Gaming

Don’t be too quick to pull the plug on video games


Many parents are probably worrying about how much time their children spend in front of video games now they’re stuck inside during the third lockdown – but it appears games are good for them. Well, so says a study from Oxford University. Researchers discovered that making progress with a game made the player feel good and that improved their mental wellbeing.

These feelings of enjoyment during play may be even more important than the actual amount of time spent sat in front of a video game. Lead author Professor Andrew Przybylski, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute, said: “Previous research relied on self-report surveys to study the relationship between play and wellbeing. Without objective data from games companies, those proposing advice to parents or policymakers have done so without the benefi t of a robust evidence base.”

Overall, Prof Przybylski believes video games do little harm.
“Our fi ndings show video games aren’t necessarily bad for your health; there are other psychological factors which have a signifi cant eff ect on a persons’ wellbeing,” he said.

“In fact, play can be an activity that relates positively to mental health – and regulating video games could withhold those benefi ts from players.”



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