ABSTRACT
A growing number of people are enthusiastic regarding the potential of video games for positive impact. Great claims are made, yet they aren’t all always supported by great evidence. We do have some leads indicating that certain games can support cognitive skills, healthy behavior, or prosocial behavior. Educators and health practitioners are also exploring how video games can be used, even commercial ones. However, more research is needed to understand better what the benefits of playing video games can be, which games more specifically and in what context. This chapter proposes an overview of the body of research exploring the positive impact of video games, such as on cognitive skills, for education, for health, and for social impact.
