Theoretical Framework

Rebeca Orellana
Nestor Ramos
Erick Oliva
Guillermo Salazar
Carlos Solrzano
Jonathan Mendoza
Diego Magaa

Tito Martnez
September 24th, 2015
Escuela Cristiana Oasis

Do Video Games Affect

Teenager Personality in Santa
Ana?
There has been a lot of debate on how videogames affect
teenagers personality and other areas, or if it does not affect it at
all, but the matter has never been truly settled. While we can say
that videogames definitely affect teenagers life, we are not yet
capable of determining exactly how they affect it. There are several
positions about this issue, and we will explore them in depth in the
following theoretical framework.
We are basing our research on the following hypothesis: The
effect videogames have on teenagers personality is related to the
amount of time they spend on them and the type of videogames they
play. We hypothesized that, while inherent personality traits and
other factors might be important, the variables that have the most
notable effect on teenagers personality, and in other areas of their
lives, in Santa Ana are the amount of time they spend playing
videogames and the types of videogames they play.
The videogame industry has been steadily growing in recent
years. Nowadays, with cultural globalization, it is very easy for the
video game market to be present everywhere, as is the case in Santa
Ana, where it is now normal for young people to have a console of
any brand for their entertainment. Knowing how susceptible to
outside influences teenagers are, it is important to know the
influence of video games have on the personality of teenagers in
Santa Ana.
Many teenagers nowadays like to play videogames, and we
think it is important for them to be aware of the effects that spending
too much time and energy on videogames can have on their
personality and other areas of their lives. For example, we would like
to find out if videogames actually have an effect on teenagers
personalities, and if the effect varies from one type of videogame to
another. Also, it would be interesting to know if videogames affect
other areas of their lives such as school performance, social skills,
etc., even though it is not the primary focus of the investigation.

Understanding the effects of videogames on teenagers is important

because they have become a major part of many teenagers lives, and
understanding the effects they have on them is necessary to avoid, or
at least diminish, the detrimental effects they can have on them,
especially because the teenagers of today will be responsible for our
planet when the current generation of adults leave this world.
When we play video games we lose track of time because we
dont notice the time we are spend on them, and we neglect other
things we have to do, like, as a student, doing the homework
assignments and studying. Some data about this problem suggests
that most teenagers spend more time watching a screen than any
other activity besides sleeping.
Teenagers, because they are still growing up, maturing, and
forming their personality, are rather easily influenced by videogames
if they spend enough time on them, especially children under the age
of ten. Many researchers believe that excessive gaming before age
21 can physically rewire the brain. Studies have shown that there is
a relationship between aggressive outbursts and time spent playing
violent videogames. Teenagers who play violent video games for long
periods of time develop a more aggressive personality and usually
react with violence to outside stimuli. Excessive exposure to violent
video games makes teenagers personality more aggressive.
In our society it is something common, even today, to say that
video games are bad influence for young people because they make
them violent, but normally such views lack true knowledge about
video games and psychology. Several experts suggest, based on
recent studies, that videogames do not actually have that much of an
effect on teenagers by themselves, but rather that combined with
certain personality traits previously inherent to some teenagers they
can have an effect. For example, a teenager that has low tolerance
for agreeableness and conscientiousness, is prone to violence, and
has high neurotic tendencies will be more affected by violent
videogames than someone who does not have these traits.
Interestingly, competitive videogames were the ones that caused a
more noticeable increase in violent behaviour. This position argues
that it is not the videogames themselves that affects teenagers, but
rather how their personalities tolerate and integrate the violence
present in these videogames.
Of course, there are still people who maintain the position that
violent videogames produce violent changes in the teenagers
psyche, regardless of personality traits and other factors. The Pew

