Introduction
For this bibliography, the topic that was chosen was that of the effects of video games on school achievement. A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar to identify relevant research articles. Because of the broadness of this topic, there is a wide body of literature showing both the positive and negative effects that video games can have on school achievement. Here three resources, which highlight both the potential positive and the potential negative effects, are described.

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Source 1
Annetta, Leonard A et al. “Investigating the Impact of Video Games on High School Students’ Engagement and Learning About Genetics.” Computers & Education, vol. 53, no. 1, 2009, pp. 74-85. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2008.12.020
Summary: In this article the authors focus on the impact that a teacher created videogame can have on learning genetics. The evaluated game was a Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application (MEGA) and covered the topics od pedigrees, mendelian inheritance, blood types, and DNA fingerprinting by using a crime scene based mystery scenario. It was used by sixy-six students with an additional sixty-four students acting as the control group. The authors found that, after implementation of the game, there was no difference in the scores of the two groups on the genetics unit. However, the students in the gaming group demonstrated a significantly higher level of engagement then the control group .

Critical Analysis: No specifics surrounding the demographic information of the participants was provided. It is stated that this information was reviewed and used to evenly distribute the participants between the control and experimental groups. However a statistical analysis of the marks, of the individuals in each group, to confirm that there was no initial bias would have greatly improved this study. Another question that this research raises is that engagement was measured subjectively using a previously published protocol for classroom interventions. While the framework is provided it is possible that there may be researcher bias in the evaluation of engagement .

Source 2
Chuang, Tsung-Yen. “Effect of Computer-Based Video Games on Children: An Experimental Study.” Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning, 2007. DIGITEL’07. The First IEEE International Workshop on, IEEE, 2007, pp. 114-118. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/DIGITEL.2007.24
Summary: Here, the authors investigated the effects of computer-based video games on cognitive learning among one hundred and eight third grade students in Taiwan. The students were split between a control group, who used text based learning, and an experimental group in which the same material was presented as a computer-based video game. It was found that, compared to the control group, students in the video game group had significant improvement in their problem-solving and fact recall skills. The video game group also preformed significantly better on multiple-choice questions and application questions. But there was only had a slight increase in performance for matching questions compared to control. However overall, use of the videogame led to significantly better test performance .

Critical Analysis: One potential limitation of this study is that it was conducted amongst students in Taiwan, therefore it is possible that it might only be applicable to students in this geographical area. As well, only one particular subject area was investigated. As such more research is necessary to see if this type of system can be applicable to a wide range of subjects. Furthermore, the total sample size was small. Therefore, it is possible that the results are not representative of the whole population. In conclusion a study with a larger sample size should be conducted to verify the validity of the results .

Source 3
Gentile, Douglas A et al. “The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance.” Journal of adolescence, vol. 27, no. 1, 2004, pp. 5-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.10.002
Summary: Here the effects of violent video games played at home on the school performance and behavior of children was evaluated. Six hundred and seven grades 8 and 9 students participated in the survey. The survey evaluated the student’s attitudes, habits, videogame knowledge and school performance. It was found that students who had a greater exposure to violent video games were more likely to display aggressive behavior. This behavior included flighting and increased levels of more hostile traits then individuals with less violent video game exposure. As well, there was a negative correlation between increased violent video game exposure and school performance which indicates that children’s exposure to these games should be limited .

Critical Analysis: One limitation of this study is that it was a correlative study. As such, it is possible that the observed phenomenon is the result of confounding factors and not due to increased violent video game exposure. While demographic information was taken, it is possible that students may not be reporting all valid information. In order to verify the findings of this study a new study, in which a group is exposed to violent video games and another group is not, should be conducted. Furthermore, the majority of the participants (87%) were Caucasian, therefore this could limit the applicability of this study to other demographics .

Conclusions
Based on the analysis of these three sources, it appears that the results are mixed in terms of the benefits of videogames on education. In general, it appears that when used correctly video games can increase engagement and may have cognitive benefits for students. However, violent video games should be avoided ,as this can lead to the development of behavioral problems and reduce school performance. Overall, when properly implemented video games can be a useful part of the classroom toolkit and can help to improve student performance.