A study performed by professors and researchers at the University of Oxford has found that playing video games is unlikely to affect the well-being of the player, either positively or negatively. This finding comes after China announced a three-hour-per-week limit to online video gaming for its younger citizens out of concern for their health, but also after Animal Crossing: New Horizons made headlines for being the perfect antidote to the fear and anxiety of the pandemic.
The study examined 39,000 gamers aged 18 or over, across seven games: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Eve Online, Apex Legends, Forza Horizon 4, Gran Turismo Sport, and The Crew 2. The researchers also worked with seven "leading video game companies" — Nintendo of America, EA, CCP Games, Microsoft, Sony, Square Enix, and Ubisoft, the developers of the aforementioned games.
By working with the companies, the researchers were able to track actual play habits, rather than self-reported ones. The games chosen were not randomly picked, but instead a selection of games by the publishers that "are up for open science,” as one of the researchers told The Guardian.
Players were asked to fill out surveys on their moods over the past two weeks, as well as their time playing the games in question. Although the study involved thousands of gamers, and the results indicated that games led to no meaningful effect on mood, the researchers considered the outcome as a small step in the right direction for future policies around video games.
"We know we need much more player data from many more platforms to develop the kind of deeper understanding required to inform policy and shape advice to parents and medical professionals," said Professor Andrew K. Przybylski, a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, who has done similar research into the overall effect of media on well-being, including music, TV, books, and movies, with similar results.
Professor Przybylski also called for greater transparency from video game companies: "If we want to truly understand how games influence human health we have to collect data from the thousands of games played every day. Conclusive answers to the questions of how games influence our society will require all of the major console, computer, and mobile platforms to empower their users to effortlessly and ethically donate their play data for independent analysis."
"One thing is certain – right now there is not enough data and evidence for policymakers and regulators to be developing laws and rules to restrict gameplay among certain groups in a population."
- Dr Matti Vuore, Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute
Some of the researchers involved with the study also performed a study in 2020 regarding Animal Crossing: New Horizons' effect on well-being, which found that it could have a positive impact. "“Our findings show video games aren’t necessarily bad for your health," said Professor Przybylski in 2020. "In fact, play can be an activity that relates positively to people’s mental health – and regulating video games could withhold those benefits from players." The study also hypothesised that people whose psychological needs weren't being met in the real world were more likely to report a negative outcome from play.
What's the takeaway from all these studies? Firstly, that this study — and any study — "barely scratch[es] the surface of video game play more broadly", and although the findings may be accurate, they're an incomplete image. Secondly, that policymakers need to make decisions based on evidence, not gut feelings about video games.
And thirdly, that we should not rely on video games to improve our mood, nor blame them for unhappiness — although there may be cases in which a game experience can affect the way we feel, games are just one part of a tapestry of things throughout a day. They're not a magical panacea, and they're not the devil, either.
"Going forward, it is essential to cast a wider and deeper empirical and theoretical net and focus on the qualities of play experiences, in-game events, and players for whom effects may vary. Until then, limiting or promoting play based on time alone appears to bear neither benefit nor harm."
- "Time spent playing video games is unlikely to impact well-being", by Matti Vuorre, Niklas Johannes, Kristoffer Magnusson, and Andrew K. Przybylski
[source royalsocietypublishing.org, via oii.ox.ac.uk]
Comments 40
Why are half of the games here exclusively realistic racing games? Surely you could've thrown in an RPG, or platformer or.....something other than just three very similar playing games?
Ranting aside, it really just comes down to moderation: as long as you take the time to go for a walk, hang out with your friends or do anything in the outside world, you'll (hopefully) stay sane. I, for my part, have been walking a 20-25 minute walk from my house to the local town every day I can for the past few years and it's been wonderful for having a safe place to vent out day-to-day frustrations, keeping me calm and collected for the rest of the day afterwards. It's all about finding what relaxes you outside of playing games so then when you do play them, it feels much better because of it
As I've gotten older I can definitely say that my overall tastes in games have shifted increasingly to slower-paced, more relaxing genres like turn-based RPGs and Strategy. High-stress games like FPSes or platformers I typically take in small doses as I suffer from severe anxiety issues; I still am able to enjoy them to a degree but have to acknowledge my limitations. And I've learned to step away when a game starts getting to me in terms of frustration; at that point it's no longer entertaining but a chore anyway. I do believe that there are times to simply avoid high-stress games, especially if you're currently having high stress or depression in the real world. Nowadays that can mean a permanent change in your playing habits, but being able to objectively decide that is of course up to each individual.
I suffered from a nervous breakdown last year after a dreadful time. I can tell you that playing Zelda Breath of the Wild helped me a great deal especially with anxiety. Nintendo games have always made me feel happy, they have done since I was a kid when I first played Super Mario bros and Duckhunt back in the early 90’s
Very interesting results. I find that gaming allows me to feel immersed/engaged more than other art forms, and for this reason I nearly always have positive feelings when I play. And games can encompass so many moods (relaxing, pulse-pounding, simple/easy, challenging) so I wonder if future studies could encompass more genres.
