Digital Media and Youth: Games, Internet, and Development

Distinctions between hardware and software are getting blurred as youth are able to use a range of hardware tools to access a variety of functions such as searching for information and entertainment, playing games, and importantly, interacting and communicating with each other. For instance, interactive games can be played on a variety of platforms, including consoles (such as the Nintendo Wii or the Xbox), stand-alone computers, handheld devices such as the PS2 or cell phones, and the Internet. Similarly, online applications such as email and instant messaging can be accessed on a desktop, laptop, or smart phone. As the lines between hardware and content are getting blurred, it is more meaningful to focus on the various digital applications rather than the particular hardware that supports them (Subrahmanyam & Smahel, 2010). Our goal here is to examine young people's informal, out of school use of these technologies and their implications for development. Accordingly, we focus here broadly on interactive games and the Internet, regardless of the particular platforms that may be used to access them