Cutting Class to Play Video Games

Abstract

New leisure activities derived from developments in ICT technologies will tend to displace other activities. Video games, in particular, have become an increasingly popularity pastime that can crowd out other activities. I exploit week-to-week variation in video game popularity to identify variation in video game playing time likely due to changes in game quality rather than to individuals selecting into gaming. I find that when video game sales increase, ATUS student respondents spend more time playing games, and less time attending class. Differential effects for college students and those with lower incomes indicate that these groups are more prone to absenteeism due to playing video games.

Keywords: Video Games, Time Use, Education

JEL Classification: J22, J24, L96