Problematic Use of Video Games in Schools in Northern Benin (2023)

Objective: To study the problematic use of video games among secondary school students in the city of Parakou in 2023. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the commune of Parakou from December 2022 to July 2023. The study population consisted of students regularly enrolled in public and private secondary schools in the city of Parakou for the 2022-2023 academic year. A two-stage non-proportional stratified sampling technique combined with simple random sampling was adopted. The Problem Video Game Playing (PVP) scale was used to assess problem gambling in the study population, while anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: A total of 1030 students were included. The mean age of the pupils surveyed was 15.06 ± 2.68 years, with extremes of 10 and 28 years. The [13 - 18] age group was the most represented, with a proportion of 59.6% (614) in the general population. Females predominated, at 52.8% (544), with a sex ratio of 0.89. The prevalence of problematic video game use was 24.9%, measured using the Video Game Playing scale. Associated factors were male gender (p = 0.005), pocket money under 10,000 cfa (p = 0.001) and between 20,000 - 90,000 cfa (p = 0.030), addictive family behavior (p < 0.001), monogamous family (p = 0.023), good relationship with father (p = 0.020), organization of video game competitions (p = 0.001) and definite anxiety (p Conclusion: Substance-free addiction is struggling to attract the attention it deserves, as it did in its infancy everywhere else. This study complements existing data and serves as a reminder of the need to focus on this group of addictions, whose problematic use of video games remains the most frequent due to its accessibility and social tolerance. Preventive action combined with curative measures remains the most effective means of combating the problem at national level.

Video Games and School Performances of Dakar High School Students

The triptych (Smartphones, Video games, adolescents) has imposed itself on the collective consciousness in the form of questioning to the point of becoming a social phenomenon. It thus raises concerns about the uses that adolescents make of it and the effects on their academic performance, which we proposed to study among middle school students from the Dakar academy inspection. Where appropriate, we used mixed methods with the collection techniques of questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews respectively with middle school students, adults (parents, supervisors, teachers, etc.), participant observation and literature review. Concretely, before accessibility to video games, the middle school students were more idle and well-behaved, watched a lot of TV, played with their brothers and sisters or did household chores. The majority of young people had good, very good or excellent conduct and their averages were fair, fairly good or good. With access to a diverse digital environment, middle school students have passionately turned to video games. As a result, their learning time, concentration and submission to parental injunctions have declined significantly. This situation negatively affected their academic performance and encouraged bad behavior.

The Confidentiality of Coding Video Games with Cheat Code and Bots for Cheating in a Virtual World

Video games have been around for several decades and have had many advancements from the original start of video games. Video games started as virtual games that were advertised towards children, and these virtual games created a virtual reality of a variety of genres. These genres included sports games, such as tennis, football, baseball, war games, fantasy, puzzles, etc. The start of these games was derived from a sports genre and now has a popularity in multiplayer-online-shooting games. The purpose of this paper is to investigate different types of tools available for cheating in virtual world making players have undue advantage over other players in a competition. With the advancement in technology, these video games have become more expanded in the development aspects of gaming. Video game developers have created long lines of codes to create a new look of video games. As video games have progressed, the coding, bugs, bots, and errors of video games have changed throughout the years. The coding of video games has branched out from the original video games, which have given many benefits to this virtual world, while simultaneously creating more problems such as bots. Analysis of tools available for cheating in a game has disadvantaged normal gamer in a fair contest.

From Sex Objects to Heroines A Tough Road for Female Characters in Video Games

Female character in video games is the one of the most controversial topic in game studies and nowadays women＇s anthropology. From the beginning of role in games＇ plot to sexualized graphical representation, woman in virtual world were （and sometimes still are） a point of discussion about characters sexualisation and role of female sex in virtual industry. The main aim of this paper is to present analysis of female representation in video games and how in last 30 years it has changed. In other words, how female characters were ennobled from sex object to main protagonist status. In presented research, there were used mostly the examples of popular video games with extended plot and world which can be explored by protagonists. Video game historiography, textual analysis （which helped to treat video game character as a protagonist）, and thematic analysis of video games were used as a main research method. The main conclusion of this paper is that female characters can overcome all gender or sexual stereotypes and even eventually became an icon of popular culture

Fight fire with fire?Promoting physical activity and health through active video games

Physical inactivity has been identified as one of the leading causes of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease,type 2 diabetes,and obesity.Technology such as video games plays a complicated role in physical inactivity—much like a double-edged sword.Traditionally,video games have contributed to the epidemic of physical inactivity and have

