Relating video game exposure, sensation seeking, aggression and socioeconomic factors to school performance

The time displacement hypothesis has been widely used to explain the effects of media use on academic performance. This approach has been criticised for its monocausality and weak explanatory power. Utilising a combination of different theoretical perspectives is better suited than utilising only one. Considering displacement, excitement, attraction and third variable hypothesis, this paper argues that the relation between video game use and school performance is not the same for all types of gamers by considering the influence of socioeconomic, psychological and contextual factors. It investigates how gaming patterns (frequency, time of day) and psychological characteristics (sensation seeking, aggression) are related to academic performance for primary and secondary school students. Five hundred and seven students from five primary and four secondary schools in Singapore participated in a paper-pencil survey. Results showed support for a combination of displacement and third variable hypothesis, as overall time spent on video games was negatively associated with primary school children's and active gamers' school performances. There was no significant relationship for secondary school children. For primary school children who play games in the morning and afternoon, video game use was negatively associated with school performance. There was no support for the attraction and excitement hypotheses.