It addresses such questions as:
- Do violent video games cause aggression?
- Are online communities socially valuable?
- Can we learn from video games? If so, what?
…and more (you can see the full ToC here)!
Not only is this volume the first to provide a comprehensive source of information on the potential effects of video game play (off- and online, positive and negative), but it is the first volume of its kind to be written with a general audience in mind. Our aim was to create a book that is equally assessable and valuable to parents, policy makers, educators, and clinicians as well as scholars.
For the parent, this volume will inform you about what the researchers in the field have to say about the effects, both positive and negative, of digital game play.
For the policy maker, this volume will get you up to speed with the state of the research within the scientific community, allowing you to understand the strengths and limitations of this line of research as well as the current understanding of what, if any, effects are evident and how strong they are.
For the clinician, this volume will help you better inform your clients, whether they be concerned parents or gamers themselves.
For the scholar, this volume will provide a series of concise, essays relating to the main concerns within this area of study. Sure beats reading hundreds of articles! Although, of course, the volume is fully referenced so you will be able to find further resources if you are interested in learning more about a particular subject.
For the educator, this book will help you get a better understanding of this new medium in terms of its place in our culture and society, the moral panics surrounding it, and the state of effects research. The chapters on Games and Learning and Gaming Communities will also help you better understand how games can be used in the classroom (these chapters are useful for game designers as well!).
As this book is organized as a series of short articles, it would also make a great text for media studies, game studies, and media effects courses (if you are interested in using this book for your courses, you should request a review copy from Routledge).
We hope that you will enjoy “The Video Game Debate…” and that it will soon become a valuable resource within the community and beyond!
If you would like to learn more about this project, be sure and check out this episode of the Psychology of Games Podcast!