The main anxieties I feel around gaming are primarily personal ones - namely "am I enjoying my time with this game or would I rather do something else?" To be fair, I feel that way about other mediums (books, movies/TV, etc.) but because games often require a hefty time commitment, I sometimes fixate on that question a bit more.
Greetings 👋🏼, playing video games makes me feel better, so yeah 😁 not planning to stop anytime soon... And yes it is beneficial for me as I am not a heavy gamer, peace ✌🏼❤️
I've got a full time job and still put 30-40 hours a week into gaming and it has no way made my mood worse, probably the opposite and having my partner also be into games makes it better.
People do comment on the amount of time I put into games but I'd rather not be like them and watch tv 7 hours a night watching love Island, x-factor or the soaps etc, watching TV just doesn't interest me and that would actually make me feel worse.
Atleast with gaming it's more meaningful and feel like you achieve something when playing.
If you’re hoping to make any art- music, painting, sculpture, literature, dance, film, or even video games- you would hope it makes your audience feel something. I’ve played video games that have depressed me, I’ve played video games that have cheered me up. I even had one 7 hour session with Arkham City that made me want to jump out my car and fight a random gang of teenagers on the street that we’re all wearing Orange anoraks (I resisted the urge).
Because if this stuff didn’t feed our emotions, why would we bother?
Knowing (anecdotally) the kind of proportion (spoiler alert: it's high) of local women who don't play video games, aged 30-60, but are on anti-depressants, I can't believe anyone gets sucked into these suggestions that video games are bad news.
Some people just can't cope with life, simple as.
Personnely I try to pick games with a lighthearted and fun atmosphere. Video games are food for my soul. When I wake up in the morning from a happy dream, that feel and atmosphere stick with me for a while and I am positive, optimistic and feel light. I feel a similar effect when playing video games.
Varies from person to person, genre to genre, as well as time spent playing versus time spent being productive.
When I was younger, I would play every chance I got where I wasn't beholden to chores, studies or work. But the older I've gotten, the less enjoyment I derive from gaming. I'm still totally down for a weekend long binge of 8-10 hour sessions a day, but those are few and far between, and I've actively restricted gaming time during the work week.
Not because the games are making things worse, but because gaming, despite being a hobby, can be a taxing activity, and after 9-10 hours of work, sometimes the last thing you want to do is engage in another activity that requires as much brain power as your day job.
Like everything in life, moderation is key. A game can do wonders for your mental health. It can also cause you to spiral out of control.
That is the dumbest AHA WE GOT YOU ALL moment i've ever seen considering all they used we're racing games meaning the people who made the study probably thought games that aren't realistic are exclusively for children kind of like the DREDGES of society who are CONVINCED and BELIEVE animated movies are FOR CHILDREN wich is factually wrong there made for EVERYONE like most Nintendo games
For me, it depends on the game and my mood before I start playing.
I've found that some games mellow me out (Animal Crossing, 2D Sonic, any variation of Tetris), while others either leave me feeling empowered (Pokémon online competitive), or stressed out in a different way (Pokémon Unite, Rocket League).
The effects games have on me vary depending on the day, and the game. But I cannot deny that games do indeed impact my mood.
Ok, Now I'm going to need a study to tell me how to feel about these news.
Mmm okay then.
Sounds about right. Unless I'm doing something really exciting, I'm usually just in a mild dissociative state while gaming.
For many, gaming is the only escape from the harsh reality of the real world. Myself included. I consider that a benefit and mood improvement if your able to forget how much life just plain sucks.
Anyone notice that the list are mostly PC games barely touched Switch games. I think there some bias going here with the research and how much diversity of the games they included. Those PC games are chest thumping male games not very much of gender diversity in gaming. This tells you they clearly missed the ball if they are trying to get a handle of lifestyle game play.
I know any one person's personal experiences are just anecdotal, but at least for me, I can agree with what they're seeing. I struggle with disorder-level anxiety, depression, and mood instability and video games do very little to lessen that hell. When I go into a meltdown and become extremely overwhelmed, picking up a controller is the last thing I think about. At those times, I lack the capacity to focus on anything other than my all encompassing emotions. Even when I'm not freaking out, I'm oftentimes too uneasy to focus on any game for more than a few minutes at a time. RPGs have basically become unplayable for me. But again, I'm just one case and I can clearly see that games help lots of folks even in just our comments sections. As the authors noted, we need more data to make any broader generalizations.
@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Hope you're doing well, Biscuit. Take it easy, as far as you're able.
And stay away from Dark Souls.
