Editing Video game (section)

==Effects on society==
===Culture===
{{main|Video game culture|Gamer}}
[[File:The Art of Video Games 2012 (6848246182).jpg|thumb|right|''[[The Art of Video Games]]'' exhibit at the [[Smithsonian American Art Museum]] in 2012]]
Video game culture is a worldwide [[new media]] subculture formed around video games and game playing. As computer and video games have increased in popularity over time, they have had a significant influence on popular culture. Video game culture has also evolved over time hand in hand with [[internet culture]] as well as the increasing popularity of mobile games. Many people who play video games identify as gamers, which can mean anything from someone who enjoys games to someone who is passionate about it. As video games become more social with [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]] and [[Online game|online capability]], gamers find themselves in growing [[social network]]s. Gaming can both be entertainment as well as competition, as a new trend known as [[Esports|electronic sports]] is becoming more widely accepted. In the 2010s, video games and discussions of video game trends and topics can be seen in [[social media]], politics, television, film and music. The [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry|COVID-19 pandemic]] during 2020–2021 gave further visibility to video games as a pastime to enjoy with friends and family online as a means of [[social distancing]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://ew.com/gaming/coronavirus-videogames-industry-impact/ | title = Game (still) on: How coronavirus is impacting the gaming industry | first = Nick | last = Romero | date = 19 March 2020 | access-date = 27 March 2020 | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | archive-date = 8 April 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200408220631/https://ew.com/gaming/coronavirus-videogames-industry-impact/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-world-turning-to-video-games-150704969.html | title = The world is turning to video games amid coronavirus outbreak | first = Daniel | last = Howley | date = 18 March 2020 | access-date = 27 March 2020 | work = [[Yahoo!]] | archive-date = 8 April 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200408220632/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-world-turning-to-video-games-150704969.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Art ===
{{main|Video games as an art form}}
Since the mid-2000s there has been debate whether video games qualify as art, primarily as the form's interactivity interfered with the artistic intent of the work and that they are designed for commercial appeal. A significant debate on the matter came after film critic [[Roger Ebert]] published an essay "Video Games can never be art",<ref name="ebert gamesart">{{Cite web | url = http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html | title = Video games can never be art | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | first = Roger | last = Ebert | date = 2010-04-16 | access-date = 2010-08-31 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111010001841/http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html | archive-date = 2011-10-10 | url-status = dead }}</ref> which challenged the industry to prove him and other critics wrong.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://reason.com/2013/04/04/the-time-roger-ebert-dismissed-video-gam/ | title = The Time Roger Ebert Dismissed Video Games and What Happened Next | first = Scott | last = Shackford | date = 4 April 2013 | access-date = 13 August 2020 | work = [[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] | archive-date = 14 September 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200914234541/https://reason.com/2013/04/04/the-time-roger-ebert-dismissed-video-gam/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The view that video games were an art form was cemented in 2011 when the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in the landmark case ''[[Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association]]'' that video games were a protected form of speech with artistic merit.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/06/us-supreme-court-strikes-down-video-game-law-on-first-amendment-grounds/ | title = Supreme Court strikes down video game law on first amendment grounds | first = Ben | last = Kuchera | date = 27 June 2011 | access-date = 13 August 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]] | archive-date = 15 September 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200915001410/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/06/us-supreme-court-strikes-down-video-game-law-on-first-amendment-grounds/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Since then, video game developers have come to use the form more for artistic expression, including the development of [[art game]]s,<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/31/video.games.art.steinberg/ | title = Who says video games aren't art? | first = Scott | last = Steinberg | publisher = CNN | date =2010-08-31 | access-date = 2010-08-31 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100903031954/http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/31/video.games.art.steinberg/| archive-date= 3 September 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> and the cultural heritage of video games as works of arts, beyond their technical capabilities, have been part of major museum exhibits, including ''[[The Art of Video Games]]'' at the [[Smithsonian American Art Museum]] and toured at other museums from 2012 to 2016.

