scholarly journals Gaming With Stigma: Analysis of Messages About Mental Illnesses in Video Games

10.2196/12418 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. e12418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Ferrari ◽  
Sarah V McIlwaine ◽  
Gerald Jordan ◽  
Jai L Shah ◽  
Shalini Lal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
Computer Gaming ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundVideo game playing is a daily activity for many youths that replaces other media forms (eg, television); it serves as an important source of knowledge and can potentially impact their attitudes and behaviors. Researchers are, thus, concerned with the impact of video gaming on youth (eg, for promoting prosocial or antisocial behavior). Studies have also begun to explore players’ experience of gameplay and video game messages about violence, sexism, and racism; however, little is known about the impact of commercial video games in the sharing and shaping of knowledge, and messages about mental illness.ObjectiveThe aim of this review was to identify how mental illness, especially psychosis, is portrayed in commercial video games.MethodsWe performed keyword searches on games made available between January 2016 and June 2017 on Steam (a popular personal computer gaming platform). A total of 789 games were identified and reviewed to assess whether their game content was related to mental illness. At the end of the screening phase, a total of 100 games were retained.ResultsWe used a game elements framework (characters, game environment/atmosphere, goals, etc) to describe and unpack messages about mental health and illness in video games. The majority of the games we reviewed (97%, 97/100) portrayed mental illness in negative, misleading, and problematic ways (associating it with violence, fear, insanity, hopelessness, etc). Furthermore, some games portrayed mental illness as manifestations or consequences of supernatural phenomena or paranormal experiences. Mental illness was associated with mystery, the unpredictable, and as an obscure illness; its treatment was also associated with uncertainties, as game characters with mental illness had to undergo experimental treatment to get better. Unfortunately, little or no hope for recovery was present in the identified video games, where mental illness was often presented as an ongoing struggle and an endless battle with the mind and oneself.ConclusionsThe game elements of the identified commercial video games included mental illness, about which many perpetuated well-known stereotypes and prejudices. We discuss the key findings in relation to current evidence on the impact of media portrayals of mental illness and stigma. Furthermore, we reflect on the ability of serious video games to promote alternative messages about mental illness and clinical practices. Future research is needed to investigate the impact that such messages have on players and to explore the role that video games can play in fostering alternative messages to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

scholarly journals Gaming With Stigma: Analysis of Messages About Mental Illnesses in Video Games (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Ferrari ◽  
Sarah V McIlwaine ◽  
Gerald Jordan ◽  
Jai L Shah ◽  
Shalini Lal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
Computer Gaming ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Video game playing is a daily activity for many youths that replaces other media forms (eg, television); it serves as an important source of knowledge and can potentially impact their attitudes and behaviors. Researchers are, thus, concerned with the impact of video gaming on youth (eg, for promoting prosocial or antisocial behavior). Studies have also begun to explore players’ experience of gameplay and video game messages about violence, sexism, and racism; however, little is known about the impact of commercial video games in the sharing and shaping of knowledge, and messages about mental illness. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to identify how mental illness, especially psychosis, is portrayed in commercial video games. METHODS We performed keyword searches on games made available between January 2016 and June 2017 on Steam (a popular personal computer gaming platform). A total of 789 games were identified and reviewed to assess whether their game content was related to mental illness. At the end of the screening phase, a total of 100 games were retained. RESULTS We used a game elements framework (characters, game environment/atmosphere, goals, etc) to describe and unpack messages about mental health and illness in video games. The majority of the games we reviewed (97%, 97/100) portrayed mental illness in negative, misleading, and problematic ways (associating it with violence, fear, insanity, hopelessness, etc). Furthermore, some games portrayed mental illness as manifestations or consequences of supernatural phenomena or paranormal experiences. Mental illness was associated with mystery, the unpredictable, and as an obscure illness; its treatment was also associated with uncertainties, as game characters with mental illness had to undergo experimental treatment to get better. Unfortunately, little or no hope for recovery was present in the identified video games, where mental illness was often presented as an ongoing struggle and an endless battle with the mind and oneself. CONCLUSIONS The game elements of the identified commercial video games included mental illness, about which many perpetuated well-known stereotypes and prejudices. We discuss the key findings in relation to current evidence on the impact of media portrayals of mental illness and stigma. Furthermore, we reflect on the ability of serious video games to promote alternative messages about mental illness and clinical practices. Future research is needed to investigate the impact that such messages have on players and to explore the role that video games can play in fostering alternative messages to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF COMPUTER GAMES ON STUDENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 24-29
Author(s):  
Vishal Thelkar
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Computer Games ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Antisocial Behaviour ◽  
Computer Gaming ◽  
School Students ◽  
Interactive Nature ◽  
The Impact

