[Legitscience] – A recent study shows that playing video games does not appear to have any significant impact on well-being. Video games have a terrible record for encouraging passive conduct and potentially encouraging violent acts. Despite this, playing video games is a common way for many people to interact socially and learn teamwork.
Given these two viewpoints, it has been difficult to come to a consensus. That is, on whether playing video games harms or helps one’s well-being.
Both arguments may be false, and video games may not at all have an impact on well-being. This is according to a study published in the Royal Society Open Science.
Playing video games is a highly common past time, particularly among teenage lads. Because of their widespread use, they have the potential to negatively impact individuals in significant ways.
Concerns include violent inclinations, addictive traits, and declining physical and mental health.
Socialization, teamwork, and attention to detail are further possible advantages. Past research on the connection between video games and well-being has been inconsistent and insufficient to provide specific recommendations.
This study aims to address the shortcomings of earlier studies by evaluating video game players’ well-being using a naturalistic sample.
The sample of the study [ playing video games ]
Matti Vuorre and colleagues used data from 38,935 players from seven game publishers throughout three waves of data collection for their study.
English-speaking players in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States were the targets of email recruitment campaigns.
After completing an online survey, participants were contacted again around two weeks later to complete a second wave.
The median age of the participants was 34 years old, and 77% of them were men. Researchers gathered information regarding games for all participants for the two weeks prior, including the length of each session.
Participants answered questions about their motivational experiences and general well-being.
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The study’s findings
The findings indicated that playing video games did not significantly affect the participants’ moods. Life satisfaction did not significantly change when play time varied.
According to the analyses conducted for this study, video games generally have very little effect on people’s well-being and little to no effect on people’s propensity to play video games.
“Our findings show that the most pronounced hopes and anxieties regarding video games may be unjustified: time spent playing video games had little to no impact on well-being.”
“This was true throughout six weeks, seven games, and 38,935 users. The amount of time spent playing showed little to no relationship to well-being,” according to the study’s authors.
The study examined motivation experienced when playing video games, and the findings revealed that while extrinsic motivation is negatively correlated with well-being, intrinsic motivation is favorably correlated.
“It is crucial for policymakers, medical experts, and game producers to understand whether playing video games affects players’ mental and physical health. Using objectively logged game-play behavior, we presented proof of the causal effects of play on well-being.”
According to the researchers’ findings, “the effect of playing video games on happiness is probably too modest to be both subjectively detectable and credibly distinct from zero.”
Limitations of the study
This study made strides in resolving the shortcomings of earlier research on playing video games. Despite this, there are still some drawbacks to be aware of.
Millions of gamers were not evaluated because this study was only able to recruit individuals from 7 distinct games, which hinders generalization.
The primary variable used to analyze video game playing behavior was duration of play, but it has a wide range. Future studies might concentrate on variables with higher complexity.
It is crucial to cast a larger and more comprehensive empirical and theoretical net moving forward and to concentrate on the characteristics of play experiences, in-game events, and people for whom effects may differ.
Until then, restricting or encouraging play based solely on time seems to yield neither gain nor damage, according to the study.
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