version of Tetris,
after which they were asked to assign the amount of time a future participant would have
to leave their hand in the chilled water. Players who experienced the difcult Tetris game
assigned on average 10 seconds more of chilled water pain to subsequent players than
those who played the easy version. (Rage-Quitting)

Gaming, like many hobbies, may also take large amounts of gamers time, leading to the sub-
group known as hardcore gamers. If this obsession with gaming continues, however, studies
indicate that gamers could become addicted. Certain behaviors and philosophies within gaming
bear this out. Among players of the 4x genre of strategy games such as the Civilization series,
there is a well-known mantra of just one more turn. This refers to the tendency of players to
continually say this to themselves at the end of each turn, prompting another turn, and another,
not noticing the amount of time passing in the interim. Many games, especially massively
multiplayer games like World of Warcraft, also include a gameplay element commonly called
grinding. This refers to sections of gameplay where the acquisition of rewards or progress is
meted out not due to the skill or luck of the player, but instead only for the amount of time
investedencouraging players to keep playing more and more to beat other players, progress
further, and get better rewards.

Reuters reports on a study done over the course of 2 years on more than 3,000 children in
Singapore, where researchers found nearly one in ten (children) were video game addicts,
and most were stuck with the problem(Joelving). Not only was addiction a possibility, but it
might exacerbate mental issuesWhen children became addicted, their depression, anxiety,
and social phobias got worse, and their grades dropped when they stopped being addicted,
their depression, anxiety, and social phobias got better(Joelving). The study addressed ten
questions to the children to nd out if they were addictsany answering half or more in the
afrmative received that label. Questions included such things as having neglected household
chores to spend more time on video games, doing poorly on a school assignment or test as a
result of time spent gaming, or playing games to escape from problems or bad feelings, Joelving
reports.


The Survey

As stated previously, the survey had eight required questions, each rated on a scale of 1-9,
where 5 was neutral, 1-4 were anti-gaming, and 5-9 were pro-gaming. Several optional
questions followed, from which numerous interesting quotes were gathered.

The rst question addressed how
important gaming was to the
respondents.

An overwhelming majority of the
respondents indicated that gaming
was more important than average
activities to them, with the largest
concentration responding 7.

This information both underscores that
most gamers consider gaming quite
valuable, and colors the tone of the
responses to other questions.
How important is gaming to you?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Importance (5 is average, 1 is not at all, 9 is very important)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
5
4
13
1 1 0 1 0
2
Participants were next questioned on
how effective gaming was for them at
relieving stress.

Only a single respondent answered
negatively. The majority of participants
answered evenly split between 6 and
7.

It stands to reason that most gamers
who enjoy gaming enough to rate its
importance highly would likely not play
as much as they do if it were a stressful
activity for them; this data corroborates
that theory.


The following question asked
respondents how effective gaming was
at elevating their mood or making them
happier.

7 was once again the majority
number, with over half of the
respondents. While two people
surveyed responded with 5
indicating gaming had no effect on their
overall happiness levelthis question
was the rst that contained no negative
responses whatsoever.

Much like the previous question, this
data corroborates the common-sense
belief that gamers would not play
games that made them unhappy.

Thus far, the survey data indicates that gaming is fullling its primary purposethat of being a
fun, relieving form of entertainment, as other studies have indicated as well. The survey turned
its questions next to cognitive benets, such as mental acuity and creativity.
How effective is gaming at
relieving stress for you?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Stress Relief (5 is no effect, 1 is stressful, 9 is ultimate relief)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
5 5
8 8
0 0 1 0 0
How effective is gaming at
making you happier?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Mood elevation (5 is no effect, 1 is saddening, 9 is much
happier)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
3
6
14
2 2
0 0 0 0
The rst question directly addressed
participants beliefs on gamings effect
on their creativity.

Again, there were no negative replies
even those for whom gaming was not
important indicated that its effect on
their creativity was at least neutral.
Responses tended a little higher with
this question, with 8 being the most
common.