Computer and video game has gain enough popularity among teenagers also in children which is alarming and raised concern about the impact it may have on the youngsters. The games have violent themes, coupled with their interactive nature, have led to accusations that they may be worse than televised violence in affecting children's antisocial behaviour. Addiction is one of the reason it might hamper the effect on health. Other allegations are that they have an addictive quality and that excessive playing results in a diminished social contact and poorer school performance. But how bad are video games? There are strong methodological reasons for not accepting the evidence for video games effects at face value This research focuses on what are the views of people towards the computer gaming and to identify the actual effects of computer games on high school students. This paper covers earlier studies on the same topic and their findings in literature survey To reach to the objective, responses from significant no of people taken with systematic design of questionnaire. At the end it covers and conclude the relation of different variables & the effect of games on students.

scholarly journals Intercultural Perspective on Impact of Video Games on Players: Insights from a Systematic Review of Recent Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-58
Author(s):  
Elena Shliakhovchuk ◽  
Adolfo Muñoz Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Literacy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Intercultural Skills ◽  
The Impact

The video-game industry has become a significant force in the business and entertainment world. Video games have become so widespread and pervasive that they are now considered a part of the mass media, a common method of storytelling and representation. Despite the massive popularity of video games, their increasing variety, and the diversification of the player base, until very recently little attention was devoted to understanding how playing video games affects the way people think and collaborate across cultures. This paper examines the recent literature regarding the impact of video games on players from an intercultural perspective. Sixty-two studies are identified whose aim is to analyze behavioral-change, content understanding, knowledge acquisition, and perceptional impacts. Their findings suggest that video games have the potential to help to acquire cultural knowledge and develop intercultural literacy, socio-cultural literacy, cultural awareness, self-awareness, and the cultural understanding of different geopolitical spaces, to reinforce or weaken stereotypes, and to some extent also facilitate the development of intercultural skills. The paper provides valuable insights to the scholars, teachers, and practitioners of cultural studies, education, social studies, as well as to the researchers, pointing out areas for future research.

scholarly journals High-Deductible Health Plans and Prevention

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Mazurenko ◽  
Melinda J.B. Buntin ◽  
Nir Menachemi
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Services ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Plans ◽  
Public Health Decision ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care Costs

High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are becoming more popular owing to their potential to curb rising health care costs. Relative to traditional health insurance plans, HDHPs involve higher out-of-pocket costs for consumers, which have been associated with lower utilization of health services. We focus specifically on the impact that HDHPs have on the use of preventive services. We critique the current evidence by discussing the benefits and drawbacks of the research designs used to examine this relationship. We also summarize the findings from the most methodologically sophisticated studies. We conclude that the balance of the evidence shows that HDHPs are reducing the use of some preventive service, especially screenings. However, it is not clear if HDHPs affect all preventive services. Additional research is needed to determine why variability in conclusions exists among studies. We describe an agenda for future research that can further inform public health decision makers on the impact of HDHPs on prevention.

Violent Video Games, Mass Shootings, and the Supreme Court

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Violent Video Games ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Legal Cases ◽  
Video Game Violence ◽  
Game Violence

The issue of video game violence continues to attract attention from the legal and policy communities, particularly in the wake of mass shootings. However, focusing on video game violence has generally not resulted in successful legal or public policy. In part this is because the science upon which beliefs of “harm” in video game violence are based remains inconsistent and heavily disputed. The current article examines several issues. First, the article examines the current evidence about video game violence influences on negative outcomes in players. Second, the article concerns itself with the application of video game science to several recent legal cases, involving both criminal prosecutions and attempted regulation/censorship of video game violence in the United States. Finally, the manuscript addresses several common talking points used in legal cases and by policy makers and examines whether these talking statements survive careful scientific scrutiny. It is advised that, consistent with the legal decisions and government reviews in the United States, Sweden, Australia, and elsewhere, current evidence does not support the regulation of violent video games, and legal or policy attempts to connect video game violence to specific crimes are unlikely to survive careful scrutiny.

