As gamers, you've almost certainly heard of video games being the cause of problems, usually in regards to mental health. There have been hundreds of studies throughout the years, claiming that playing violent video games leads to more mass shootings, or a lack of empathy towards others--something even parroted by the former United States president. This time, however, there's a more positive study going around. The University of Oxford has just completed its study on if video games impact mental health. According to that study, which oversaw 38,935 different gamers across English-speaking countries over the course of six weeks. gaming has "little effect" on a person's well-being. The games were a mix of a variety of different genres and violence levels, with the titles involved being Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Eve Online, Forza Horizon 4, Apex Legends, The Crew 2, and Gran Turismo: Sport.

Andrew Przybylski, a researcher involved in the study, claimed, "our study finds little to no evidence of connections between gameplay and well-being." The study itself made the determination that, "the impact of time spent playing video games on wellbeing is probably too small to be subjectively noticeable and not credibly different from zero." As is the case with most studies, though, there's plenty of room for error, or misrepresentation; while the results were in favor of video games not affecting gamers' mental health negatively, the team stated that the conclusions drawn from the study were "tenative", and that they'd, ideally, want to research a wider assortment of games, and over a longer course of time.

Source

 

[WG481]

While calling yourself an American might be a form of mental illness, I think those who appeal to forms of escapism, that videogames specialize in, are already somewhat discontent with life. Being a gamer could be a symptom.

I would say escapism in general is a symptom, but I definitely get where you’re coming from.

 

[LainaGabranth]

I don't, and I didn't accuse you of that. Chill.


You just love to try to pick fights, don't you? I said America is the country I have the most personal experience with, and you try to twist my words into egocentric nationalism. Believe me, I'd rather have more experience living in other countries, though I did briefly live in Germany when I was really young.

I actually just started not reading the guy's post, all he does is intentionally misrepresent and get mad when he doesn't get replied to LMAO

 

[tabzer]

I would say escapism in general is a symptom, but I definitely get where you’re coming from.

Good point.

I acknowledged that in my first reply to you in this thread. Again, itching for a pointless fight even though we're in agreement.

"Other nations have video games, without our issues to go along with them."

I actually just started not reading the guy's post, all he does is intentionally misrepresent and get mad when he doesn't get replied to LMAO

I don't get mad when I don't get a response. I just assume that what I've said was at least accurate enough to not warrant a rebuttal.

 

[Delerious]

The worst gaming can do is either make you too lazy, or make your imagination run a little too wild, though I also don't doubt that gaming addiction is real for some people. You need look no further than people who have literally died sitting in their gaming chairs to realize that gaming addiction is a thing. Thankfully for the vast majority of us, we are able to discern between reality and fiction, but there are definitely too many gamers that become a little too complacent sitting in a chair all day and/or committing to moving very little. I'm guilty of it myself, which is why I'm overweight now and after way too long, am trying to overcome that hurdle.

 

[Xzi]

"Other nations have video games, without our issues to go along with them."

Correct, by which I mean they don't have guns practically coming out of vending machines, and they don't have mental health issues as widespread as ours. That doesn't mean I'm implying that they have no mental health issues at all. I'm sure there's a correlation to standard of living and the happiness index.

 

[The Catboy]

gamers have shit mental health by default, it can't get worse than it already is

Gamers be like, “*unhinged conspiracies laced with racism, transphobia, and white nationalist rants*”
People doing the study be like, “Oh, yeah, no, this can’t get any worse.”

 

[tabzer]

Correct, by which I mean they don't have guns practically coming out of vending machines, and they don't have mental health issues as widespread as ours. That doesn't mean I'm implying that they have no mental health issues at all. I'm sure there's a correlation to standard of living and the happiness index.

And what part of that is evidence that video games aren't a driver of mental health issues?

 

[Dr_Faustus]

I wanna know what videogame made people so violent back in the year 1619 and even centuries and centuries back then...
Tell me...

Its a pointless argument long past this point between the few rational and the mass irrational. The reality is its just easier to point the blame at something easy and offensive to older and out of touch folk then to accept the fact that mental illness is not something so easily defined or painted in a cause/effect scenario. We have always done this through time and tried to correlate mental illness with a physical attainable aspect that can be abolished, banned or hated because they themselves do not like it and chances are they can try to trace a connection to said person with said physical aspect.