{{main|Film adaptation#Video game adaptation|Hollywood and the video game industry}}
Video games will inspire sequels and other video games within the same franchise, but also have influenced works outside of the video game medium. Numerous [[List of television series based on video games|television shows]] (both animated and live-action), [[List of films based on video games|films]], [[List of comics based on video games|comics]] and [[List of novels based on video games|novels]] have been created based on existing video game franchises. Because video games are an interactive medium there has been trouble in converting them to these passive forms of media, and typically such works have been critically panned or treated as children's media. For example, until 2019, no video game film had ever been received a "Fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], but the releases of ''[[Detective Pikachu (film)|Detective Pikachu]]'' (2019) and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (2020), both receiving "Fresh" ratings, shows signs of the film industry having found an approach to adapt video games for the large screen.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/14/sonic-the-hedgehog-faces-video-game-adaptation-box-office-curse.html | title = 'Sonic the Hedgehog' is up against the stigma of video game flops at the box office | first = Sarah | last = Whitten | date = 14 February 2020 | access-date = 16 February 2020 | work = [[CNBC]] | archive-date = 26 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210726194546/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/14/sonic-the-hedgehog-faces-video-game-adaptation-box-office-curse.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sonic-the-hedgehog-sequel-1234619356/|title='Sonic the Hedgehog' Sequel in the Works|first=Justin|last=Kroll|date=28 May 2020|website=Variety |access-date=28 May 2020|archive-date=29 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529030235/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sonic-the-hedgehog-sequel-1234619356/|url-status=live}}</ref> That said, some early video game-based films have been highly successful at the box office, such as 1995's ''[[Mortal Kombat (1995 film)|Mortal Kombat]]'' and 2001's ''[[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider]]''.<ref name="understanding media">{{cite book |title=Understanding Media and Culture |date=2010 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |chapter=10.4 The Impact of Video Games on Culture}}</ref>

More recently since the 2000s, there has also become a larger appreciation of [[video game music]], which ranges from [[chiptunes]] composed for limited sound-output devices on early computers and consoles, to fully-scored compositions for most modern games. Such music has frequently served as a platform for covers and remixes, and concerts featuring video game soundtracks performed by bands or orchestras, such as ''[[Video Games Live]]'', have also become popular.<ref name="understanding media"/> Video games also frequently incorporate licensed music, particularly in the area of [[rhythm game]]s, furthering the depth of which video games and music can work together.<ref name="understanding media"/>

Further, video games can serve as a virtual environment under full control of a producer to create new works. With the capability to render 3D actors and settings in real-time, a new type of work [[machinima]] (short for "machine cinema") grew out from using video game engines to craft narratives.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lowood|first=Henry|year=2005|title=Real-Time Performance: Machinima and Game Studies|url=http://www.idmaa.org/journal/pdf/iDMAa_Journal_Vol_2_No_1_screen.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101161233/http://www.idmaa.org/journal/pdf/iDMAa_Journal_Vol_2_No_1_screen.pdf|archive-date=1 January 2006|journal=The International Digital Media & Arts Association Journal|volume=2|issue=1|pages=10–17|issn=1554-0405|access-date=2013-03-22}}</ref> As video game engines gain higher fidelity, they have also become part of the tools used in more traditional filmmaking. [[Unreal Engine]] has been used as a backbone by [[Industrial Light & Magic]] for their [[StageCraft]] technology for shows like ''[[The Mandalorian]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/2/20/21146152/the-mandalorian-making-of-video-unreal-engine-projection-screen | title = How Lucasfilm used Unreal Engine to make The Mandalorian | first = Owen | last = Good | date = 20 February 2020 | access-date = 1 August 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = 13 November 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201113105740/https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/2/20/21146152/the-mandalorian-making-of-video-unreal-engine-projection-screen | url-status = live }}</ref>

Separately, video games are also frequently used as part of the promotion and marketing for other media, such as for [[List of video games based on films|films]], [[List of video games based on anime or manga|anime]], and [[List of video games based on comics|comics]]. However, these licensed games in the 1990s and 2000s often had a reputation for poor quality, developed without any input from the intellectual property rights owners, and several of them are considered among [[List of video games notable for negative reception|lists of games with notably negative reception]], such as ''[[Superman 64]]''. More recently, with these licensed games being developed by triple-A studios or through studios directly connected to the licensed property owner, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of these games, with an early trendsetting example of ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/03/05/star-wars-indiana-jones-marvel-007-licensed-games/ | title = From Star Wars to Marvel, licensed video games are becoming more ambitious. Here's why. | first = Elise | last = Favis | date = 5 March 2021 | accessdate = 26 July 2021 | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | archive-date = 1 November 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211101055942/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/03/05/star-wars-indiana-jones-marvel-007-licensed-games/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Beneficial uses===
{{Tone|section|date=June 2023}}
{{main|Video games in education|Video game behavioral effects}}

Besides their entertainment value, appropriately-designed video games have been seen to provide value in education across several ages and comprehension levels. Learning principles found in video games have been identified as possible techniques with which to reform the U.S. education system.<ref>{{cite book | last = Gee | first = James Paul | title = What Video Games Have to Teach us About Literacy and Learning | publisher = Palgrave Macmillan | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-4039-6169-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/whatvideogamesha0000geej }}</ref> It has been noticed that gamers adopt an attitude while playing that is of such high concentration, they do not realize they are learning, and that if the same attitude could be adopted at school, education would enjoy significant benefits.<ref>{{cite news | author = James Paul Gee | year = 2007 | url = https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.05/view.html | title = Wired 11.05: View | publisher = Codenet, Inc. | access-date = 4 December 2007 | display-authors = etal | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080517033243/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.05/view.html | archive-date = 17 May 2008 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>{{Dubious|date=June 2023}} Students are found to be "learning by doing" while playing video games while fostering creative thinking.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Video games | journal = CQ Researcher | volume = 16 | pages = 937–960 | year = 2006 | id = cqresrre2006111000 | author = Glazer, S.}}</ref>

Video games are also believed to be beneficial to the mind and body. It has been shown that action video game players have better [[hand–eye coordination]] and [[Motor coordination|visuo-motor skills]], such as their resistance to [[distraction]], their sensitivity to information in the [[peripheral vision]] and their ability to count briefly presented objects, than nonplayers.<ref>{{cite journal| author-link = Shawn Green (game designer)| title = Action video game modifies visual selective attention| journal = Nature| volume = 423| pages = 534–537| year = 2003| id = Green & Bavelier| doi = 10.1038/nature01647| author = Green, C. Shawn| pmid = 12774121| last2 = Bavelier| first2 = Daphne| issue = 6939| bibcode = 2003Natur.423..534G| s2cid = 1521273| url = https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:103890| doi-access = free| access-date = 13 September 2020| archive-date = 6 June 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200606033158/https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:103890| url-status = live}}</ref> Researchers found that such enhanced abilities could be acquired by training with action games, involving challenges that switch attention between different locations, but not with games requiring concentration on single objects.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} A 2018 systematic review found evidence that video gaming training had positive effects on cognitive and emotional skills in the adult population, especially with young adults.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pallavicini|first1=Federica|last2=Ferrari|first2=Ambra|last3=Mantovani|first3=Fabrizia|date=2018-11-07|title=Video Games for Well-Being: A Systematic Review on the Application of Computer Games for Cognitive and Emotional Training in the Adult Population|journal=Frontiers in Psychology|volume=9|page=2127|doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02127|issn=1664-1078|pmc=6234876|pmid=30464753|doi-access=free}}</ref> A 2019 systematic review also added support for the claim that video games are beneficial to the brain, although the beneficial effects of video gaming on the brain differed by video games types.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Brilliant T.|first1=Denilson|last2=Nouchi|first2=Rui|last3=Kawashima|first3=Ryuta|date=2019-09-25|title=Does Video Gaming Have Impacts on the Brain: Evidence from a Systematic Review|journal=Brain Sciences|volume=9|issue=10|page=251|doi=10.3390/brainsci9100251|issn=2076-3425|pmc=6826942|pmid=31557907|doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[File:How video games can boost your mental health.webm|thumb|start=4.8|How can video games boost your mental health? – Max Birk ([[Eindhoven University of Technology]])]]

Organisers of video gaming events, such as the organisers of the ''D-Lux'' video game festival in [[Dumfries]], Scotland, have emphasised the positive aspects video games can have on [[mental health]]. Organisers, mental health workers and mental health nurses at the event emphasised the relationships and friendships that can be built around video games and how playing games can help people learn about others as a precursor to discussing the person's mental health.<ref>{{cite news |date= 11 February 2020 |title= D-Lux: The video game festival talking about mental health |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-south-scotland-51402936 |work= BBC News |access-date= 27 June 2021 |archive-date= 27 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210727161310/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-south-scotland-51402936 |url-status= live }}</ref> A study in 2020 from [[Oxford University]] also suggested that playing video games can be a benefit to a person's mental health. The report of 3,274 gamers, all over the age of 18, focused on the games [[Animal Crossing: New Horizons]] and [[Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville]] and used actual play-time data. The report found that those that played more games tended to report greater "wellbeing".<ref>{{cite news |last=Hern |first=Alex |date=16 November 2020 |title=Video gaming can benefit mental health, find Oxford academics |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/nov/16/video-gaming-can-benefit-mental-health-find-oxford-academics |url-status=live |access-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623054448/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/nov/16/video-gaming-can-benefit-mental-health-find-oxford-academics |archive-date=23 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Chilton |first= Louis |date= 16 November 2020 |title= Video games can provide benefits to mental health, suggests new Oxford University study |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/games/video-games-mental-health-study-oxford-b1723729.html |work= The Independent |access-date= 27 June 2021 |archive-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211102181814/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/games/video-games-mental-health-study-oxford-b1723729.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Also in 2020, [[computer science]] professor [[Regan Mandryk]] of the [[University of Saskatchewan]] said her research also showed that video games can have health benefits such as reducing [[Psychological stress|stress]] and improving mental health. The university's research studied all age groups – "from pre-literate children through to older adults living in long term care homes" – with a main focus on 18 to 55-year-olds.<ref>{{cite news |date= 10 May 2020 |title= U of S research finds video games can relieve stress, improve mental health |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/u-of-s-research-finds-video-games-can-relieve-stress-improve-mental-health-1.5563824 |work= [[CBC News]] |access-date= 5 August 2021 |archive-date= 4 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210804232447/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/u-of-s-research-finds-video-games-can-relieve-stress-improve-mental-health-1.5563824 |url-status= live }}</ref>

A study of gamers attitudes towards gaming which was reported about in 2018 found that [[millennials]] use video games as a key strategy for coping with stress. In the study of 1,000 gamers, 55% said that it "helps them to unwind and relieve stress ... and half said they see the value in gaming as a method of escapism to help them deal with daily work pressures".<ref>{{cite news |last= Bailey |first= Grant |date= 9 February 2018 |title= Playing video games is a key strategy for coping with stress, study finds |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/video-games-stress-playing-strategy-key-gamers-study-a8202541.html |work= The Independent |access-date= 5 August 2021 |archive-date= 4 August 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210804232444/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/video-games-stress-playing-strategy-key-gamers-study-a8202541.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

===Controversies===
{{more citations needed|section|date=June 2023}}
{{main|Video game controversies}}
{{see also|Digital media use and mental health#Autism}}

