Despite a negative reputation cultivated by both the media and by psychological research, a number of studies highlighting the positive effects - and uses of - video games has accumulated over the years. Since the lockdowns imposed worldwide, more attention has been given to such benefits.
In the US in particular, gaming is linked to violence and gun crime in the media due to statements made by politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike. Following the Parkland school shooting, Donald Trump blamed gaming for the bouts of gun violence (Ducharme, 2018), and Barack Obama requested that Congress allocate $10 million for research into the effects of violent media such as video games when it was revealed that a school shooter played shooter games (LeJacq, 2013).
As well as links to violence, research has focused on addiction, depression, and withdrawal. Avid players are pathologized; the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), used to diagnose mental disorders, aims to include Internet Gaming Disorder in future (Parekh, 2018). More bizarrely, psychologist Philip Zimbardo (renowned for the Stanford Prison Experiment) argues that masculinity is being destroyed by addictions to video games and pornography (Sexual Identity Crisis in Young Men, 2015).
Though not without value, this research eclipses the findings of studies that suggest the contrary. In their review article, Granic, Lobel, and Engels (2013) argue that video games offer various psychological benefits by drawing on more positive findings. For example, not only has there been research to suggest that shooter games such as Call of Duty do not increase aggression and may in some cases actually encourage prosocial behaviour (Ewoldsen et al., 2012; Tear & Nielsen, 2013), they may offer neural benefits (such as improved spatial skills) comparable to the effects of some university-level education courses (Uttal et al., 2013).
The review includes more unexpected findings. In 2008, a game called “Foldit was created by researchers at the University of Washington and made publicly accessible. A three-week-long competition had players model the genetic makeup of proteins; the collective work of the highest-scoring players allowed the researchers to find a solution of the crystal structure for an AIDS-related virus previously unsolved for over 10 years (Cooper et al., 2010). Gamification has also been employed in medical interventions to help patients cope with treatments by teaching new thought patterns and behaviours. An example is “Re:Mission”, a hugely successful game for child cancer patients created for this purpose (Kato et al., 2008).
What’s more, the authors discuss how games help players develop resilience and emotional regulation, capacities that are crucial for mental health and success. Games reward continuous effort through direct and immediate feedback (for example, a loot chest or a dead end) and accomplishment is balanced with frustration. Together these encourage persistence in the face of challenging circumstances — which is correlated with better academic performance (Dweck, 2005) — and provide an arena for gamers to practice managing setbacks.
Though these findings have not received the attention that they deserve, the future of gaming’s reputation may be more hopeful. The activity has recently enjoyed a new-found respect from the general public for helping people to cope during the widespread isolation caused by the pandemic. Such is the case of Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing”, which blew up due to its extremely fortunately-timed release just before the first lockdown in the UK. In lieu of being able to engage fully with the world and other people, many have turned to video games to meet these psychological needs. Recent groundbreaking work used data from players of Animal Crossing to demonstrate that time spent gaming is positively associated with wellbeing (Przybylski, Johannes, & Vuorre, 2020).
Society may retain some of the health-related insights and habits learned from the pandemic; let’s hope that the vindication of the effects of gaming is one of them. Gaming has much to offer in the way of psychological interventions, and on the whole should be normalized as a legitimate way for individuals to enjoy their downtime.
