How a dire shortage of video game consoles helped prove that gaming boosts mental health

[avatar! | 1,945]

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2024-08-19/how-a-dire-shortage-of-video-game-consoles-helped-prove-that-gaming-boosts-mental-health

“People usually say that video games are harmful and you should decrease the time your children are playing,” he said. “As a father, I’ve been wondering whether it’s true.” And as a researcher, he said, he felt “a kind of responsibility” to examine the evidence.

Not long before, the World Health Organization stirred up controversy by adding a condition called gaming disorder to the International Classification of Diseases. The ailment describes people who are so consumed by video games that they're unable to control their playing behavior — even when it puts their health, their relationships with family and friends, and their livelihoods in jeopardy. The WHO's action reinforced longstanding views that video games are dangerous. Yet market researchers estimate that more than 3 billion people around the world play video games, a figure that's been growing steadily for years.

Between 2020 and 2022, nearly 100,000 people completed Egami's survey, including 8,192 who took part in a video game lottery. More than a third of the lottery participants were considered "hardcore gamers" who played for at least 90 minutes each day. In addition to game-playing habits, the survey gauged people's psychological well-being and distress. It also asked about a host of socioeconomic factors, including age, sex, job and family structure.

After crunching all the numbers, the researchers found that purchasing either a Nintendo Switch or a Sony PlayStation 5 through a lottery led to measurable reductions in the recipient’s psychological distress, and that possessing and playing with either device improved the owner’s mental health.

Egami agreed that some of the mental health benefits his team documented were likely due to the unique circumstances of the pandemic. But he doesn't think they've disappeared altogether now that regular life has resumed. “I hope this will bring peace to the general public that enjoys video games,” Egami said.

Well, playing games is good for your health, but you already knew that

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01948-y

[Daniel_Doyce | 493]

The real takeaway from this is how much specious social science is churned out nowadays and passed off as real science. This economist didn't prove anything in a rigorous manner, he just did undergrad-level statistical analysis on self-reported survey info, which is so notoriously unreliable that no scientist ever takes it seriously without other supporting data.

Not surprised the WHO and Nature magazine are involved, as they have completely beclowned themselves multiple times over the last 10 years.

[FireHazard51 | 2,105]

Not shocked that people given a source of entertainment report back that they feel better.  I bet the same could be said if they were given good books to read for enjoyment and they like reading.  Give a console to someone who doesn't like gaming isn't going to improve their life.  

"Study finds a couple of hours of doing something enjoying improves your mental health."    Also like any hobby, there are extremes that can become unhealthy.  That is a pretty broad statement but I think it make a good point.  Just because there are some who can't enjoy something in a reason/healthy manner doesn't mean the world is on fire and it needs to be banned.  I know some will like to view video games like porn in that those people think both should be banned because they are "bad"/"wrong".  Just ignore them and let them be until they force their opinion on you by trying to change the laws limiting your ability to enjoy your hobby/source of entertainment.

[GPX | 1,415]

Agreed with the responses. The research showed “doing something fun boosts your mental health”. Which is a shock to literally no one. What would have been more interesting is the number of hours of game time and how it relates to mental health. 

Imagine playing 24 hours a day of video games. That would mean no eating/toileting/social life. I don’t think that’s going to improve mental health..

Wait, that would also mean you’d be dead in a few more days!

 

Edited August 27 by GPX