While increased creativity was an
answer expected of tabletop RPG
players, it was unexpected to see other
gamers so consistently rate gamings
effect on creativity so highly. This data
indicates these effects may be quite
widespread among gaming as a whole.


The next question asked about
gamings effect on other mental acuity,
phrased as whether the respondents
believed gaming had made them
smarter, dumber, or had no effect.

Two respondents indicated that gaming
had dulled their wits slightly(at 4), but
the majority believed that playing
games had made them smarter. 7
barely edged out 8 as the most
common answer, bracketed by a small
pool of responses at 6 and 9.

The response was overall less positive
than the last question(though still
denitely in the positive as a whole).
This data indicates that creative
thought and general mental ability may
not be directly linked, at least not to the
perceptions of gamers.

Having assessed the positive effects of games on the mind, the surveys next two questions
inquired about participants beliefs about negative inuences games might have on them.
How much do you feel gaming
has affected your creative
faculties?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Creativity increase (5 is no effect, 1 is loss of creativity, 9 is
greatly increased)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
6
8
6
3
4
0 0 0 0
How much do you feel gaming
has affected your other mental
acuity?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mental acuity (5 is no effect, 1 is much dumber, 9 is much
smarter)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
3
7
8
3
4
2
0 0 0
First, the survey turned to the old belief
that gaming encourages poor behavior.

This question saw almost half of the
participants respond with a neutral
answer of 5, indicating they believed
that gaming had no effect on behavior,
bad or good. The remaining responses
did include two at 4, slightly
encouraging bad behavior, but the
remaining eleven(equal to the total
neutral responses) indicating
somewhere in the positive.

The latter responders believed that
gaming helped peoples behavior, not
the other way around. The large
percentage of neutral replies indicates
that many people are capable of
separating games and reality, and not
letting gameplay affect them in real life.


The survey followed up by asking how
respondents felt about gamings
capacity for addiction and time-wasting.

This question saw a huge turnaround,
with the majority of participants
almost half the totalreplying with 4,
a negative response. Six additional
participants responded in the negative
and four with a neutral 5, leaving only
three respondents believing that
gaming was less addictive than most
hobbies.

Even hardcore gamers are willing to
believe that gaming can take up more
time than it should, according to this
data. Given that even gamers
themselves believe it, this lends
credence to the dangers of gaming addiction.

The nal required question of the survey was a simple question of the overall worth of gaming.
How much do you feel that
gaming desensitizes you to or
encourages bad behavior and/or
lawbreaking?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Inclination to poor behavior (5 is no effect, 1 is terribly
corrupting, 9 is encouraging good behavior)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4
1
4
2
11
2
0 0 0
How much do you feel that
gaming is addictive and can take
up excessive amounts of time?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Addiction potential (5 is average, 1 is very addictive, 9 is not at
all addictive)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 0 1 1
4
11
4
2
0
This nal question asked respondents
if(and how much) they thought gaming
was worth the time they spent.

The largest contingent of responses
were neutral, indicating they believed
gaming to be as worthwhile as any
other hobby. A single respondent
replied with 3, believing gaming
overall to be a waste of time, but with
at least some merit. Most respondents
overall believed gaming to be worth
they time, concentrated around 6 and
7.

Unsurprisingly, people to whom gaming
is important believe that it is worth the
time invested overall. The number of
neutral replies was higher than
expected, indicating that many gamers value other hobbies just as highly.

After this, the optional questions began. One asked respondents how long they had been
gaming. Aside from some time-ambiguous responses(including my whole life and at least one
response unt to print here), time spent gaming ranged from 15-35 years or so, with most
responses close to 20 years.

Another question inquired what activities the participants undertook for stress relief, mood
elevation, and learning(aside from gaming, assuming they gamed for any of those purposes).
Responses varied, but reading was denitely the most common answer, followed shortly by
various forms of exercise(several respondents simply used the word exercise, in fact).
Sleeping, meditating, and spending time with friends also came up multiple times. Other
responses included watching TV, playing music, and drinking tea.

