The Impact of Video Games on the Cognitive Abilitiesof Children and Adolescents in Colombia

Abstract

 Several studies suggest that, indirectly, there is a positive relationship between cognitive abilities and economic development. One of the factors that can have an impact on cognitive abilities are is the hobby of video games. The relationship between cognitive abilities and video games has been explored by psychologists without reaching a consensus. This paper seeks to contribute to the existing discussion from a different perspective, using an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model. I use an urban sample of 1903 children and adolescents taken in 2016 from the Colombian Longitudinal Survey (ELCA) of Universidad de los Andes. Although, at first, the data show a possible relationship, the results suggest that there is no a causal effect.