Potential of video games for the promotion of neuroadaptation to multifocal intraocular lenses: a narrative review

Multifocal intraocular lenses(IOLs) are currently usually implanted for the treatment of cataracts because they have been proved to be superior to monofocal IOLs with respect to spectacle independence. In turn, they are associated with a higher prevalence of dysphotopsia symptoms that is one of the most common causes of patient dissatisfaction. Neuroadaptation seems to play a major role in the optimal adaptation to multifocal IOLs. In this context, the development of strategies that facilitate the neuroadaptation process to multifocality might be an effective strategy to reduce patients' dissatisfaction. Video games have been proved to be effective for the improvement of visual acuity and for the promotion of neuroplasticity in elderly subjects and other populations with cortical-related visual impairment. This narrative review highlights the physiological potential of video games as a perceptual strategy to improve visual acuity and promote neuroplasticity in patients using multifocalIOLs, although research is still needed to confirm these benefits in this specific population, with only one comparative study to this date providing evidence of them.

Economic Model of Microtransactions in Video Games

Microtransactions denote a payment made for purchase of mobile phone application or additional content in video games.The basic revenue principle for publisher was to sell the entire content at once,with the buyer having to pay the game as a whole.Trends from mobile applications and mobile games market have slowly transferred to PC games and console video games.About one half of total revenue of big video games publishers comes from microtransactions.The topics of this paper are the economic effects of microtransactions on video game industry business model.The scope of microtransactions and different implementing procedures will be discused in paper.The goal is to determine the change of the position of all stakeholders involved in the process of creating and publishing video games.

Active video games in fully immersive virtual reality elicit moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and improve cognitive performance in sedentary college students

Background:Active video games are a new method for increasing physical activity(PA).Fully immersive virtual reality(VR)is a hardware device on which an active video game can run.Active(video games in)VR(AVR),might increase immersion,game engagement,and moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA),thereby yielding greater exercise-related benefits,e.g.,cognitive performance.Methods:We examined the induction of MVPA via an AVR and a sedentary VR(SVR)as well as the effects of VR play on cognitive performance,which was monitored using 2 different methods.Each of 29 sedentary college students attended three 20-min laboratory sessions(AVR,SVR,or control)in a randomized order;during the control session,they sat quietly doing nothing.A fully immersive headset was used for the 2 video game sessions.We monitored and computed participants’PA using hip-wom accelerometers(wGT3 x-bt;ActiGraph,Pensacola,FL,USA)and a heart rate band(Polar H7;Polar,Kempele,Finland).After each session,the participants completed a mnemonic similarity test(MST)to measure recognition memory.They also filled out a motion sickness questionnaire and an abbreviated game experience questionnaire.Results:The AVR session induced a significantly greater heart rate and more time spent in MVPA than did either of the other 2 sessions regardless of the PA monitoring method.AVR elicited greater game experience questionnaire-assessed sensory and imaginative immersion,challenge,and positive affect than did SVR.The mnemonic similarity test recognition score was marginally higher post-AVR session than it was post-SVR session.Conclusion:AVR elicited MVPA without a significant increase in motion sickness and induced a better game experience and better borderline cognitive performance than did SVR.

Video Games Localization into Arabic:Gamers’Reactions to Localizing PUBG and Free Fire

The Middle East and North Africa(MENA)region has an active gaming community,with Arab gamers being reliant on games produced in Europe,America,and Japan due to the lack of significant game production companies in the MENA region.This study explores the gamers’reactions to the localization process of two video games,namely PUBG and Free Fire.For data collection purposes,a five-point Likert scale questionnaire that consisted of 18 items and six constructs,namely need for subtitled games,technical aspects,language issues,language preference,attitudes to game localization,and future actions and recommendations,was designed to elicit the reactions of 112 participants.Upon analyzing the responses,the findings showed that the better the technical aspects and language issues of the games’performance,the more positive participants’attitudes to game localization.The study recommends that further research could be conducted on the localization of video games with different themes into Arabic.

