Project Title: Video game behaviour: Psychological wellbeing of users.

Investigators:
Chris Jones (Bachelor Student, Double degree Applied science Psychology & IT)
Mervyn Jackson(Project Supervisor, Health Sciences)

Project description:
Background: The use of video games is fast becoming a source of concern amongst governments around the world (Thierer, 2003; Thorsen, 2005). The World Health Organisation states that many nations are in the midst of an obesity epidemic stimulated by our sedentary lifestyles (World Health Organization, 2006). The physical effects of high engagement in video games are evident, lower levels of physical activity may lead to obesity which is linked to “chronic diseases, including Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer”(World Health Organization, 2006). A study conducted in 2006 by Shu Ching Yang and Chieh-Ju Tung into the demographic of teenage internet addicts in Taiwan found that participants with low self-esteem, high scores on depression and shyness had a high tendency to become addicted. Furthermore, the psychosocial effects of video gaming and the psychological state of the gamers are less evident. With the new generations of video games requiring high level social interactions amongst players the apparent risk of addiction must be addressed.
Kimberly Young, (1996) states that the internet may become a pervasive problem to society and in her later publications such as Internet Addiction: A New Clinical Phenomenon and Its Consequences, describes some of the many strains the internet is placing of our interpersonal relationships. The integration of internet like features into the video gaming environment may result in games having similar affects to that of the Internet. In Parsons (2005) study titled An Examination of Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games as a Facilitator of Internet Addiction, he suggests that many players of online video games are addicted to the internet or at high risk of developing internet addiction. The interaction between gaming environment, psychological wellbeing and online relationships may be the key to understanding why some people play video games in excess, or to the point that it begins to interfere with their everyday functioning.

This study aims to investigate game playing behaviours and the wellbeing of users.

Participation is completely voluntary and you may withdraw at anytime.

If you wish to participate please go to

http://yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au/~cjones/research/index.php



Thank you

RMIT University