Deproblematizing Video Gaming As A Tool For College Student Transitions: What Student Affairs Professionals Need To Know

Video games have been a highly controversial topic throughout their lifespan, with some viewing them as beneficial and others as detrimental. During their transition to college, students may engage in video gaming in healthy or unhealthy ways. The authors examine this college transition through the lens of Schlossberg’s (2008) transition theory to analyze current literature and inform recommendations for higher education student affairs (HESA) professionals. HESA professionals must understand how to support students’ holistic development, particularly those struggling with the transition to college. This literature review explores how collegiate video gaming informs the efforts of student-facing HESA professionals to engage and support students through anticipated and unanticipated transitions in higher education. Applying Schlossberg’s four S’s framework—situation, support, self, and strategies—the authors synthesize research on the role of video gaming in college adjustment, emotion regulation, and social connection. This review reveals that video gaming can serve as both a constructive coping mechanism and a potential source of difficulty, depending on context and usage patterns. The authors challenge the prevailing deficit-based perspective on collegiate gaming and advocate for a strength-based approach that recognizes gaming as a legitimate tool for student development. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided for HESA scholar-practitioners.