Video Games Research Framework
Guidance
Video Games Research Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This Framework is provided as a best-practice supporting tool for research into video games to help our understanding on how video games have impacted individuals, consumers, communities, industries and societies, and to support researchers to deliver shared research objectives. The video games industry in the UK and internationally is flourishing, with video games being an increasingly popular and important part of the UK’s economic, social and cultural landscape, and the sector is an important part of the UK’s creative industries. 60% of UK adults aged 16 and over, and 91% of children and young people between 3-15 years old, play video games.
This government recognises how video games have reached many aspects of our daily lives, including within the economy and in the development of new skills, technology, learning and education, and health. However, we recognise that we still do not fully understand the outcomes from these different interactions with games, and what implications these might have for our society and economy. We want to see additional research, supported by improved access to data, to enable this understanding.
What is the Framework for?
A research framework sets out a structure to support the delivery of research, including guidance and examples of good research practices. Researchers following a research framework should observe the guidance, principles and expectations set out in the framework.
The Video Games Research Framework provides best practice guidance for setting up and running high quality independent research on video games. It can be used by a range of different research disciplines, including for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, to better enable innovation in research on video games.
The overall objective of the Framework is to facilitate and promote high quality independent research on video games and emerging game-related technologies. This research will generate new and diverse evidence to support and inform players, the games industry, academics and the government about video games and the future development and growth of the video games sector.
One specific focus for government policymakers is to develop better evidence on whether there are potential positive, negative, or any or no impacts - at various levels of significance or influence on different individuals and groups - of different features within video games. This includes exploring the positive economic and social potential of games, whilst considering their importance with regards to online safety for children and adults, as set out in the Government response to the call for evidence on loot boxes in video games.
To achieve this overall objective, there are 3 chapters:
Core research priorities and topics - to set out and develop a shared understanding of priority research areas across different research interests and disciplines. This includes the fundamental question of how and why people interact with video games. We have identified shared priorities with Research Councils and their funding streams.
Research standards and methodologies - to promote and share best practice of methodologies, research standards and open science principles. This includes setting standards for ethical research, best practice approaches to research and using open research principles throughout the research lifecycle.
Data ethics, data privacy and data sharing - to highlight how ethical data capture and data sharing shall increase transparency in research, and follow open research principles to support best research practices. This includes demonstrating data ethics and data protections compliance and practices, and best practice data sharing standards for academics, players, and the video games industry.
