English DIGITAL PLAYGROUND: FRIEND OR FOE TO THE CHILDREN?
Keywords:
child rights, Serbia, gaming, gaming industry, COVID-19
Abstract
For the central entertainment industry of the 21st century - online gaming, children are undoubtedly the key consumer group. Although research on the impact of the gaming industry on children mainly deals with negative effects such as addiction, violent content, inappropriate conduct and monetization of personal data, there are also many positive effects – family fun, virtual socializing, improving cognitive skills and using games as a teaching tool. Therefore, the task of all participants in the gaming industry value chain is to maximize the positive and minimize the negative impacts on children. A survey conducted among 893 young gamers in Serbia exposed their habits in consuming online games and indicated whether their rights are protected during the gameplay. The conclusion provides recommendations for key stakeholders in the gaming industry's ecosystem on how to make the digital playground inclusive, safe and responsible when it comes to respecting children's rights.
References
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Przybylski, A. K. (2014). Electronic gaming and psychosocial adjustment. Pediatrics, 134, 716–722. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-4021
Schaaf, R. & Mohan, N. (2014). Making School a Game Worth Playing: Digital Games in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
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Ventura, M., Shute, V., & Zhao, W. (2013). The relationship between video game use and a performance-based measure of persistence. Computers & Education, 60, 52–58. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.07.003
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Amerijckx, G., & Humblet, P. C. (2014). Child Well-Being: What Does It Mean? Children and Society, 5, 404-415. DOI:10.1111/chso.12003.
Brooks, F. M., Chester, K. L., Smeeton, N. C., & Spencer, N. H. (2016). Video gaming in adolescence: factors associated with leisure time use. Journal of Youth Studies, 19(1), 36–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2015.1048200
Charmaraman, L., Richer, A. M., & Moreno, M. A. (2020). Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming in Early Adolescence [Electronic version]. International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 17(14), 4996. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17144996
Coyne, S. M., Padilla-Walker, L. M., Stockdale, L., & Day, R. D. (2011). Game On… Girls: Associations Between Co-playing Video Games and Adolescent Behavioral and Family Outcomes. Journal of Adolescent Health, 49(2), 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.11.249
Dring, Ch. (2020, March). What is happening with video game sales during coronavirus. GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved October 8, 2020, from https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-03-28-what-is-happening-with-video-game-sales-during-coronavirus
Entertainment Software Rating Board (n.d.). ESRB Game Ratings. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.esrb.org/
Folkvord, F. & van, ‚t Riet, J. (2018). The persuasive effect of advergames promoting unhealthy foods among children: A meta-analysis. Appetite, 129, 245–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.07.020
Geraniols, N. K. (2010, April). Hate speech corrodes online games. Games on NBCNews.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36572021/ns/technology_and_science-games/t/hate-speech-corrodes-online-games/
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034857
Grimes, S.M. (2015). Online Games and Children. In: The International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication and Society (eds P.H. Ang and R. Mansell). John Wiley & Sons. DOI:10.1002/9781118767771.wbiedcs108
Hall, S. (2020, May). How COVID-19 is taking gaming and esports to the next level. World Economic Forum. Retrieved October 8, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/covid-19-taking-gaming-and-esports-next-level/
Hastings, E. C., Karas, T. L., Winsler, A., Way, E., Madigan, A., & Tyler, S. (2009). Young children’s video/ computer game use: Relations with school performance and behaviour. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30, 638–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840903050414
Huang, C. L., Yang, S. C., & Hsieh, L. S. (2019). The cyberbullying behavior of Taiwanese adolescents in an online gaming environment [Electronic version]. Children and Youth Services Review, 106. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104461
Hygen, B. W., Belsky, J., Stenseng, F., Skalicka, V., Kvande, M. N., Zahl-Thanem, T., & Wichstrom, L. (2020). Time Spent Gaming and Social Competence in Children: Reciprocal Effects Across Childhood. Child Development, 91(3), 861-875. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13243
International Age Rating Coalition (n.d.). About IARC. Retrieved October 27, 2020, from https://www.globalratings.com/about.aspx
Jackson, L. A., Witt, E. A., Games, A. I., Fitzgerald, H. E., von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2012). Information Technology Use and Creativity: Findings from the Children and Technology Project. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 370–376. DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.006
Kaye, L. K., & Bryce, J. (2012). Putting The “Fun Factor” Into Gaming: The Influence of Social Contexts on Experiences of Playing Videogames. International Journal of Internet Science, 7(1), 23–36.
