- Son Kleinman
- Technology Editor – BBC
Apex Legends was among the games studied
A study of 39,000 video game players found that the time they spent playing had “almost no effect” on their health and well-being.
The study found that the average player had to play 10 hours more than usual per day to notice any difference. Play was likely to have a significant impact on their mental health.
Well-being was measured by asking about life satisfaction and levels of emotion and feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger and frustration.
These findings contrast with a 2020 study by the same department at the Oxford Internet Institute – but with a much smaller group of gamers – and the 2020 study indicated that those who played longer were happier.
Professor Andrew Przybylski, who worked on both studies, said: ‘Common sense says that if you have more time to play video games, you are likely to be a happier person.
“But contrary to what we might think about games being good or bad for us, we found [في هذه الدراسة الأخيرة] “Conclusive evidence that how much you play has absolutely no effect on changes in your levels of well-being and health.”
“If players play because they want to, not because they feel they have to, or they have to, they tend to feel better and are better off,” Przybylski explained.
This time around, tech companies including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo provided six weeks of data – with players’ consent – who played the following games: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Apex Legends, Eve Online, Forza Horizon 4, Gran Turismo Sport, The Crew 2.
During that time (the research period), only one player withdrew from the study – which was published in the Royal Society Open Science Journal.
Psychological health
In China, children are only allowed to play for one hour a day, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
But many players around the world say their playing helps improve their mental health.
Mike Daley, creator of Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, said the benefits were varied.
“I’m not sure it’s something that can be measured by a single ‘well-being’ state,” he added.
“As in everything in life, it is a balancing act.”
“Spending 24 hours a day playing games, it’s not good – just like spending 24 hours a day eating or exercising, it’s not good either.”