Synchronous measurements of prefrontal activity and pulse rate variability during online video game playing with functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Interactions between the central nervous system(CNS)and autonomic nervous system(ANS)play a crucial role in modulating perception,cognition,and emotion production.Previous studies on CNS–ANS interactions,or heart–brain coupling,have often used heart rate variability(HRV)metrics derived from electrocardiography(ECG)recordings as empirical measurements of sympathetic and parasympathetic activities.Functional near-infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS)is a functional brain imaging modality that is increasingly used in brain and cognition studies.The fNIRS signals contain frequency bands representing both neural activity oscillations and heartbeat rhythms.Therefore,fNIRS data acquired in neuroimaging studies can potentially provide a single-modality approach to measure task-induced responses in the brain and ANS synchronously,allowing analysis of CNS–ANS interactions.In this proof-of-concept study,fNIRS was used to record hemodynamic changes from the foreheads of 20 university students as they each played a round of multiplayer online battle arena(MOBA)game.From the fNIRS recordings,neural and heartbeat frequency bands were extracted to assess prefrontal activities and shortterm pulse rate variability(PRV),an approximation for short-term HRV,respectively.Under the experimental conditions used,fNIRS-derived PRV metrics showed good correlations with ECG-derived HRV golden standards,in terms of absolute measurements and video game playing(VGP)-related changes.It was also observed that,similar to previous studies on physical activity and exercise,the PRV metrics closely related to parasympathetic activities recovered slower than the PRV indicators of sympathetic activities after VGP.It is concluded that it is feasible to use fNIRS to monitor concurrent brain and ANS activations during online VGP,facilitating the understanding of VGP-related heart–brain coupling.

29th OLYMPIC GAMES PROMOTION VIDEO

奥运会会徽宣传片客户:第29届奥林匹克运动委员会导演:张艺谋摄影:赵小丁前期制作:杨子工作室后期制作:北京视点英派数码制作有限公司奥运会会徽宣传片,是2008年北京奥运会会徽揭幕仪式上通过 cctv-1,cctv-4,cctv-5,cctv-9向全球播放的一部宣传片,意义非常重大。片长5分45秒,分为四大部分:印童、书法与京、红、运动,要将这四部分阐述清楚,从某种意义上说它是一篇说明文,导演希望它感人、艺术、能让人兴奋。

Effects of video game-based therapy in an adolescent with cerebral palsy: A case report

BACKGROUND Herein,we report the case of a 13-year-old boy with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy(CP)at Gross Motor Function Classification System(GMFCS)level II,en-gaging in a 6-wk video game-based therapy(VBT)program.This study aimed to offer essential insights regarding VBT’s impact on enhancing the physical function and improving the quality of life(QoL)of adolescents diagnosed with CP.This report provides a distinctive viewpoint that can inform and direct future clinical practices and research endeavors.CASE SUMMARY The boy presented with moderate mobility,balance,and overall well-being.He faced challenges with diminished lower limb strength,which affected his daily living and physical fitness capabilities.Our participant was diagnosed with spas-tic quadriplegic CP at GMFCS level II.He participated in a 6-wk program of VBT using a play station.This innovative approach incorporates warm-up exercises,interactive activities,and cool-down routines,targeting various movements,in-cluding single-leg stance,weight shifting,kicking,jumping,marching,and squatting.After VBT,the strength of the left hip extensor significantly increased from 199.3 N to 541.3 N.Distance covered as part of a 6-min walk test increased by 82 m.His Paediatric QoL Inventory score increased dramatically by 25.9%.CONCLUSION VBT is an innovative,individualized therapy that enhances physical function and QoL in CP,emphasizing its role in ambulatory patients.

The Use of Computer Games for Promotional Purposes

This study is focused on computer game series Needfor Speed （NFS） in terms of its use in promotion of products and brands. We believe that computer games are no longer the domain of a small group of enthusiasts. In recent years, this kind of entertainment has became a global phenomenon, which is reflected both on professional and scientific levels. This study focuses on in-game advertising possibilities, identification, function, and logic in the NFS computer game series. We conduct a content analysis of three releases of NFS to identify its use for promotional purposes in real terms.

Impact of exergames on physical activity and motivation in elementary school students: A follow-up study

The present study was built upon a previous study on the new generation video game, exergame, in elementary school physical education （PE）. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of exergames on elementary children＇s in-class physical activity （PA） intensity levels and perceived situational interest over time. The results indicated that students＇ situational interest dropped dramatically over two semesters, but their PA intensity increased over time. The results showed that boys and girls were equally active in the exergaming lessons, but boys perceived their gaming experiences more enjoyable than girls did. The findings suggest that exergames may be a possible means to enhance PA in PE. However, whether exergaming is a sustainable way to motivate children in PA is questionable.

