Literature Review: Play the Game: An Analysis of the Effects of Video Game Use in Computer Science
Introduction
Computer science (or ICT as it was known in its previous incarnation) is a subject which has been traditionally valued with great importance in the curriculum, although the massive technological advances which have been made in recent times, leading to the creation of a generation of individuals appropriately termed ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001), whom have been raised with technology being an eminent presence in their life, and have not known a world where it has not existed. Concurrently to this, as the introduction of this research project pointed out, video game use has become increasingly popularised, with the vast majority of young people (those aged 11-14 are the focus of this study, due to its focus on KS3 computer science) playing them on a regular basis. Whilst there is the commonly held perception that video games increase violence and aggression in children, this has been proved by authoritative studies to be a flawed perception (Ferguson, 2015) and the seemingly negative impact that they have on educational attainment has also been dispelled as a myth (Sauer and Drummond, 2014).
This forms part of the rationale for conducting this research project, to ascertain the educational implications of playing video games. This is something which this literature review has the mandate of assessing, which it will achieve in conjunction by intertwining the subject matter with the work of a plethora of veritable scholars and studies on the phenomenon being investigated.
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Video Games and ‘Flow’
Csikszentmihalyi (1990) originally coined the concept of ‘flow’, which is where an individual is immersed in the activity they are doing and so is a sense of timelessness, where nothing else matters and they are ‘in the zone’. Flow is something which has been researched for numerous decades by eminent scholars, as it is found to have positive implications on life satisfaction, learning and education (amongst other things) (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). The relevance of flow to this literature review is considerable: video games have commonly been cited as one of the activities which are conducive to entering the ‘flow’ state which is equitable to enjoyment and engagement, which are key determinants of success in education (Murphy, 2011).
Csikszentmihalyi (1997) introduced the following diagram which disseminated the concept of ‘flow’ still further, as there is alignment between the challenge level of an activity and the ability level of the individual engaging in it:
Figure 1- ‘Flow’ Model
Predictably, ‘flow’ occurs when the individual’s skills and the challenge of the activity are commensurate. Csikszentmihalyi (1997) stated that further conditions for flow include goals being clear, feedback being immediate and a balance between opportunity and capacity. It could be argued that video games possess all of the above criteria and more, given the emotional benefits of playing in them in raising self-esteem and helping children to recognise their skills (Griffiths, 2002). Digressing from the topic of the matter briefly, if children do gain emotional benefits from playing video games, this could have significant positive effects on their life: Goleman (1996) makes the definitive point that emotional intelligence (or quotient as it is known in some quarters) is a greater determinant of life success than simple academic intelligence, which seems further justification for allowing children to play video games. However, Griffiths (2002) also notes the wealth of empirical literature which documents the violence of video games and in some instances children replicating that in their own daily lives, which is certainly something to be avoided.
Ultimately, if computer science teachers note the flow-like concept of video games, they can integrate it within their own classrooms, twofold. Firstly, by trying to cultivate the flow like atmosphere which is so feted and prized in empirical literature (due to its positive impacts on the educational experiences of pupils) and also by incorporating video games into their computer science lessons, the precise nature of which will be explained in the next section of this literature review.
Linking Video Games and Computer Science
Murphy (2011) notes that video games can even be integrated in educational programmes (and in particular computer science) so that children can learn in a way which is
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