A recent Japanese study made a groundbreaking revelation that challenges the notion that video games are generally bad for people's mental health.
The results of the study come as video games are typically blamed for many of society's problems, particularly those related to mental health. The research was published open-access in the Nature Human Behaviour journal.
Video Games and Mental Health
It offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between gaming and people's mental well-being. The study found that there were surprising results that favor Nintendo's popular Switch handheld console.
The study is titled "Causal effect of video gaming on mental well-being in Japan 2020-2022." It took advantage of the situation that was created by the coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in shortages of consoles.
The researchers examined the outcomes of console lotteries and drew fascinating conclusions regarding the impact of gaming on mental health. However, there are other things about the study that raised eyebrows among readers, according to Fandom Wire.
The latest findings are now turning preconceived notions of gaming's effect on the minds of youth. Many experts and parents have been concerned about the possible negative effects video games have on children.
The research notes that the Nintendo Switch actually showed relatively positive effects on the mental health conditions of kids. Lead author Hiroyuki Egami went on to talk about the study in a little bit more detail.
He said that as parents, they were all acutely aware of the widespread concerns regarding the effect video games have on children. Hiroyuki said that many parents were guilty about their kids' gaming habits and what negative effects they could have, Psypost said.
Positive Psychological Benefits
The lead author explained that the researchers then took an evidence-based approach to study the impacts of video games on the youth. They conducted five rounds of online surveys and collected data from more than 97,000 individuals aged 10 to 69 across Japan.
The main outcomes of interest that the researchers got were psychological distress and life satisfaction. They used various tools to get an idea of each participant's mental health and overall satisfaction with their lives.
The study also found that people who used the Nintendo Switch improved their psychological symptoms by 0.8 standard deviations (SD). All of the team's findings suggested that video gaming generally improves mental health.
However, it is important to note that gaming for more than three hours will reduce the positive psychological benefits. Various factors, such as gender and age, also impact the effects of gaming on an individual, according to News Medical.
