The Social and Emotional Impact of Videogames in the Classroom: A Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

As videogames become more and more prevalent in today’s culture, the effects of gameplay on child development has grown as a concern for parents, educators, and researchers. The aim of this paper is to explore the possible social and emotional impacts of including videogames in the classroom. This paper specifically investigated the impact of videogame play on student self-esteem, social skills, and emotional well-being. This was done through a meta-synthesis of the existing literature on the social and emotional aspects of videogame play. Results indicate that there are likely both positive and negative impacts from gameplay but there is a need for more studies to be done. Research findings were often contradictory and based on data collection instruments that are vulnerable to participant interpretation and therefore less reliable than other methods of collecting data.