The DOI matches its Crossref record; 48 of the 48 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
More Than Just Fun and Games: The Longitudinal Relationships Between Strategic Video Games, Self-Reported Problem Solving Skills, and Academic Grades
Abstract
Some researchers have proposed that video games possess good learning principles and may promote problem solving skills. Empirical research regarding this relationship, however, is limited. The goal of the presented study was to examine whether strategic video game play (i.e., role playing and strategy games) predicted self-reported problem solving skills among a sample of 1,492 adolescents (50.8 % female), over the four high school years. The results showed that more strategic video game play predicted higher self-reported problem solving skills over time than less strategic video game play. In addition, the results showed support for an indirect association between strategic video game play and academic grades, in that strategic video game play predicted higher self-reported problem solving skills, and, in turn, higher self-reported problem solving skills predicted higher academic grades. The novel findings that strategic video games promote self-reported problem solving skills and indirectly predict academic grades are important considering that millions of adolescents play video games every day.
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“Adachi and Willoughby (2013) found that Canadian secondary school students who regularly play strategy games actually have improved problem-solving skills -and thus, better academic performance.”
From Extracurricular Video Game Use and Academic Achievement: A Systematic Literature Review (2026) · cites this paper as Adachi and Willoughby (2013)
In the citing paper
“Adachi and Willoughby (2013) found that strategic video game play predicted higher self-reported problem-solving skills which predicted higher academic grades.”
From Extracurricular Video Game Use and Academic Achievement: A Systematic Literature Review (2026) · cites this paper as Adachi and Willoughby (2013)
In the citing paper
“Moderate and low video game use, on the other hand, was sometimes associated with positive academic outcomes (Adachi & Willoughby, 2013;Bowers & Berland, 2012).”
From Extracurricular Video Game Use and Academic Achievement: A Systematic Literature Review (2026) · cites this paper as Adachi & Willoughby, 2013
In the citing paper
“For example, one study found that strategic games were associated with enhanced problem-solving skills, which predicted greater academic performance [44].”
From Health Benefits of Video Games in Adolescents and Young Adults (2026) · cites this paper as [44]
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
The benefits of playing video games.
Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0034857 · Cited by 2,456
The ABC of Gender Equality in Education
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The power of play: The effects of Portal 2 and Lumosity on cognitive and noncognitive skills
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Metadata
- Authors
- Adachi, P. J. C., & Willoughby, T.
- Affiliations
- Brock University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Adachi, Paul J. C.
- ORCID
- Willoughby, Teena
- Venue
- Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Published
- 2013-01-24
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1041-1052
- ISSN
- 0047-2891 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6601
- OpenAlex
- W1987260235
- Cited by
- 328
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 5
- FWCI
- 44.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Youth and Adolescence (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- role-playing games, strategy games, problem-solving skills, student grades, adolescents, longitudinal development, self-reported skills
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adolescent, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Problem Solving, Sex Factors, Models, Statistical, Video Games, Self Report
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