1. I don't need scientists to tell me how video games affect my mood.
2. with the exception of Animal Crossing. It looks like the rest of the games they tried are fast paced games that can just as easily piss you off as calm you down. If they are going to test something like this they need to choose different kinda games
People that don’t play games are generally more successful and contented, in the same way that people that don’t drink, smoke or eat junk are. Most of us aren’t that hyper-focused and would find life boring that way though.
The problems come for certain people that spend too much time playing at the expense of real world commitments. Games can make you anxious, bad in social settings and obese if you use them to escape real life - and therefore more miserable.
If it is neither good nor bad isn't it bad?
I mean - you could be doing something that was good instead, so, by choosing to do something that does nothing for your aren't you behind?
Regardless, it seems like the methodology could be improved, different game selection and focus, but its interesting as a start.
It's good to see studies published showing no meaningful effect. Too often studies are desperate to find some kind of significant p-value and scour for some kind of meaningful result from the collected data. That said, I agree with other commentators that the study could be improved by including a greater variety of game genres.
liked the "report" done by Razbutan on youtube where he tourtur...er tested "the lady he lives with" in a variety of different games/genres. since she's not a gamer it was kind of an interesting take on what playing is like seen through a "noob".
@spottedleaf
Depends how many hours they put into it, and how negatively it affects their life - personally and professionally.
@CaptainCluck the same can be said for those who just watch Netflix and amazon prime non stop.
Atleast games are exercising their fingers 😂
Play the games in genre and with difficulty level you can play to make you happy.
Don't push yourself too hard by playing too hard to play games just for show off to public.
This study seems ok at first glance. But, as the article says, it is just one piece in a very large and complex puzzle. And there are better ways to measure the impact of video games on behavior. Spoiler: media is not even a large determinant of behavior, culture is.
I lost it as as soon as I saw the name Andrew K. All I can see is Andrew W.K. with a lab coat and clip board banging his head while he's cheering on whoever he's observing.
@Nancyboy You’re epic, thank you ❤️
Interesting article. The results roughly line up with my experience. However if I play for too long it would start to drift into the negative, as I start to feel a bit guilty for not putting my time into other important things. So for me it’s about getting the balance right.
Are they really trying to say that the media we consume has no impact on how we feel? If that were true why would anyone consume media to begin with?
A researcher's own bias will always affect the interpretation of any findings, so that may explain in part their conclusions. There's no such thing as a neutral observer.
Also, why wasn't Breath of the Wild not included, when it's practically the poster child of therapeutic video games?
@MrGawain Yeah but emotions can be good or bad or even mild. Plus not every game makes you excited or happy. Sometimes we play games and get frustrated, sometimes we get mad, sometimes the game isn't that good and we get bored. We can also be enjoying a game and then get really, really annoyed at some dumb quest in the middle of our play.
Good grief, I'd feel pretty indifferent too if all I played was Forza and Gran Turismo and EVE Online! Could they have tried any harder to compile a list of the most emotionally unengaging games possible? Get some REAL games like Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey or Hollow Knight in there, or shut up about what effect games have on people.
@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed I feel like I might have had a breakdown if it wasn't for BotW. Probably my favourite hobby is/was hiking, and I couldn't get outdoors post-lockdown due to injuries.
I didn't realise it for a while, but exploring Hyrule in BotW helped me massively. Depending how my injuries go, maybe I'll find myself playing more open-world games. I used to avoid them, considering them a timesink when I saw the number of hours people put into them.
News news day, I see. News!
@AlexHarford I hope you are feeling a lot better now. I hope you have people to talk to, because that’s so important.
Mine came on from years of bottling up emotions and working around toxic people in a work environment, surprisingly I worked in care and supporting adults with autism, we was kind of left to our own devices at the start of the pandemic, it was extremely hard and my dad had a stroke last year after having open heart surgery which was meant to save his life, at some point in recovery he had the stroke which has left him permanently disabled, a combination of all that and again working with toxic staff just came to a boiling point, it got that bad that all I could think about was ending it all.
At first I couldn’t enjoy anything that I used to love and enjoy, it was as if something In me had died, and gradually, slowly over weeks and months I stared to enjoy things again. I’m still not 100% and the result of all that has caused other problems with me emotionally but I know exploring Hyrule helped, strangely enough I go Lynel hunting, monster camp searching. Also I love other games, Mario being another favourite.
I’m a lot better now, some days can be a struggle but I don’t ever want to feel like that again.
But I really hope you are feeling better
Hey @BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed - thanks for your reply. I'm lucky to have supportive people around me who I can talk to. I've had to deal with an especially toxic person myself recently, and it was such a relief to have friends, family and strangers who are kind, supportive and listen.
I think we'll all struggle some days, but we can always get through those days, and sometimes that struggle makes the best days even better. I'm sometimes slow at replying, but feel free to message me if you ever feel like it might help to chat to a random stranger!
@AlexHarford Thank you. People that are important do make such a big difference. And yes I’d love to keep in contact
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