Kiili, J. & Moilanen, J. (2019). Participation as a Methodological and Ethical Issue in Child Protection Research. Journal of Children's Services. 14(3), 143–161. DOI: 10.1108/JCS-02-2019-0009.
King, D. L.; Delfabbro, P. H.; Billieux, J. & Potenza, M. N. (2020). Problematic online gaming and the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 9(2), 184–186. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2020.00016
Lemmens, J. S., Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2011). The effects of pathological gaming on aggressive behavior. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9558-x
Lenhard, A. (2015, August). Teens, Technology and Friendships. PewResearch Center. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/
Lissak, G. (2018). Adverse physiological and psychological effects of screen time on children and adolescents: literature review and case study. Environmental Research, 164, 149–157. DOI:10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.015.
Lynch, T., Tompkins, J. E., van Driel, I. I., & Fritz, N. (2016). Sexy, Strong, and Secondary: A Content Analysis of Female Characters in Video Games across 31 Years. Journal of Communication, 66(4), 564–584. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12237
Malkowski, j. & Russworm, T.M. (2017). Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games. Indiana University Press.
Mannikko, N., Billieux, J., & Kaariainen, M. (2015). Problematic digital gaming behaviour and its relation to the psychological, social and physical health of Finnish adolescents and young adults. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 4, 282-288. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.4.2015.040
Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia. (2015). National Youth Strategy for the period from 2015 to 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2020 from https://www.mos.gov.rs/wp-content/uploads/download-manager-files/nacionalna_strategija_za_mlade0101_cyr.pdf
Olson, C. K. (2010). Children’s Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018984.
Pawłowska, B., Potembska, E., & Szymańska, J. (2018). Demographic and family-related predictors of online gaming addiction in adolescents, Polish Journal of Public Health, 128(1), 9-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/pjph-2018-0002
Pan European Game Information (n.d.). About PEGI. Retrieved October 13, 2020, from https://pegi.info/what-do-the-labels-mean
Prensky, M. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful essays for 21st century learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Przybylski, A. K. (2014). Electronic gaming and psychosocial adjustment. Pediatrics, 134, 716–722. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-4021
Schaaf, R. & Mohan, N. (2014). Making School a Game Worth Playing: Digital Games in the Classroom. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
SuperData. (2020). 2019 Year in Review: Digital games and interactive media, SuperData Research Holdings Inc. Retrieved October 8, 2020, from https://www.superdataresearch.com/reports/p/2019-year-in-review
United Nations. (1989). The Convention on the Rights of the Child. General Assembly Resolution no. 44/25, c.1. Retrieved October 6, 2020 from https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention
United Nations Children Fund. (2020). Online Gaming and Children’s Rights: Recommendations for the Online Gaming Industry on Assessing Impact on Children. UNICEF, April 2020.
United Nations Children Fund. (2019). Child Rights and Online Gaming: Opportunities & Challenges for Children and the Industry. Discussion Paper Series: Children’s Rights and Business in a Digital World. UNICEF, August 2019.
Ventura, M., Shute, V., & Zhao, W. (2013). The relationship between video game use and a performance-based measure of persistence. Computers & Education, 60, 52–58. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.07.003
World Health Organisation (2020). Excessive screen use and gaming considerations during #COVID19. WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Retrieved October 13, 2020, from http://www.emro.who.int/mnh/news/considerations-for-young-people-on-excessive-screen-use-during-covid19.html
Published
2021/10/15
Section
Original Scientific Paper
