Video gaming among children and adolescents enjoys near-universal popularity today, with over 90% of children older than two engaging in game play (National Institutes of Health, 2023). Yet kids are video gaming on a wide variety of platforms (game consoles, PCs, handheld devices, VR) and in many different genres (strategy, sandbox, role-playing, first-person shooter, sports, educational and more). Which features of popular video games are conducive to positive impacts like improved concentration and creativity? Which features may be contributing to digital addiction, depression, and anxiety? Are certain children more vulnerable to negative outcomes than others? How can games be designed with child health in mind?
Children and Screens held the #AskTheExperts webinar “State of Play: The Ins and Outs of Healthy and Problematic Video Gaming” on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. A panel of leading gaming experts, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and researchers discussed the most recent findings on the nuanced dimensions of video game play and its possible effects on youth.
Speakers
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Douglas Gentile, PhD
Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Iowa State UniversityModerator
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Nick Ballou, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher, Oxford Internet Institute
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Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD
Founder & Executive Director, Neuroscape; David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco
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Kishonna Gray, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
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Alok Kanojia, MD, MPH
President & Co-Founder, Healthy Gamer
