Common Sense Media Presentaion

1. The Effect of Video Games on Our Children:Bank Street School for ChildrenMarch 2, 2011

3. Review both sides of the research on the effects of video games on children’s behavior

5. Who Am I? Anne Schreiber – Vice President of Education Content; Common Sense Media Educational media and publishing professional Parent of three NYC teens!

6. Who is Common Sense Media? Rate:Library of over 13,000 Common Sense Media ratings and reviews Educate:Advice and issue education for parents, educators, and young people Advocate:Respected nonpartisan voice - to national policymakers, the media industry, legislators and thought leaders CommonSenseMedia.org/Educator

7. Common Sense Media Education Programs Digital Literacy & Citizenship Student Curriculum Parent Education Program Teachers implement with students; includes student/parent activities Educators implement with parents

8. My media life is like a… http://registrarism.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/globe-europe.jpg http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Environment/Pix/pictures/2007/10/15/WaitroseFrankBaron.jpg

9. What exactly are kids doing with video games and interactive media?

10. The average American child, 8 to 18, spends 53 hours per week (7.5 hours per day) using technology. 99% of boys and 94% of girls play video games. 83% of children, 8 to 18, have at least one video game console in their homes, and of that group, 25% keep a game console in their bedrooms. Female gamers comprised 28% of the market in 2009. More Americans play video games than go to the movies each year. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010

11. Hours Spent on Game Play

12. Most gamers do not limit themselves to one genre. 80% of teens play 5 or more different game genres. 40% play 8 or more different game types. Most popular game genres: Racing (74%) Puzzle (72%) Sports (68%) Action (67%) Adventure (66%) Rhythm (61%) Strategy (59%) Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010

13. Most popular games for teens: (2008 data) Guitar Hero Halo 3 Madden NFL Solitaire Dance Dance Revolution One of the top five (Halo 3) is rated M (mature) while two (Solitaire & DDR) is rated E (everyone). Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010

14. Top Ranked Games - Boys

15. Top Ranked Games - Girls

16. Media Landscape Video

17. Some national data on parent perspectives…

18. Impact of Media on Children is Among Top Parenting Concerns 2 4 1 3 Source: Common Sense Media Parent Survey 2010

19. Parents’ Biggest Concerns are: TV, the Internet and Movies Source: Common Sense Media Parent Survey 2010

20. What does the research say about the effects of video games on children’s behavior?

21. The Situation is Complex “Much of what we found surprised us. The data were both encouraging and, at times, disturbing. The more we analyzed our own data and looked at other research, the more we realized that we -- parents, politicians, researchers and child advocates -- probably worry too much about the wrong things and too little about more subtle issues and complex effects that are much more likely to affect our children.” (from Harvard researchers Kutner and Olson, 2009)

22. What are Parents Concerned About? Will playing video games… lead to aggression and violent behavior? blur the line between fantasy and reality? lead to social isolation and less pro-social behavior? lead to addictive behavior? lead to obesity/sedentary lifestyle? take time away from other, healthier, activities?

24. blur the line between fantasy and reality?

25. lead to social isolation and less pro-social behavior?

26. lead to addictive behavior?

27. lead to obesity/sedentary lifestyle?

30. 33% play with siblings or parents

31. Just 18% of boys and 12% of girls always play games alone. Even single player games are often played socially. The majority of new and popular games are designed for multiple players.

32. Obesity and Life Balance Spending large amounts of time playing video games can lead to: time away from family, school-work, hobbies lower grades and reading less less exercising and becoming overweight aggressive thoughts and behaviors ( - AAP, 2006)

33. And There are Other Issues… Racial and gender stereotypes Increase in bullying behavior Reinforcement of aggression as a potential means to solving conflict Some children may be at risk – we need ways to identify them

34. What’s the Good News? “Many current games are designed to be ethical testing grounds. They allow players to navigate an expansive and open-ended world, make their own choices and witness their consequences…we can be encouraged to examine our own values by seeing how we behave within virtual space.”