Impact of an active educational video game on children's motivation,science knowledge, and physical activity

Background： Active educational video games （AVGs） appear to have a positive effect on elementary school students＇ motivation leading to enhanced learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of an AVG on elementary school students＇ science knowledge learning, physical activity （PA） level, and interest-based motivation. Methods： In this randomized controlled study, 53 elementary school students were assigned to an experimental condition or a comparison condition. The experimental condition provided an AVG learning environment, whereas the comparison condition was based on sedentary educational video games. Results： The results of repeated measures analysis of variance （ANOVA） on the knowledge test showed that students in both groups performed better on the post-test than they did on the pre-test （p 〈 0.001, η2 = 0.486）, and their post-test scores did not differ significantly. The experimental condition provided a more active environment since the students＇ average heart rates （HRs） were in the Target-Heart-Rate-Zone （HR = 134 bpm）, which was significantly higher than the average HR （103 bpm） from the comparison condition （t = 7.212, p 〈 0.001）. Students in the experimental condition perceived a higher level of situational interest than their counterparts in the comparison group （p 〈 0.01, and η2 = 0.301）. Conclusion： These results suggest that AVGs benefit children more in terms of PA and motivation than traditional video games by providing an enjoyable learning experience and sufficient PA.

Regulations, Nations, and Freedom of Speech： A Cultural and Legal Analysis of Video Game Regulation

As the video game industry has firmly established itself as an art form as well as entertainment, certain games and content have led to legal issues in several countries. These court cases usually fall under freedom of speech and expression. The author has studied three of the five top video game producing and purchasing markets in the world--the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea--to explore how each country regulates this industry These three countries explicitly guarantee their citizens the freedoms of speech and expression, but, due to cultural differences and historical interpretations of those rights, the policies concerned with gaming have been handled differently by each country. The argument of the author is that historic interpretations of freedom of speech in legal cases can inform how video games and content controversy will be decided by the constitutional courts in these three countries. Japan and the Republic of Korea, for example, have historically interpreted freedom of speech rights in a way that benefits the citizenry as a whole, marking them as more collective. The United States has historically interpreted freedom of speech and expression in a way that benefits individual citizens, marking it as individualistic. These cultural aspects of how legal decisions are reached has affected the relatively new technology of video games

Twelve weeks of dance exergaming in overweight and obese adolescent girls:Transfer effects on physical activity,screen time,and self-efficacy

Background: Given the low levels of physical activity(PA) among adolescent girls in the US, there is a need to identify tools to motivate increased PA. Although there is limited evidence that adolescents transfer PA from one context to another, exergames(i.e., video games that require gross motor activity) may act as a gateway to promote overall PA outside game play. The purpose of this study was to examine potential transfer effects(i.e., influences on external behaviors and psychological constructs) of a 12-week exergaming intervention on adolescent girls' PA, screen time,and self-efficacy toward PA, as well as the intrinsic motivation of exergaming.Methods: Participants were 37 girls aged 14–18 years(65% African American, 35% white) who were overweight or obese(body mass index ≥ 85 th percentile) and were recruited from the community via school, physicians, news media, and social media websites. Adolescents were randomly assigned to a 12-week group exergaming intervention(thirty-six 60 min sessions of group-based dance exergaming in a research laboratory using Kinect for Xbox360(Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA)) or to a no-treatment control group. Outcome variables included objectively measured PA(total) and self-reported leisure-time PA(discretionary time only) 1 week before vs. 1 week after the intervention; selected type and intensity of PA when placed in a gym setting for 30 min("cardio free choice"); screen time; self-efficacy toward PA; and intrinsic motivation toward exergaming.Results: Attendance at the exergaming sessions was high(80%). Compared with the control group, the intervention group self-reported an increase in PA(p = 0.035) and fewer hours watching television or videos(p = 0.01) after the intervention, but there were no significant differences in sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous PA measured by accelerometry. The intervention group significantly improved self-efficacy toward PA(p = 0.028). The intervention group highly rated intrinsic motivation toward exergaming.Conclusion: Exergaming for 12 weeks was associated with positive impacts on adolescent girls' self-reported PA, television viewing, self-efficacy,and intrinsic motivation. Future research is warranted to leverage exergames as an enjoyable, motivating, and effective PA tool.