Six of the respondents identied someone as suffering from a mental disorder. Four of the six
said that the person in question had tried gaming as a form of treatment. In addition, though it
wasnt explicitly part of the survey question, two of the four went out of their way to say that
games as a form of treatment had worked for the illness in question.

Finally, two questions asked the respondents why they felt how they did about gaming(justifying
their responses to the required questions) and whether theyd seen any changes in the mental
states of fellow gamers. Many responses were interesting, with the best selected and reprinted
below.

Why do you feel the way you do?

Gaming provides me with an outlet to use the creative parts of my mind that sometimes my
professional and regular life do not I am learning in an environment that doesnt burden me
with a requirement to succeed on the rst try.

How much do you believe gaming
is worth the time invested in it?
R
e
s
p
o
n
d
e
n
t
s
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Worthiness (5 is average, 1 is a total waste of time, 9 is benets
totally outweighing time investment)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
2
6
5
9
0 1 0 0
I had a learning disability growing up that prevented me from reading. It wasnt until I started
playing the Pokemon/Final Fantasies games, that I was nally able to overcome this.

I do think all forms of media that portray and glorify violence do result in a slight uptick of violent
behavior but only in the sense that people who are predisposed towards violent and/or
antisocial behavior are more likely to do so.

If someone games all the time and that is all they do then there is no time for anything else
However I have no belief that gaming affects people negatively, unless they let it.

Gaming is one of the few ways I can convince myself from letting my anxieties get to my mind
state

The addictive potential of gaming seems essentially the same as other common addictions:
due to some combination of genetics and experience, some people are very susceptible to
gaming addiction while others are very resilient to addiction, regardless of how much enjoyment
they get from it.

Seen any changes in mental state in other gamers you play with?

No change in mental state. Typically I watch others game because they are playing games Im
not interested in.

it is denitely a form of socialization, so usually a positive to getting people to interact with
others in a fun environment

Most friends with whom Ive gamed enter a different frame of mind while they are playing but
snap out of it and have little difculty readjusting to reality. I think residual changes in mental
state are subtle and can be positive(like enhanced creativity) or negative(like
absentmindedness).

Having the input, creativity and different ideas for different situations is also more fun and
surprising because you dont know what someone else is going to do. Ive played with people
that have shown up in a down or depressed state and had so much fun with the group and the
game that they cheer up very quickly. No one leaves in a bad mood.

Changes for Future Surveys

While the survey found some good and very interesting results, certain changes have become
apparent in hindsight that would improve further studies in this area.

More effort should be made to make the survey available to non-gamers, as the results of the
rst question indicated that the vast majority of respondents were gamers, and this could affect
the results.

Respondents should be encouraged to provide more information on what types of games they
play, to potentially segregate benets and beliefs by what type of games they are associated
with.

The survey should be run for a longer time and/or be addressed to a wider audience, to broaden
the pool of replies.

Questions about mental illness should specically ask whether using games as a treatment
workedwhile some respondents volunteered this information and some implied it, the fact that
it was not outright asked was an oversight.


Conclusion

Many forms of entertainment are criticized today for the effects they have on humanityin body
or in mind. Gaming is only one of them. As a society, it has become important for us to ensure
that we arent causing ourselves more harm than good in our pursuit of recreation, and studies
like this one and the ones referenced within are made for this exact purpose.

The sheer number of references and organizations that point to the positive effects of gaming
are a good sign for its future. When conducting research for this study, it was much more
difcult to nd current studies on the negative impact of gaming, despite the continuing
controversy over games in court and the media. The benets cited in the positive studies were
varied and exceptional, as the American Psychological Association tells us: play actually may
strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and
perception(Granic). Meanwhile, the negative studies tended to focus on two things: poor
behavior and addiction.

The results of my own survey of local people generally corroborated what I found in the other
studies. While small in size, the surveyed population tended to agree that gaming was excellent
at promoting happiness and stress relief, and could have some positive effects upon learning
and creativity as well. While most believed that gaming didnt cause bad or violent behavior any
more than other activities, there was still some concern over addiction and excessive cost in
time spent playing games. Many respondents backed up their feelings with well-thought out
reasoning or examples from their own personal lives. In addition, my research was able to
conrm multiple cases of people with mental illnesses successfully using games as a form of
treatment or releaseanother bright avenue for gamings future.

After completing this study, I feel much the same way as Granic and her colleagues after their
own study for the American Psychological Association, who wrote After pulling together the
research ndings on the benets of video games, we have become particularly inspired by the
potential that these games hold for interventions that promote well-being, including the
prevention and treatment of mental health problems in youth(Granic, Lobel, and Engels). It
seems that gaming has many worthwhile effects on those who engage in it, making overall a
worthwhile expenditure of time. This is, of course, as long as the time spent does not become
excessive and reminiscent of addictive behavior, interfering with an individuals ability to perform
other normal functions of life(such as work, school, and family obligations) and potentially
causing further issues, as Reuters reported onThose who did become addicted reported
increasing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social phobia(Joelving). Like all good things,
gaming should be taken in moderation. Friends and family should be watchful of signs that
someone they care for is playing too much, but not be too quick to judge someone simply for
playing gamestheyre merely another form of media that has its own set of benets and mild
risks.

Perhaps in the future, more games could include features to help ward off addiction. Some
games already have alarm clock-like features and in-game clocks to help players make sure
they dont lose track of time by being too absorbed in their own world, for example. With
nonintrusive measures like these in place, humanity could hopefully curb any potential gaming
addiction while still allowing its mood elevating and learning benets to shine througha
winning scenario for all players.

List of Works Cited

Elise, Abigail. Video Games Have No Effect On Childrens Behavior, New Study Finds.
International Business Times. IBT Media Inc, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. <http://www.ibtimes.com/
video-games-have-no-effect-childrens-behavior-new-study-nds-1482630>

---. Video Game Violence Debate Continues, Study Finds Bad Behavior In Games May Lead To
Better Behavior In Real Life. International Business Times. IBT Media Inc, 3 July 2014. Web.
<http://www.ibtimes.com/video-game-violence-debate-continues-study-nds-bad-behavior-
games-may-lead-better-1618214>

Granic, Isabela. Video Games Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benets, Review
Finds. American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, 25 Nov. 2013.
Web. <http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/11/video-games.aspx>

Granic, Isabela, Lobel, Adam, and Engels, Rutger C.M.E.. The Benets of Playing Video
Games. American Psychologist 69.1 (2014): 66-78. Print.

Joelving, Frederik. Do video games fuel mental health problems? Reuters. Thomson Reuters,
17 Jan. 2011. Web. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/17/us-videogames-
idUSTRE70G15J20110117>

Johnson, Ben. Using virtual reality video games to treat PTSD. Marketplace. American Public
Media, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. <http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/mind-games-mental-health-
and-virtual-reality/using-virtual-reality-video-games-treat>

---. Video games and the autism spectrum. Marketplace. American Public Media, 3 Dec. 2013.
Web. <http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/mind-games-mental-health-and-virtual-reality/
video-games-and-autism-spectrum>

Lee Hotz, Robert. When Gaming Is Good For You. The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street
Journal, 13 March 2012. Web. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/
SB10001424052970203458604577263273943183932>

Stanford, Jamie. How Gaming Makes You A Better Person. Liberty Games. Liberty Games, 4
March 2014. Web. <http://www.libertygames.co.uk/blog/how-gaming-makes-you-a-better-
person/>

University of Rochester. "Rage-quitting: Feelings of failure, not violent content, foster aggression
in video gamers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 April 2014. Web. <www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2014/04/140407113113.htm>.