Study: Video games are good for mental health



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The University of Oxford has done research from a different point of view.

Playing video games can be beneficial to mental health, says a group of Oxford University researchers in a study released Monday, based on Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing” and Electronic Arts “Plants vs Zombies” games.

“Contrary to widespread fears that too much time spent playing video games leads to addiction and reduced mental health, we found a small correlation between gaming and well-being,” say the study authors.

“Our findings support the idea that online games offer a satisfying alternative to face-to-face meetings at this exceptional time” of contact restriction due to the coronavirus pandemic, Matti Vuorre, one of the study’s authors, told AFP. .

Video games, especially online games, are often accused of affecting the psychological health of gamers, and previous studies have criticized the effect of excessively long sessions on very youngsters.

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.

Unlike previous player-led time self-assessment studies, the Oxford researchers used data from online connections provided by developers.

Working with EA and Nintendo, “for the first time, we were able to question the relationship between gameplay and well-being,” said another study author, Professor Andrew Przybylski, in a statement.

Therefore, people who spent an average of more than four hours a day playing “Animal Crossing” reported being happier.

Both this simulation game and the “Plants vs. Zombies” shooter have colorful, cartoon-like graphics, and neither is among the most controversial titles for its violence or incitement to spend money.

“Our results were remarkably similar for the two titles, which are not of the same genre,” explains Vuorre.

“Conducting additional studies will provide the opportunity to study a larger sample of genres,” he said.

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