A new study suggests that it is not the type of video game that causes children to misbehave, but rather the number of hours spent playing them.
Researchers at the University of Oxford studied the effects of different types of video games and the number of hours spent playing on children's social and academic behavior. They interviewed teachers from southeast England to assess the behavior of 200 students from ages 12 to 13. They also asked the students to complete a questionnaire asking them about the type of video games they play and the number of hours they spend playing.
The analysis showed that children who play more than three hours a day are more likely to fight with their peers and show a disinterest in school regardless of the type of video game. The researchers also found that the type of video game has no significant impact on the children's behavior, thus behavioral problems are not limited to those into violent video games.
The findings also suggest that strategy and puzzle games, contrary to what many believe, do not improve a child's behavior because the study did not find a significant difference when compared to non-players. The best types of video game, according to researchers, are online cooperative and competitive games and solitary games because children who play these are less likely to have fights with their peers and show a lack of interest in school.
"We can see links between some types of games and children's behavior, as well as time spent playing. However, we cannot say that game play causes good or bad behaviour. We also know that the risks attached to game-playing are small. A range of other factors in a child's life will influence their behavior more as this research suggests that playing electronic games may be a statistically significant but minor factor in how children progress academically or in their emotional wellbeing," Andy Przybylski, lead author from Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute, said in a news release.
The researchers recommend that parents should focus more on limiting the number of hours spent playing video games to keep their children's behavior in check.
The study was recently published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.
