Relationships between computer and video game play and creativity among upper elementary school students

Abstract

This study explored relationships between time spent playing video games in a typical week and general creativity, as measured by a common assessment. One hundred eighteen students in 4th and 5th grades answered questions about their video game play and completed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, Orlow, & Safter, 1990). While significant relationships were found between creativity and two variables (gender and grade), no significant relationship was found between time spent playing video games in a typical week and creativity, when controlling for gender and grade. Additional analyses examined relationships of creativity with skills used in video games and context in which the games were typically played and these also did not reveal significant relationships. This study provides initial evidence that video game play may not, in fact, influence children's general creativity levels.