People who play video games for long periods of time tend to feel happier than those who don’t.
- A gamer’s subjective experiences while gaming can be a bigger determinant of well-being than just playing time.
- Gamers who genuinely enjoy games experience more positive well-being.
This is a discovery that amazed researchers at the University of Oxford. “I am surprised with the results”, reacted Professor Andrew Przybylski, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute and lead author of the study, to the BBC. The results were prepublished on November 13 in the journal PsyArXiv.
The more aficionados play the happier they are
In this study, the researchers did not ask gamers about the time spent on the console, but they used industry data on actual game time. Two games were dissected: Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. “Previous research has primarily relied on self-report surveys to investigate the relationship between gambling and well-beingdevelops Professor Andrew Przybylski. Without objective data from game companies, those who offer advice to parents or decision-makers have done so without the benefit of a solid database..”
The skills and social bond experiences of these video games contribute to the well-being of users. The researcher suggested that one reason for the discrepancy could be that both of these games have social features, in which players interact with characters controlled by other humans. On the other hand, players who genuinely enjoy the games experience more positive well-being. “Our results show that video games are not necessarily bad for your health; there are other psychological factors that have a significant effect on a person’s well-beingcontinues the researcher. In fact, gaming can be an activity that positively relates to people’s mental health – and regulating video games could deprive gamers of these benefits..”
Helping health decision makers
The study explored the association between objective play time and well-being, examining the link between directly measured behavior and subjective mental health. The researchers also explored the roles of player experiences, in particular how feelings of autonomy, connectedness, competence, enjoyment and pressure to play related to well-being. “By working with Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America, we were able to combine academic and industrial expertisedescribes Andrew Przybylski. With access to data on people’s gambling time, for the first time we were able to study the relationship between actual gambling behavior and subjective well-being, allowing us to provide a model for the development of high-quality evidence to support health decision-makers.”
A total of 3,274 gamers, all over the age of 18, responded to a survey designed by the researchers to measure well-being, self-reported gambling, and motivational experiences while gambling. were combined with objective behavioral data from survey participants, collected by video game companies.
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