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A study that looked at players over the age of 18 of Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing” and EA’s “Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville” suggests that people who play more tend to report a greater “good.” -be. ”The findings contradict some of the reports that gambling damages mental health.
“Contrary to widespread fears that playing too long can cause addiction and harm mental health, we have found a small correlation between gaming and well-being,” say the authors.
“The results support the idea that the games on line they offer a satisfying alternative to face-to-face meetings in this exceptional time “of close contacts, due to the new coronavirus pandemic, Matti Vuorre, one of the authors of the study, tells AFP.
Video games, above all on line, are often accused of compromising the psychological health of players and previous studies have disapproved of the effect of long periods on young people.
Since 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified video game addiction as a psychological illness, “a decision criticized by many researchers,” according to Vuorre.
However, this was one of the first studies to use real-time game time data. The University of Oxford team linked psychological questionnaires to data provided by game makers, Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America, on the time the respondents spent playing the game. Previous studies were based only on times reported by players, with no possibility of verification.
In a statement, study author and professor Andrew Przybylski explained that by working with EA and Nintendo they were able, for the first time, to “question the relationship between play and well-being”. The author further states that “they need broader and deeper collaborations with the industry to study the impact of games on a larger and more diverse sample of players over time.”
People who played an average of more than four hours a day at “Animal Crossing” considered themselves happier.
This game and “Plants vs. Zombies” have colorful cartoon-like graphics, and none of them are related to violence or encourage spending money.
“Conducting additional studies will provide the opportunity to study a larger sample of genres,” he explained.
This new survey looked at just two games for all ages, so keep in mind that other game models may be less healthy. Furthermore, each player’s attitude towards the game can also affect their mental impact.
The researchers pointed out that the results are not a “carte blanche” for games.
“I am very confident that if the investigation continues, we will learn the things we consider toxic in games,” said Przybylski, quoted by the Guardian.
The research was funded by the Huo Family Foundation, a London-based foundation, and the Economic and Social Research Council, a public body funded by the UK government.
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