The Civic Potential of Video Games (The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning)

PThis report focuses on the civic aspects of video game play among youth.br / According to a 2006 survey, 58 percent of young people aged 15 to 25 were civicallybr / "disengaged," meaning that they participated in fewer than two types of eitherbr / electoral activities (defined as voting, campaigning, etc.) or civic activities (forbr / example, volunteering). Kahne and his coauthors are interested in what role videobr / games may or may not play in this disengagement.Until now, most research in thebr / field has considered how video games relate to children's aggression and to academicbr / learning. Digital media scholars suggest, however, that other social outcomes alsobr / deserve attention. For example, as games become more social, some scholars arguebr / that they can be important spheres in which to foster civic development. Othersbr / disagree, suggesting that games, along with other forms of Internet involvement, maybr / in fact take time away from civic and political engagement.Drawing on data from thebr / 2006 survey, the authors examine the relationship between video game play and civicbr / development. They call for further research on teen gaming experiences so that webr / can understand and promote civic engagement through video games./P