Reducing Outgroup Bias through Intergroup Contact with Non-Playable Video Game Characters in VR

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priska Breves
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Black People ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Racially Diverse ◽  
Virtual Reality Technology ◽  
Explicit Bias ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
The Impact

Video games are one of the most popular media forms in today's society, but are often criticized for various reasons. For instance, mainstream video games do not incorporate enough racially diverse game characters or are often connected to adolescents’ levels of aggression and have thus been the focus of many debates. While the negative consequences of video games have been analyzed by many academic studies, research on the prosocial effects of video games is scarce. To address this research gap and support the ongoing call for more diverse video game characters, this study used a 3 × 1 between-subjects design ( N = 86) to test the impact of racially diverse non-playable characters (NPCs). The parasocial contact hypothesis was used as the theoretical foundation, incorporating virtual reality technology as an intensifier of effects. The results showed that helping a Black NPC did not reduce implicit bias, but reduced explicit bias towards Black people. This improvement was stronger when the video game was played using virtual reality technology than when using a traditional two-dimensional gaming device.

Three Perspectives on Video Game Learning

2016 ◽  
pp. 167-195
Author(s):  
Zeynep Tanes
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Ways Of Thinking ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
Inherent Component

Video games and gamified applications have been used for various purposes including helping businesses (in commercial marketing), or helping the individual, community or society (in social marketing). Video games are systems with rules, play structures, and narratives; while gamified applications utilize game elements, mechanics, and ways of thinking to generate meaningful, playful and fun experiences. Both video games and gamified applications require a learning process including learning to play, and learning through the game. This chapter advocates that learning is an inherent component of video games and gamified applications. The main purpose of this chapter is to examine the concept of ‘game learning' from three major theoretical positions, namely Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism. In doing so, this chapter first explains, compares, and contrasts these three positions, then elaborates on how learning takes place in specific games designed for commercial and social marketing with the lens of these three positions.

Electronic Games as a Touristic Promotional Tool

2020 ◽  
pp. 389-418
Author(s):  
Fábia Esteves ◽  
Pedro Quelhas Brito
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Tourism Marketing ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
World Tourism Organization ◽  
Electronic Games ◽  
Tourism Organization ◽  
The Impact

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2017 tourism had the greatest international growth in seven years, and in 2018, international tourism grew 5% reaching the mark of 1.4 billion, a figure reached two years earlier than predicted. At the same time, in the last 40 years, the video game industry has grown steadily, with games beginning to be seen as one of the primary sources of entertainment. However, there are still few studies analyzing the impact of advertising tourist destinations on digital platforms such as video games. The use of video games in the tourist context may be an inspirational tool, supporting the development of new advertising strategies for tourism marketing. Although the connection between tourism and cinema is widely documented, little research has demonstrated a credible correlation between video games and tourists' attitude towards destinations.

Hopes and Challenges Moving Forward

2019 ◽  
pp. 549-582
Author(s):  
M. Daniele Fallin ◽  
Calliope Holingue ◽  
Laysha Ostrow ◽  
Philip J. Leaf ◽  
Ronald W. Manderscheid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Clinical Interventions ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
The Impact

The field of public mental health has seen many advances in policy and discovery, yet there is much more to be done. We must move beyond a narrow focus on clinical interventions to now embrace the impact of community and population dynamics in promoting mental health, preventing mental illnesses, and fostering recovery. We must take advantage of emerging technologies, tools and strategies to expand discovery of the causes of mental illness that will inform new prevention and treatment strategies. Emerging tools can also guide the best implementation of individual and systems-level changes. Finally, we must continue to monitor the frequency of illness and related outcomes among individuals and populations to gauge our progress and highlight areas for continued improvement.

Use of Social Networking Sites by People with Health Issues

2017 ◽  
pp. 40-60
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Imai
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Illness ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
The Impact

Previous studies have found that the use of social networking sites (SNSs) is associated with the user's positive outcomes such as perceived social support and psychological well-being (Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007; Nabi, Prestin, & So, 2012). To seek those positive influences, those with health issues such as physical illness or mental illness actively use SNSs (e.g., Shpigelman & Gill, 2014a; Gowen, Deschaine, Gruttadara, & Markey, 2012). The first aim of this chapter is to describe previous studies on the use of SNSs by those with health issues such as mental illnesses, HIV/AIDS, cancer, intellectual disabilities, and diabetes. The second aim is to propose a new direction of research on the use of SNSs by those with health issues: the impact of stigma on communication on SNSs.

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