They did the same shit with music, toys, board games, drugs & alcohol (lets not forget the prohibition was created out of the belief it would have lowered crime rates, stopped poverty and domestic abuse cases!) Movies, clothing, even so much as far as using race/sex as well in some more extreme cases (After all, you can't get corrupted by girls or people of colour if you go to an all male private catholic school right?!). It's all bullshit excuses to hide from the fact that the truth is mental health issues is not something easily avoidable or easy to find blame on. Its a hard thing to deal with and its harder to work your way through with, especially when people would rather spend time blaming and banning shit then sitting down with them and just trying to be there for them when they need it.

Or you can say society is to blame, which honestly speaking is not that far from the truth. More abstract but also just as realistic given that much of what I have said are problems rooted in the general mindset of society to paint and point out problems then actually understanding something and actually doing something about them in a meaningful way, as oppose to just let fear and ignorance take control.

 

[Xzi]

And what part of that is evidence that video games aren't a driver of mental health issues?

This study (and many others) is evidence enough of that, this was just a detour you took us on because you had to be pedantic.

 

[Taleweaver]

Hmm... To be fair, i see this news as a negative.

That is: blaming games isn't suddenly going away, as those pointing fingers weren't doing research before this study either.

And on the other hand: why the fuck can't i improve my mental health with video games? I'm in a fucking burn-out here. I want to game myself or if it but this study here says i pretty much can't.

 

[Xzi]

Hmm... To be fair, i see this news as a negative.

That is: blaming games isn't suddenly going away, as those pointing fingers weren't doing research before this study either.

And on the other hand: why the fuck can't i improve my mental health with video games? I'm in a fucking burn-out here. I want to game myself or if it but this study here says i pretty much can't.

To the extent that gaming can be used to vent stress I do think it's beneficial for mental health in the long term. More so than any other hobby or de-stressing activity though? Probably not. Which is fine.

 

[tabzer]

This study (and many others) is evidence enough of that, this was just a detour you took us on because you had to be pedantic.

You posited that because other countries do not have the same external symptoms of mental illness as America, it can be concluded that video games are not a driver for mental illness. If that wasn't your intention, could you clarify why you brought up America?

 

[CeeDee]

We do? I’ve been gaming for 43 years now, and my mental health is perfectly fine. In fact, at this point in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

telling yourself everything's ok is one way to cope, at least

Gamers be like, “*unhinged conspiracies laced with racism, transphobia, and white nationalist rants*”
People doing the study be like, “Oh, yeah, no, this can’t get any worse.”

the gbatemp experience

 

[The Catboy]

telling yourself everything's ok is one way to cope, at least

the gbatemp experience

At least the people conducting the study would actually moderate, unlike Temp staff in the political section <:^)

 

[stanleyopar2000]

Boomers: That news can't stop me because it's fake!

DEH VIDGEAGAMES makin our chilldrun violeant *unintelligent rambling*

 

[HarveyHouston]

While I agree that video games themselves are not the sole reason for problems, they can still contribute depending on each person. I have played violent games, but I'm not violent because of those games. A person can play kiddie games all their life and still end up being a mass murderer. It's not the games; it's the kind of people who play them.

Now, that doesn't mean we should just let kids play whatever. Developing, impressionable minds ARE prone to game content teaching them something nefarious. However, adults should know better, so it shouldn't affect them unless they let it.

 

[SG854]

Needs more testing

 

[SG854]

Good point.



"Other nations have video games, without our issues to go along with them."



I don't get mad when I don't get a response. I just assume that what I've said was at least accurate enough to not warrant a rebuttal.

You are never correct and these are the facts laid out by the people of GBATEMP

 

[Maq47]

We do? I’ve been gaming for 43 years now, and my mental health is perfectly fine. In fact, at this point in my life, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

23 years here. Same boat.

 

[Maq47]

I'm guilty of it myself, which is why I'm overweight now and after way too long, am trying to overcome that hurdle.

Same, man. Same.