Study Finds Gaming Improves Mental Well-Being
Are video games bad for us? Different studies have found different results. And now a study from Japan has found that just owning a video game console may actually be good for us — and playing one is even better.
Researchers looked at survey data from more than 8,000 people aged between 10 and 69 who had taken part in a console lottery during the coronavirus pandemic.
During this time, there was a shortage of video game consoles, and shops in Japan used lotteries to decide who could buy one — particularly the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 5.
In the survey, people were asked about their gaming habits and their levels of life satisfaction and psychological distress.
About 2,300 survey takers were successful in the lottery, and were able to buy a Switch or a PlayStation 5.
The researchers found that people who owned these consoles during the pandemic had lower levels of psychological distress. And people who had played on their consoles during the survey month had even lower levels of distress — particularly if they had played the Switch.
Having and playing a PlayStation 5 was also found to increase feelings of life satisfaction.
Mental health improvements were strongest among people who played less than three hours a day.
However, there were some differences between the two consoles.
The effect of owning a PlayStation 5 was strongest among males, people who were not full-time employees, and in households without children. PlayStation 5 ownership also had a stronger effect on hardcore gamers, while Switch ownership had a greater effect on non-gamers.
The researchers noted that the Switch is often played in-person with family or friends by casual gamers, while the PlayStation 5 is aimed more at hardcore gamers who play in a room alone.
Overall, however, the researchers wrote that, in spite of past research to the contrary, they found that the positive effects of gaming outweigh the negatives.
