Colman Noctor: Not all computer games are a bad use of time 

This approach may seem excessive, but the stories I hear as a child psychotherapist have led me to be hyper-vigilant as a parent. My young clients rarely talk about the type of games they play, whether Minecraft or a shooter game certified as over-18s. It is far more common to hear about conflict or severe exchanges between players either through the chat function or through their headsets.

Screen usage has inevitably increased at home since the start of the school holidays.

No camps were booked for this week, and I could not organise activities for them every day. Adding to that was the dreary, wet weather, so playing games on their PC was a default activity.

While I would ordinarily beat myself up a little about extended gaming time and perceive this as a bad thing, I was pleasantly surprised by what I witnessed. My three children spent their time playing the same strategy-based game in which they had to navigate a series of challenges to progress.

Like most siblings, they often argue, ranging from one being unduly mean to another to merely looking at each other the wrong way. However, their interactions during the game were uncharacteristically amicable. 

They prompted and supported each other and even congratulated each other when they managed to work out a particularly tough part of the game.

Our perception of online video games is they are pervasively a ‘bad use of time’. Perhaps this is not always the case. My children are 14, 11, and nine, so finding something they can enjoy together is challenging.

Trying to pick a movie on Saturday nights can seem more complicated than negotiating the Good Friday Agreement. So, when there is an activity they all enjoy together, I tend to make the most of it.

So, should we feel bad when our children spend more time than we would like playing online games during their summer holidays from school? I am not so sure.

Given the ubiquitous nature of technology, we need to move away from focusing on ‘time spent’ and move towards a concept of ‘time well spent’.

Not all online activities are equal, so our focus should be on what our children do online instead of obsessing about how much time they spend engaging in technology.

Benefits of gaming

Online gaming can be good for children’s mental health and development.

A 2019 review of the existing research spanning children aged eight to 18, undertaken by neuroscientist Daphne Bavalier and colleagues in Rochester, New York, suggests that some gaming can benefit children. They found that while all video games are not created equal, certain games can improve their cognitive skills. Many require players to solve puzzles and use critical thinking, which can enhance their problem-solving skills. Action games, in particular, were shown to improve their spatial navigation, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.

Gaming can also have educational benefits. According to Greek neuroscientist Marina Papastergiou, some games can make learning subjects like maths, science, and history more engaging. Furthermore, Papastergiou believes that story-driven games can improve reading and comprehension skills as children follow narratives and dialogues, which may have some academic benefits.

A significant concern is the potential impact of gaming on children’s social skills. In the book The Video Game Debate, American research psychologist Rachel Kowort and professor for communication studies at the University of Münster, Germany, Thorsten Quandt, point out that multiplayer games often require players to work together to achieve common goals, enhancing cooperative skills and teamwork. They argue that online games with chat functions or cooperative play can help children develop better communication skills. However, these platforms serve better as opportunities to use children’s existing communication skills as opposed to presenting a chance to learn them.

It is critical to see these potential benefits in moderation. Over-reliance on screen-mediated communication can lead to an inability to manage spontaneous face-to-face interactions. Therefore, the potential communication benefits achieved through gaming should complement, not replace, face-to-face skills.

Persistence and patience

Some young people I work with say gaming is a form of stress relief and explain that it can be fun and relaxing.

It is possible that overcoming challenges and progressing in games could teach them about persistence. Persistence is not to be confused with patience, an entirely different skill set. Persistence is the determination to stick with it even if it’s difficult, whereas patience is accepting that growth takes time. I worry that as a society, we have become less patient, and the speed and convenience of the technological world have led us to expect results immediately, leaving many frustrated that they are ‘falling behind’ or ‘missing out’. This impatience has led us to become consumed by gratification instead of being aware of the importance of fulfilment that comes with persistence.

(Anyone who owned a Commodore 64, like I did when I was a child, will remember how you had to wait an age for each game to load, which was a masterclass teaching us about the need to be patient and tolerant.)

There is no simple response to the ongoing debate about gaming. We cannot assume that all gaming activities harm our children, nor do they all have positive potential. Online gaming can allow children to practice or build on pre-existing skills like cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, and teamwork. However, the basic principles of the attributes required to overcome challenges should be formed in real-life scenarios in the offline world.

I suggest the following strategies to reduce the stress and guilt of watching your children spend more time on screens over the summer months.

• Get the balance right: Ensure your child’s online gaming does not interfere with other essential activities like family time, face-to-face peer interactions, physical exercise, and sleep;
• Check for suitability: Be sure your child chooses age-appropriate games that offer some cognitive value, promote positive social interactions, and are not focused on violence or inappropriate activity;
• Get Involved: Ask questions to engage your children in their gaming activities. This exchange will help you better understand the content they are consuming and guide them in making healthy gaming choices;
• Ease up on the guilt: School summer holidays are long, and filling every moment with ‘nourishing and productive’ activities is impossible, so give yourself a break. Most parents work during summer, and your availability for ‘fun activities’ is not limitless, and neither is your bank balance. Remind yourself that gaming can be a positive and enriching part of their lives. It’s not all bad.
  

Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist