Video games are often demonised in the media for everything from encouraging school shootings to stopping people socialising, and yet despite this, their popularity continues to increase. With more and more people now playing video games, should we really be worried? Are we all going to end up as overweight, socially incompetent video game addicts or can video games actually be a force for good? This talk will discuss at least some of the evidence regarding both the positive and negative effects of video game play, arguing against some of the common myths and showing the surprisingly productive ways video games can be used.

Emily Collins is a Research Associate at the UCL Interaction Centre, having recently completed a Ph.D. on the psychology of video game “addiction” at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her previous research has investigated violent video games and aggression, driving games and real life driving behaviour and the cognitive and social outcomes of video game play. Emily’s current research is looking into the occupational applications of video games, and how they could be used to recover from work-related stress.