35. Community Collaboration Social justice Intrinsic motivation Deep understanding Active learning Taking kids seriously (borrowed from “Bank Street’s Progressive Education in Context”, Alfie Kohn, 2010) Hallmarks of Progressive Education

37. Collaboration

38. Social justice

39. Intrinsic motivation

40. Deep understanding

41. Active learning

42. Taking kids seriouslyHallmarks of Popular Video Games

43. Games as Vehicles for Deep Understanding and Active Learning Games are powerful vehicles for learning Provide an environment for working out ethical decisions Highly collaborative (many games require forming an effective team) 21st Century skills - great skills for job market Motivation, engagement and critical thinking “Learning to be” rather than “learning about” – based on trail and error (-John Seely Brown, USC, Xerox Corp, 2006)

44. Games as Vehicles for Social Justice Teens who take part in social interaction related to the game, are more engaged civically and politically. ( - Pew, 2008) 67% stay informed about current events 63% are interested in politics 74% are committed to civic participation Teens who played games with pro-social themes engaged in more pro-social behaviors ( - Anderson & Gentile, 2010) Teens who played games with more civic learning are more likely to raise money or volunteer for charities. (- Pew, 2008)

45. What can a parent do to help their children safely navigate the world of online- and video- games?

46. Tips for Elementary-age Children Establish time limits Encourage balance between game play and other activities Choose good (and developmentally appropriate) games Monitor use as much as you can – try to keep game play in common spaces Talk about Internet rules and safety Talk about violence and its effects Be aware of multi-player options

47. Tips for Tweens and Teens Discuss what you think is appropriate. Help your child choose good games. Beware of addiction. Set time limits and encourage self-regulation. Take advantage of natural breaks in the game. Review multi-player options. Discuss Internet safety. Watch language. Use monitoring tools if needed.

48. Tips for All Ages Talk to your kids about what they’re playing (even if you don’t like it). Acknowledge the positive aspects of their game play and content. Buy the games you want them to play. Encourage “active gaming” (e.g. wii, kinect) – they are calorie burners. Play with your kids. There’s no substitute for an engaged parent!

50. 37 Questions?

51. Panel Discussion:Bank Street School for ChildrenMarch 2, 2011

54. How to Tell the Good From the Bad From the Ugly

55. Some Market Statistics 62 % of the game market and 66% of the PC market is 18 years old+ 25% of children age 11-16 identify an M (mature) rated game as one of their favorites 80% of retailers will not sell M-rated content to a minor Huge discrepancy on data about whether or not parents pay attention to ratings (from 10% - 72% reporting difference) 83% of games purchased for children are purchased by the parent. Parents have power!

56. Entertainment Software Rating Board

57. Common Sense Media Ratings

59. What to Ask When Choosing a Game Does the game involve some characters trying to harm others? Does this happen frequently, more than once or twice in 30 minutes? Is the harm rewarded in any way? Is the harm portrayed as humorous? Are nonviolent solutions absent or less "fun" than the violent ones? Are realistic consequences of violence absent from the game (- Craig Anderson, Iowa State, 2006)

60. A Game Primer Console games (Play Station, X-Box, Wii, etc) Online games – four types: Casual games found on most kid Web sites Online game portals (e.g. Miniclip) MMPOG - need to purchase and download Online environments (e.g. Club Penguin) CRISP Thinking – tool for monitoring unsavory online communication Apps The “app” market for Smart Phones and tablets is creating new opportunities for educational gaming

61. The Market is Changing In the 90’s, the software game dollars went to game consoles. Game consoles expensive to produce for > difficult to publish educational games because the demand is not great enough Now mobile apps are gaining in popularity. Easier to create > many new educational games Natural breaking points, smaller chunks Beware of “in game purchases”! Mobile technologies make parental monitoring even harder.