The National Teachers College

Quiapo, Manila, Philippines

21st Century Information Literacy

Group A:

In What Ways Do Video Games Help

and Harm Cognitive Development?

CLAUDINE S. UANAN
Faculty
Introduction
Over the years, video game industry in the 21st Century has grown
rapidly, and continually growing.
“The video games market is expected to be worth over 90
billion U.S. dollars by 2020, from nearly 78.61 billion in
2017. (BestTheNews, 2016)
There are more than 2.5 billion video gamers from all over
the world. (The European Mobile Game Market, 2016)
80% of the total video game industry's 36 billion U.S dollars
revenue in 2017 belongs to software sales. (Entertainment
Software Association, NPD Group, 2017)
Asia Pacific reached a revenue of 51.2 billion U.S. dollars,
making them the largest gaming market in 2017. (NewZoo,
2017)”1

It changed how a day is being spent by the people, especially children. It

was found out by some study that most of the gamers are coming from a
significant number of children.

“69% of the mobile game industry revenue generated by

premium children's games in the United States is from upfront
purchases. (SuperData Research, 2015)

30% of the mobile game industry revenue generated by

premium children's games in the U.S. is from in-app
purchases. (SuperData Research, 2015)

Children's' free-to-play (F2P) mobile games was estimated to

generate 7.8% more revenue in 2017 from 317 million U.S.
dollars revenue made in 2016. (SuperData Research, 2015)

It is estimated that 60% of children in the U.S. play games

on a console. (NPD Group, 2015)”2

1
2018 Video Game Industry Statistics & Data. (2018, May 18). https://www.wepc.com/news/video-game-
statistics/. Date Accessed 11 December 2018.
2
Ibid.
 It is an established fact that great numbers of gamer is children
and it cannot be denied that video games significantly affected their
cognitive development. But, how are these video games affected them?
Moreover, are the effects of these were good or not?

What is Video Game?

According to Nicolas Esposito in his paper, A Short and Simple Definition
of What a Video Game is, it is a game which we play… to an audiovisual
apparatus and which can be based on a story. From this definition, a video
game is a game that can be based on a narrative that is being played using a
device. There are three (3) notable points in video gaming, these are: (1) game;
(2) narrative; and (3) a device.
It is needless to say that a video game is a game to which it is played. A
game in its most literal meaning in this context is an activity engaged in for
diversion or amusement. Hence, before games were used in an in-depth sense,
it is an activity that an individual is engaging for entertainment, past time,
diversion, distraction, among others, with or without rules to be followed.
Moreover, as the technology evolves, the rise of various device used for
video gaming were also introduced. Video games have been around for decades
and span the gamut of platforms, from arcade systems, to home consoles, to
handheld consoles and mobile devices3. Consequently, differentiation of video
games was a challenge to the video game industry. Artistry and creativity in
making a game has been required so that they could remain in the business.
One strategy was posed by game developers was giving a story that outlines the
whole game. Janet Murray, a proponent of the theory on narrative as an
essential element of a good video game, gave an example in her assumption, to
wit, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas begins with the player-character CJ in a
voice over, explaining his return to the city of his birth after a sojourn in
Liberty City. The game, mostly through cut scenes and dialogue incidental to
the gameplay, follows this narrative through to its conclusion: CJ, having
defeated his enemies and reunited his family, decides to once again step out
and explore the city. Admittedly, narratives do seem more obvious in some
gaming forms than others. Narrative plays a particularly important role in the
adventure and role-playing genres4. This gave the video game industry a whole

3
Video Game History. (2017, September 1). Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/history-of-video-games. Date accessed 09 December 2018.
4
Grant Tavinor. (2006). Retrieved from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/ca/7523862.0006.016/--definition-of-
videogames?rgn=main;view=fulltext. Date accessed 09 December 2018.
new perspective and paved the way for more complex and serious problems
that a gamer should resolve in order to finish the game.
On the contrary, Tavinor (2006) states that the narrative element of a
video game is not always as essential as other claims it is. In many videogames
involving narratives, the narrative is incidental to the gaming activity itself. For
example, in a game such as Katamari Damacy, the particularly bizarre
gameplay involves using a large sticky ball to roll around different
environments sticking to and picking up a variety of objects. What narrative
there is in Katamari Damacy is comprised of a back-story progressed through
pre-rendered videos that do not significantly add to the formal qualities of the
gameplay. In such games the narrative might be removed without detriment to
the gameplay5.
To give emphasis in this argument, he gave as an example the
classic Tetris. It involves t he manipulation of differently shaped blocks of
colour that fall at intervals from the top of the screen so that they can be fit
together like a puzzle. The game, and its appeal, involves a challenge of
sensory-motor coordination, rather than following a narrative. Dance and
music games also tend to lack narrative structures, instead concentrating on
the cognitive, sensory, and motor challenges attendant to those gaming forms.6
With the emerging facets of the video games it transcends from being an
entertainment to social, psychological, and political aspect of an individual.
Today, people are interposed with a question, how are these video games
affect ones cognitive development?
What is Cognitive Development?
Cognition is defined as the complex array of mental processes involved in
remembering, perceiving, thinking, and how these processes are employed
(Ashcraft & Radvansky, 2010). It is an umbrella term to cover all “higher-order”
thinking processes7. So, people are born with innate capabilities that empower
them to manage themselves in various settings and situations. As an individual
is born, his or her reactions and reflexes that are developmental milestones are
dependent on the individual’s senses. As one grows older, he or she begins to
observe the environment, analyze information, make choices, and behave
appropriately according to what the situation warrants8. Cognition is a crucial
part of an individual’s development process which influences behaviour, just as
how behaviour also impacts it9. Therefore, cognitive development includes

