Ramzy Aiyash

1/20/2015
PSY 323

Do Video games elevate Happiness to a degree in which it increases the persons ability to be
confident and social? Past research has showed happiness increase and decrease while playing
video games, social behavior increasing and decreasing as well but not, to my knowledge,
combined.
Articles by Lyons EJ, Hull DC, and Tate DF gauge the effects that video games have on
individuals. These articles state that video games can reduce sedentary behavior and increases
the chance of being addicted but neglect to explain the benefits of playing said games.
The problem is whether gaming can produce a lasting effect of happiness on said person, which
would, in turn, increase a persons confidence and social capacity.
I am doing this research because video games are continually increasing every day. They are
evolving and becoming more prevalent in households in this day and age. Nintendo is currently a
household name and a video game currently holds the record for the biggest media release in
history. Whether people like it or not, video games have become a staple in media choice. There
are a few positive psychologists that are looking at the benefits of playing video games but
nothing on how video games can have a lasting effect on players(to my knowledge).
This will cover Positive Youth Development, Happiness and Positive Emotions, Character
Strengths, and Good Social Relationship.
My objectives will be to see the immediate effects on gaming during a lab study and then the
lasting effects of continued game playing at a later time. Since the games I have chosen will
require online profiles, which would include stats such as time, of the person playing, it will be
simple to collect the data when they are away from the lab. The time frame has not been decided
yet but will most likely be six months.

Ramzy Aiyash
1/20/2015
PSY 323
I predict I will have a 100 participants from the university. Being either Faculty or Students. All
volunteers that would be contacted through email.
I predict I will be using an experimental design with two groups. An experimental group and a
control group. They will be randomly assigned. They will be given three surveys before and after
to complete. After some time has passed (most likely six months), they will be asked to come
back to do the same experiment.
The independent variable will be types of games played and the amount of time played during
the study. The dependent variables would be the happiness, confidence and social capacity.
Types of video games played will be difficult to assess since everyone could have a certain
preference to said game. Since this will most likely be the case, I will be using three games that
are considered to be the most played and popular. (Super Mario Bros, Grand Theft Auto, Call of
Duty and World of Warcraft).
I predict I will be using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Personal Growth Initiative
Scale (PGIS), and Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS).
The RSES will be used to gauge self-confidence. The survey will consist of ten 4-point
questions, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. For items 1,2,4,6 and 7 strongly
disagree will be given 0, disagree will be 1, agree will be a 2, and strongly disagree will be a 3.
The other five questions will have their answers reversed in valence.
The PGIS will be used to gauge social capacity. This survey will consist of nine 6-point
questions ranging from definitely disagree, which is a 1, to definitely agree, which is a 6. The test
will be scored by simply adding the numbers checked to obtain a total score. PGIS scores range
from 9 to 54. Participants who score higher (31.5 is the midpoint) recognize and capitalize on
opportunities for personal change. In contrast, people with low scores actively avoid situations
that challenge them to grow.
The SHS will be used to gauge happiness. This survey will consist of four 7-point questions
ranging from less happy, which is a 1, to more happy, which is a 7. Question four will be the only
question with reversed scoring where a choice of more happy will now give a point of 1 instead

Ramzy Aiyash
1/20/2015
PSY 323
of 7. Scores range from 4-28. Participants who score higher (Midpoint being 16) are known to
reflect greater happiness.
I predict there will be a correlation between increase in all three categories and video games.
That is why I will be using the Pearson Chi-Square since it will help disprove the null hypothesis

of my study.
These findings will be vital to adhering to the growing audience of video games. It would help
educational purposes by increasing the students confidence in academia, home purpose by
increasing the persons confidence, and many other aspects in daily life.