Exposure to misogyny, feelings of loneliness and obsessive behaviour are among some of the ways video games can affect mental wellbeing, a study suggests.
However, gaming can also lead to positive effects on the mind by relieving stress and improving memory, according to researchers.
Experts at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) have outlined 13 ways in which playing video games might influence a person’s mental health to help “cut through the noise”.
It is hoped the findings, published in the journal Technology, Mind and Behaviour, will help to answer questions related to the harms or benefits of gaming more directly.
Researchers said literature on gaming and mental health “is rich with associations, proposed effects, and verbal theory” but “poorer” when it comes to providing a well-defined framework to allow for robust testing.
Senior author Professor Andrew Przybylski of the OII, added: “There’s no single answer to how gaming affects mental health.
“But our framework helps cut through the noise.
“By focusing on cause and effect, we hope this work encourages better theory development, and ultimately better digital wellbeing for players.”
To develop the framework, academics firstly “mapped out a wide spectrum of potential mental health impacts,” according to Dr Nick Ballou, a postdoctoral researcher at the OII, part of the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Division.
“Second, we explored how these depend on not just the game itself, but on the individual and context,” he added.
“Finally, we reframed these effects in explicitly causal terms – something the field has been sorely lacking.”
The 13 proposed impacts, both positive and negative, are:
– Relieving stress, although researchers warned this could lead to emotional dysregulation when overly relied upon.
– Gaming can satisfy players’ needs for “autonomy, belonging and mastery, but can also trigger feelings of coercion, failure and loneliness”.
– Multiplayer gaming can bolster bonds with friends, although playing online with strangers can expose players to toxic environments and suppress social ties.
– Gaming can help develop a healthy passion, although an obsessive passion could have negative impacts.
– The storylines in some games can create a sense of “nostalgia”, generating a sense of “meaning, appreciation and vitality”, experts suggest.
– Exercise games can lead to a short-term boost in mood and energy.
– Gaming could offer time and space for players to experiment with different identities.
– Fast-paced games could improve executive function, working memory and attention control.
– Games that support the likes of cognitive behavioural therapy can increase a player’s motivation to engage with treatment.
– Excessive gaming can lead to players neglecting work, sleep, exercise or relationships, leading to feelings of loneliness, guilt and fatigue.
– In-game purchases have been linked to overspending and gambling-like behaviours.
– Obsessive gaming can interfere with daily life and increase feelings of anxiety.
– Exposure to sexualised content may lead to low body satisfaction in women and increased misogynistic attitudes, especially among men.
Researchers added that changing literature on gaming and mental health “will be difficult but necessary to address long-standing questions about digital play”.
“Parents are looking for actionable guidance about how to manage children’s play and players themselves seek ways to monitor and regulate their own play behaviour,” they added.