Research Center reported in 2008 that more than 90% of games

rated as appropriate for children 10 years or older contained
violence, including games rated "E" for everyone. (Most researchers
define violence as the ability of a player to intentionally harm others
in a game.)
There are some people that say that the effect videogames
have on teenagers is dependent on various conditions. This position
argues that the effect videogames have on teenagers varies from
teenager to teenager and depends on three main elements:
personality, situation, and motivation. As mentioned in the first
position, some teenagers are more prone to be influenced by certain
types of videogames than others. Videogames also have different
effects depending on the situation in which they are found. When the
console is found in the teenagers room, the exposure to violent
videogames is higher. Some situations, like a competitive situation,
are more prone to cause violent behaviour than others. The last
variable is the motivation, or reason, that causes teenagers to play
videogames. Some teenagers might play videogames to escape from
reality, because they provide a safe haven from the harsh reality they
live in, others because they like to see violence, and the reasons go
on and on. The effects that videogames have on teenagers are
affected by these three variables, at least according to this position.
Recent investigations conducted by Dartmouth University has
caused some experts to believe that videogames do affect teenagers
life, and not just promoting violent behaviour, but also on other areas
of life such as substance abuse, delinquency, and promiscuity.
According to this new study, playing character-based videogames,
especially those with anti-social characters, translate to increased
risk-taking behaviour and proneness to searching for immediate
gratification. For example, this type of videogames cause teenagers
to become more reckless, which in some cases causes teenagers to
be involved in car accidents or get pulled over by the police for
reckless driving, or they can also cause teenagers to become
involved in illegal activities such as delinquency and substance
abuse. Another scientific study showed that playing video games
excessively stops the development of the part of the brain that helps
us to relate to other people, and also studies have shown to have less
grey matter than people who do not play video games. According to
this position, videogames have a myriad of negative effects on young
teenagers.

The effects of videogames on teenagers are not limited to their

psyche; they can also affect their physical health. Players who delve
too deeply into their electronic worlds can face various health risks,
ranging from deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots, to severe
dehydration. Another study also suggests that spending too much
time playing video games deteriorates cognitive control and abilities,
and it also has some sort of relationship to ADHD and other such
problems, which makes it more difficult for teenagers to achieve
higher grades at school. Some scientists say that playing violent
video games is detrimental to teenagers mental health, like
becoming socially isolated, moody, irritable, attempting to hide
gaming activities, and, as a student, neglecting schoolwork and
struggling to achieve acceptable grades.

We have only discussed the negative effects of videogames so

far, so now we are going to present some positive effects of
videogames on teenagers lives. One example of a positive effect that
videogames have on teenagers is the improvement of visual and
spatial skills. Usually, teenagers who play videogames are better at
spotting targets, tracking movement, and have a wider range of
useful field of view. Interestingly, these effects have been found to
only be provided by action video games, not all types of video games.
Videogames can also be used to teach. Most people think that
videogames serve only as a distraction, some going as far to say that
they are just a waste of time. However, videogames have proved to
be very efficient teachers. When playing videogames, teenagers are
presented with a series of problems that they have to solve.
Educational games boost learning, and action games can improve
vision and spatial skills. Video games have also been used
successfully to teach children self-care skills for asthma and
diabetes. And then there's the primary reason people play video
games: They're relaxing. Gentile thinks the flickering screen and
varying sound levels trigger a primitive brain response. "One of the
reasons I think we find television and video games so relaxing is they
provide the attention for you. It forces you to orient to the media. You
don't have to work to pay attention like you do in [a] classroom
lecture," said Gentile. This shows that video games also have
positive effects on teenagers, not just negative effects.
Videogames are not the only cause for personality changes in
teenagers. Other forms of media, such as television and the internet,
also affect teenagers personality. "The most interesting part is there

is really no research that suggests video games have a different

effect than TV or movies. It has empirically never been shown," said
Markey. "Any media is supposed to engage us emotionally, and video
games are a form of media, a form of art even." We cannot determine
with absolute accuracy if videogames are the cause of a teenagers
personality change, there might be other factors involved, but we do
know that they have an effect on their lives, however small it is.
I think we can safely say that videogames do affect teenagers
lives, even though some positions (not discussed in this framework)
say that they do not. Videogames have become a major part of
teenagers lives, and something that plays a major role is bound to
have some effects, whether they are positive or negative. There are
many views about this issue, but there is not a unanimous view on
the matter yet.

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