[[File:Compulsion loop for video games.svg|thumb|right|The [[compulsion loop]] for video games is believed to trigger [[dopamine]] release that can encourage [[addictive behavior]].]]
Video games have caused controversy since the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Timeline of Video Game Controversies |url=https://ncac.org/resource/a-timeline-of-video-game-controversies |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=National Coalition Against Censorship |language=en-US}}</ref> Parents and children's advocates regularly raise concerns that [[Violence and video games|violent video games]] can influence young players into performing those violent acts in real life, and events such as the [[Columbine High School massacre]] in 1999 in which some claimed the perpetrators specifically alluded to using video games to plot out their attack, raised further fears.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Medical experts and mental health professionals have also raised concerned that [[Video game addiction|video games may be addictive]], and the [[World Health Organization]] has included "gaming disorder" in the 11th revision of its [[International Statistical Classification of Diseases]]. Other health experts, including the [[American Psychiatric Association]], have stated that there is insufficient evidence that video games can create violent tendencies or lead to addictive behavior,<ref name="nytimes 20190805">{{cite web |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/sports/trump-violent-video-games-studies.html |title = Video Games Aren't Why Shootings Happen. Politicians Still Blame Them. |first = Kevin |last = Draper |date = 5 August 2019 |access-date = 22 August 2019 |work = [[The New York Times]] |archive-date = 26 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200426031749/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/sports/trump-violent-video-games-studies.html |url-status = live }}</ref> though agree that video games typically use a [[compulsion loop]] in their core design that can create [[dopamine]] that can help reinforce the desire to continue to play through that compulsion loop and potentially lead into violent or addictive behavior.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Dopamine D3 Receptors Modulate the Ability of Win-Paired Cues to Increase Risky Choice in a Rat Gambling Task | first1 = Michael M. | last1 = Barrus | first2= Catharine A. |last2= Winstanley | date = 20 January 2016 | volume = 36 | issue = 3 | journal = [[The Journal of Neuroscience]] | pages = 785–794 | doi = 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2225-15.2016 | pmid = 26791209 | pmc = 6602008 | s2cid = 23617462 | url = }}</ref><ref name="gamasutra kim">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-compulsion-loop-explained | title = The Compulsion Loop Explained | first = Joseph | last = Kim | date = 23 March 2014 | access-date = 3 February 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = 14 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200814040040/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JosephKim/20140323/213728/The_Compulsion_Loop_Explained.php | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://time.com/5647659/no-video-games-dont-cause-mass-shootings-but-the-conversation-shouldnt-end-there/ | title = No, Video Games Don't Cause Mass Shootings. But The Conversation Shouldn't End There | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = 8 August 2019 | access-date = 3 February 2020 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | archive-date = 3 September 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200903005730/https://time.com/5647659/no-video-games-dont-cause-mass-shootings-but-the-conversation-shouldnt-end-there/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Even with case law establishing that video games qualify as a protected art form, there has been pressure on the video game industry to keep their products in check to avoid over-excessive violence particularly for games aimed at younger children. The potential addictive behavior around games, coupled with increased used of post-sale monetization of video games, has also raised concern among parents, advocates, and government officials about [[gambling]] tendencies that may come from video games, such as controversy around the use of [[loot box]]es in many high-profile games.

Numerous other controversies around video games and its industry have arisen over the years, among the more notable incidents include the [[1993 congressional hearings on video games|1993 United States Congressional hearings]] on violent games like ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' which lead to the formation of the ESRB ratings system, numerous legal actions taken by attorney [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]] over violent games such as ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' from 2003 to 2007, the outrage over the "[[No Russian]]" level from ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]'' in 2009 which allowed the player to shoot a number of innocent non-player characters at an airport, and the [[Gamergate (harassment campaign)|Gamergate harassment campaign]] in 2014 that highlighted misogyny from a portion of the player demographic. The industry as a whole has also dealt with issues related to gender, racial, and [[LGBT|LGBTQ+]] discrimination and mischaracterization of these minority groups in video games. A further issue in the industry is related to working conditions, as development studios and publishers frequently use "[[crunch time (video gaming)|crunch time]]", required extended working hours, in the weeks and months ahead of a game's release to assure on-time delivery.