In this study, which will take approximately 45 minutes, participants will be asked to watch videos of the non-violent, multiplayer game, Rocket League, andrespond to comments made by one of the players. While watching, they will be asked to imagine that they are the individual playing the game and respond accordingly. Participants are not required to actually play the game. Therefore, participants are not required to have access to the game, nor prior knowledge of the game. In some instances, they will be asked to type their response, and in others they will be asked to speak their response aloud.
Participants will then be asked to complete questionnaires about their gaming behaviours (if they play online games, and if so, what games they play, how often they play), mood, emotion regulation, mentalizing abilities, peer relationships, empathy, and cognitive skills. They will also be asked to provide basic information about themself (i.e., age, gender, languages spoken, etc.).
Many (but not all) adolescents spend time playing video games. These games can be played alone, with friends, or with strangers. When playing with others, games often allow players to communicate with each other in some way or another. While there have been general observations of toxic or harmful interactions in some games, no formal studies have investigated how various interactions are perceived. Given the rate at which adolescents play video games, understanding how they perceive aspects of the game play is important.
Interested in the study? Contact us below!
Participation is voluntary, and the choice of whether or not you would like your child to participate is yours. Please email our lab at childresearch@uwaterloo.ca if you and your child would like to participate. Please note that this study is intended for teens between the ages of 15 to 19 only and that youth outside this age range will not be eligible to participate.