Oxford University finds gaming can improve mental health - Upcomer
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Oxford University Mental Health Gaming

Oxford University finds gaming can improve mental health

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Oxford University recently released a study suggesting that playing video games does have some benefits on a player’s mental health. The researchers, Niklas Johannes, Matti Vuorre, and Andrew K. Przybylski through the Oxford Internet Institute, partnered with Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America to obtain “actual play behavior” to acquire data rather than relying on players self-reporting.

Recommended Videos

The study found “a small positive relation between game play and well-being” after participants played either Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville or Animal Crossing: New Leaf. After an extended time playing either game, players were asked to take a survey about their experience. Participants in the study were asked about their well-being, motivations, and need satisfaction while playing. The researchers compared their responses to the amount of time the participants played.

Participants were asked how they felt about various statements on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) after playing either game. Statements included “I experienced a lot of freedom in Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville” and “I played Animal Crossing: New Leaf to escape”.

By asking questions in this manner, the researchers sought to improve how the field of psychology views video games and gaming as an activity. “This is about bringing games into the fold of psychology research that’s not a dumpster fire,” said Andrew Przybylski according to The Guardian. “This lets us explain and understand games as a leisure activity.”

Just four hours and you’re a happier person

The researchers set out to show that a study about video games can be done ethically and transparently in a way consistent with other high academic standards and to provide better evidence on the link between playing games and mental health. The study is also significant for the researchers because it “shows that if you play four hours a day of Animal Crossing, you’re a much happier human being, but that’s only interesting because all of the other research before this is done so badly.”

“You have really respected, important bodies, like the World Health Organization and the NHS, allocating attention and resources to something that there’s literally no good data on. And it’s shocking to me, the reputational risk that everyone’s taking, given the stakes,” says Przybylski. “For them to turn around and be like, ‘hey, this thing that 95% of teenagers do? Yeah, that’s addictive, no, we don’t have any data,’ that makes no sense.”

More Stories To Read
Author
Image of Ryan Hay
Ryan Hay
Ryan Hay is a writer and content creator currently living in New York. Video games, anime, and Magic: The Gathering have all been strong passions in his life and being able to share those passions with others is his motivation for writing. You can find him on Twitter where he complains about losing on MTG Arena a lot.