5
Ibid.
6
Ibid at no. 2.
7
Macayan, J.V., Pinugu, J.N., Castillo J.C. (2018). Understanding the Self: Outcome-based Module. 839 EDSA, South
Triangle, Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
experiential knowledge that helps an individual to hone their own cognitive
skills.
Jean Piaget theorized on this matter. It focuses on the stages of normal
intellectual development, from infancy through adulthood. According to his
theory, there are four (4) stages of cognitive development, these are: (1)
Sensorimotor; (2) Preoperational; (3) Concrete operational; and (4) Formal
operational.
Sensorimotor is the stage from birth through ages 18-24 months. During
the early stages, infants are only aware of what is immediately in front of them.
They focus on what they see, what they are doing, and physical interactions
with their immediate environment10.
Between ages 7 and 9 months, infants begin to realize that an object
exists even if it can no longer be seen. This important milestone -- known as
object permanence -- is a sign that memory is developing.11
After infants start crawling, standing, and walking, their increased
physical mobility leads to increased cognitive development. Near the end of the
sensorimotor stage (18-24 months), infants reach another important milestone
-- early language development, a sign that they are developing some symbolic
abilities.12
After the first stage in Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, here comes
the Operational Stage where during this stage (toddler through age 7), young
children are able to think about things symbolically. Their language use
becomes more mature. They also develop memory and imagination, which
allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and engage
in make-believe.
But their thinking is based on intuition and still not completely logical.
They cannot yet grasp more complex concepts such as cause and effect, time,
and comparison13.
Third in the theory was Concrete Operational Stage. At this time,
elementary-age and preadolescent children -- ages 7 to 11 -- demonstrate
logical, concrete reasoning. Children's thinking becomes less egocentric and
they are increasingly aware of external events. They begin to realize that one's

10
Piaget’s Stages of Development. (2017, October 16). Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/children/piaget-
stages-of-development#2. Accessed date 10 December 2018.
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid.
13
id.
own thoughts and feelings are unique and may not be shared by others or may
not even be part of reality.14
During this stage, however, most children still can't think abstractly or
hypothetically.
Lastly, the Formal Operational Stage. Adolescents who reach this
fourth stage of intellectual development -- usually at age 11-plus -- are able to
logically use symbols related to abstract concepts, such as algebra and science.
They can think about multiple variables in systematic ways, formulate
hypotheses, and consider possibilities. They also can ponder abstract
relationships and concepts such as justice15.
From the theory, the underlying concept of his theory was the
accumulation of observations and experiences as one grows older. It is safe to
deduce that cognition and its development lies on the accumulation of
knowledge and when one is presented with options, he or she analyzes which
among them is the best choice, pursue it, and anticipate the consequences that
come along with16.

Conclusion
In What Ways Do Video Games Help and Harm Cognitive Development?
With the aforementioned discussion of what a video game is, some of its
key components; and together with the definition of cognitive development, it is
open now on interpretation on what aspects particularly video game could
affect people’s cognitive development.
The effects of video game could either be negative and positive.
Undeniably, video games are harmful to its gamers. Since video games could be
generally be based on a narrative, developers may use violent stories, distorted
factual information of the history, and so on. Studies have shown the negative
effects violent video games have on the younger generation. Calvert and Tan did
a study on young adults, where they compared the differences between playing
versus observing violent video games. Studies found that “students who had
played a violent virtual reality game had a higher heart rate, reported more
dizziness and nausea, and exhibited more aggressive thoughts in a
posttest than those who had played a nonviolent game” (Cesarone, 1998).
Although these studies do not directly determine if aggression increases in

14
Id.
15
Ibid at no. 8.
16
Ibid at no. 5.
their experimenters, they are able to observe behavioral changes that include
more aggressive patterns.17
Additional to the negative effects is that since the development of video
game devices have become rampant during these days, it is very convenient for
others to engage in virtual activities such as playing video games. It was
prevalently shown that kids nowadays prefer playing their video games rather
than playing outside. Hughes mentioned in her paper that it is evident that kids
involved with video games are spending 13 and 14 hours a week playing them
rather than just an hour here and there. By spending so much time on their game
console or on the computer, children are missing out on their social life. Children
are less likely to go out and compete in extracurricular activities which inhibit
them from meeting new people and making friends. Funk and Buchman did
another study on the effects video games have on kids, but in this one, they were
testing for self-competence.18 Consequently, this may result to another negative
result—obesity.
It was shown by several studies that obesity is not only a health problem
that the government should addressed but it transcends beyond that. Obesity is
also a psychological and social problem where it affects negatively on the social life
and how a person perceives situation.
On the other hand, the brighter side of this novel phenomenon on video
games, it actually helped developed gamers’ cognitive skill such as following a set
of rules for a certain goal. The first and foremost thing one discovers in a game is
that following directions is of the utmost importance. In order to progress in
games, one must first learn to follow the guidelines, restrictions and components
of them.19 Simultaneously, it hones their strategic skill, management skills etc. As
the player confronts new challenges, he must use problem-solving to find solutions.
This is true for educational games, mind games, and RPGs alike. The player
cannot get through with what they already have or know and must find new
combinations and incorporate old skills with new skills to overcome obstacles such
as the level or quest (Gee, 2003).20
In conclusion, video games render good effects however, it should be utilized
in a smart manner so that it would not affect negatively.

17
Emily Hughes. (24 April 2017). Effect of Video Games on Child Development. Retrieved from
https://my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2014/04/effect-of-video-games-on-child-development/.
Accessed date 12 December 2018.
18
Ibid.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid.