The team evaluated the short-term (within two weeks) effects of video games on players’ mental health, based on the number of hours spent playing the game. The authors polled 38,935 English-speaking players from Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Great Britain and the United States in three waves.

Results

• In the survey, participants were asked to rate their mental health and compare it to the time they had spent playing games in the previous two weeks.
• At the same time, publishers of seven video games (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Apex Legends, Eve Online, Forza Horizon 4, Gran Turismo Sport, Outriders, and The Crew 2) provided researchers with anonymous data on the game’s effectiveness. survey participants with the consent of the players.
• The results of the analysis of the data received showed that the fears of many parents and politicians may still be unfounded: Time spent playing video games during the two weeks studied had a very limited effect on the well-being and mental well-being of the players.. In addition, subjective well-being did not practically affect the time spent playing games.
• Based on the survey, the authors created a model that shows that if the daily playing time is increased by one hour, the impact on players’ well-being would be too small to be subjectively noticeable.

The researchers point out that even assuming the negative effects accumulate over time (which they call unrealistic), players will see a significant difference after just four months of a similar gaming regimen. A noticeable effect on mental health can be achieved much more quickly, but only by adding at least 10 hours a day to the available playtime – a luxury few can access.

It is worth noting that scientists from Oxford are not the only ones researching this topic. Earlier, scientific journals used to show that games are related to players’ emotional state, cognitive abilities, reactions, coordination, etc. He was publishing again and again publications that showed his positive effect on him. Scientists from Australia and China have even found that games can increase gray matter volume and connections between neural networks in certain areas of the brain.