Experts: The time spent playing video games during the pandemic has increased only slightly

Time spent playing computer games increased only slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic and had no positive or negative association with mental health, according to an extensive meta-analysis conducted by scientists from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

"During the first period of lockdown, the idea was to encourage people to physically distance themselves from others. This wasn't easy, as it limited one of the basic human needs – direct social contact, which is crucial for mental health. Computer games began to be perceived as a potential substitute for everyday, positive experiences related to entertainment, relaxation, and stress reduction," Dr. Łukasz Kaczmarek, professor at Adam Mickiewicz University, told PAP.

"At the same time, concerns began to emerge about whether this gaming "cure" would have negative consequences. If people actually started playing more, which is still often associated with various problems such as addiction, depression, and aggression, would we do more harm than good?" he added.

To determine the reality and determine whether gaming activity actually increased during lockdowns and whether the amount of time spent gaming was linked to mental well-being, Professor Kaczmarek and his colleagues decided to analyze all available scientific studies on the topic. They considered 17 publications that considered gaming time (with approximately 18,000 participants) and 22 publications on mental health (with approximately 19,000 participants).

The results surprised the researchers. They found that although gaming activity increased, the change was statistically small (d = 0.26). "This type of change is considered difficult to notice in everyday life without detailed analysis. To illustrate, if we were to translate this value into the body weight of men, which in Poland is approximately 80 kg, it would be an increase of about 3.5 kg, something that is noticeable but definitely not noticeable," the researcher emphasized.

The second aspect examined, the impact of gaming time on mental health, was completely statistically insignificant. "From a population perspective, the assumption that gaming can significantly improve or worsen well-being during lockdown was not confirmed. Although there were isolated studies indicating benefits or increased risk from gaming, overall we observed no association. Among people who felt less satisfied with life during the pandemic, there were both those who played a lot and those who played very little. Conversely, among people who felt very well during lockdown, there were also avid gamers and non-gamers," explained Professor Kaczmarek.

"This result is also very interesting, as there have been numerous studies in which gamers expressed the belief that gaming significantly supported their mental health during the pandemic. Perhaps these effects are subjectively overestimated or perceived too one-sidedly, or perhaps even wishful thinking. They are certainly not noticeable at the population level," he added.

The study examined several positive indicators of psychological well-being (e.g., happiness, positive emotions, relaxation) and several negative indicators (e.g., symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness). None of these indicators were associated with the number of hours spent gaming. The effects were similar regardless of age, gender, region of the world, or study quality.

In Professor Kaczmarek's opinion, this is a very important observation because it shows that the impact of gaming on human well-being and mental health can be unjustifiably demonized or glorified.

"There are probably other issues that are more important for protecting the mental health of our society than simply encouraging people to play more or less. In particular, as our analysis also shows, this concerns the amount of time spent playing, the role of which is overestimated. This doesn't mean that gaming has no impact on well-being and mental health. However, most research indicates that what matters most is not how much we play, but the quality of our gaming experience and how motivated we are to play," he emphasized. "Is it an engaging and enriching experience or intellectual junk food?" he added.

As he explained, it's about, among other things, what type of games we like to play, what our way of playing is, what drives us and what we feel while playing.

"If a given game satisfies the need for autonomy, competence, and contact with others, and doesn't involve hate, violence, or excessive competition, we can say with great probability that even a temporary increase in time spent playing it won't result in negative consequences. It will simply be a form of entertainment and an effective way to satisfy typical human needs," the researcher explained.

He also noted that his team's results are important in the context of future social crises. He emphasized that the pandemic has demonstrated how quickly people's lifestyles can change and the importance of finding scientifically proven ways to maintain mental health in conditions of limited contact with others.

"No one expected the coronavirus or the lockdowns. We cannot rule out that other events will occur in the future that will force us to make similar changes in our daily lives. Therefore, it is important to know which activities and which aspects of them actually impact mental health in this context, and which, as it turns out, do not play a significant role," he concluded.

The publication with the research results of the Adam Mickiewicz University team was published in the journal "Humanities and Social Sciences Communications", published by "Nature Portfolio".

Katarzyna Czechowicz (PAP)

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