Impact of exergaming on young children's school day energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels

Background: Although emerging research is demonstrating the potential health impact of exergaming,investigations have primarily been conducted in laboratory settings among small samples with short-term interventions.Information on the effectiveness of exergaming in underserved children's objective physical activity(PA) in population-based settings is also scarce.Moreover,most empirical studies have only included 1 type of exergame in the intervention.Therefore,this study's purpose was to investigate the long-term impact of a multigame exergaming intervention among underserved children integrated within school curricula.Specifically,this study examined the effect of exergaming on children's accelerometer-determined sedentary behavior(SB),light PA,moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA),and energy expenditure(EE) over 2 years as compared with regular physical education(PE) classes.Methods: A total of 261 second-and third-grade children(134 girls,127 boys; mean age 8.27 years) were recruited from 2 Texas elementary schools.Children's pre-test 3-day SB,light PA,MVPA,and EE at school were assessed in the fall of 2012.Participants were assigned to 1 of 2groups:(1) exergaming/PE group(125 min weekly of exergaming-based PA program) and (2) comparison group(125 min weekly of PE).PA(SB,light PA,and MVPA) and EE outcome variables were assessed again in 2013(post-test) and 2014(follow-up).Results: Significant time effects were observed for SB(F(1,162)=25.0,p<0.01,η~2= 0.14),light PA(F(1,162)=9.6,p<0.01,η~2= 0.06),and MVPA(F(1,162)=6.2,p=0.01,η~2= 0.04) but not for EE(F(1,162)=0.63,p>0.05,η~2= 0.004).Subsequent pairwise comparisons revealed significant increases from pre-to post-test for light PA(p<0.01),MVPA(p<0.01),and EE(p=0.02) with no changes in SB(p>0.05).Conversely,significant decreases occurred in light PA(p<0.01) from post-test to follow-up with no differences seen in MVPA(p=0.08) and EE(p=0.06) over the same time period.A significant increase was seen,however,for SB from post-test to follow-up.Conclusion: Exergaming PE can have the same positive effect on children's light PA,MVPA,and EE as regular PE.More research is necessary to discern how to promote long-term PA participation after conclusion of the intervention.

Impact of Virtual RealityTraining on Real-World Hockey Skill: An Intervention Trial

Training specificity is imperative for successful performance of the elite athlete.Virtual reality(VR)has been successfully applied to a broad range of training domains.However,to date there is little research investigating the use of VR for sport training.The purpose of this study was to address the question of whether virtual reality(VR)training can improve real world hockey shooting performance.Twenty four volunteers were recruited and randomly selected to complete the virtual training intervention or enter a control group with no training.Four primary types of data were collected:(1)participant’s experience with video games and hockey,(2)participant’s motivation toward video game use,(3)participant’s technical performance on real-world hockey,and(4)participant’s technical performance in virtual hockey.One-way multivariate analysis of variance(ANOVA)indicated that the intervention group demonstrated significantly more real-world hockey accuracy(F(1,24)=15.43,p<0.01,E.S.=0.56)while shooting on goal than their control group counterparts(intervention M accuracy=54.17%,SD=12.38,control M accuracy=46.76%,SD=13.45).One-way multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA)repeated measures indicated significantly higher outcome scores on real-world accuracy(35.42%versus 54.17%;ES=1.52)and velocity(51.10 mph versus 65.50 mph;ES=0.86)of hockey shooting on goal.This research supports the idea that virtual training is an effective tool for increasing real-world hockey skill.

A Prospective, Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Treatment Versus Traditional Balance Treatment in Patients with Stroke

Recovery from stroke needs different time and speed in every case depending on the brain capacity of neural plasticity. Based on neurophysiological researches high repetition of practice is required to induce neuroplastic changes and functional recovery of motor deficits. However, data from earlier studies shows that stroke patients generally perform a very limited number of movement repetitions in traditional therapy sessions. Virtual Reality therapy was found to be beneficial in improving trunk, hand, upper and lower extremity functions. However, reviews found no definitive conclusions regarding balance. The present study focuses on evaluating the efficacy of Nintendo WiiTM on balance and gait functions of stroke patients. Twenty one hemiparetic stroke patients were randomly assigned to either control or therapy groups. Effectiveness was evaluated by Fugl-Meyer balance subtest, Functional Ambulation Categories （FAC）, Romberg （R）, sharpened Romberg （SR）, one-legged stance （OLS）, six-meter walking test （6MWT） and timed up and go test （TUG）. The analysis revealed a significant effect of training with Nintendo Wii M for FAC z = 0.0267, FMBS z = 0.0046, OLST2 z = 0.0068 and OLS1 z = 0.0067 （affected side）. The control group demonstrated improvement in R （z = 0.0474） and SR （z = 0.0411）. In both groups improvement was detected in functional mobility and 6MWT （control group z = 0.0069, Wii groupz = 0.0123）. No significant differences were found between groups. Findings of the current study support that balance treatment with Nintendo WiiTM is similarly effective method to improve static balance and functional mobility when compared with conventional therapy.