By Amber Roman
Aug 25, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT
In recent years, the widespread use of video games has sparked growing debate about their potential impact on mental health. Concerns have increased in response to the inclusion of gaming-related disorders in the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), promoted by the World Health Organization. This move has intensified the stigma surrounding video games and led to widespread skepticism about their potentially negative effects.
Despite the proliferation of correlational research suggesting a relationship between excessive video game use and mental health problems, many experimental studies have been questioned for their methodological limitations. Lack of robust causal data and problems with external validity have been major obstacles in the analysis of these effects. To overcome these barriers, a recent study has implemented an innovative approach by using video game console lotteries as a natural experiment to investigate the relationship between video game use and mental well-being in a real-world setting.
This study was conducted in Japan and covered a research period from December 2020 to March 2022, with a sample of 97,602 adults aged 10 to 69 years. Participants answered surveys assessing their participation in a console lottery, video game ownership, gaming preferences, life satisfaction, mental health, and sociodemographic characteristics. Of these respondents, 8,192 participated in the lottery.
The analysis focused on two popular consoles: the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 5 (PS5). Participants provided information on ownership of these consoles and time spent playing games in the 30 days prior to the survey. To assess the impact on mental well-being, tools such as the Kessler Screening Scale (K6), which measures psychological distress, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), were used.
The study employed advanced statistical methods, including multivariate regressions, propensity score matching (PSM), and instrumental variables (IV). These approaches helped estimate the causal effects of winning a video game lottery on mental health. In addition, machine learning-based generalized random forest (GRF) algorithms were used to examine how sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, and occupation moderated the relationship between video game use and psychological well-being.
Among the most notable findings, Nintendo Switch use was associated with an improvement in psychological symptoms of 0.8 standard deviations (SD), while the impact of the PS5 was significantly smaller, with an improvement of only 0.2 SD. The benefits of the Nintendo Switch were observable in both genders, while the positive effects of the PS5 were more marked in men and in people living in households without children or in full-time jobs. PS5 use was also associated with an increase in time playing video games, but not in time spent playing on smartphones.
The study found that despite the potential mental health benefits of video games, prolonged gaming (more than three hours) could mitigate these positive effects. Sociodemographic characteristics also influenced the results; for example, the impact of Nintendo Switch use was more significant in non-gamers and those in specific family situations.
The analysis concluded that while there is a positive correlation between video game use and life satisfaction, the effects vary depending on the type of console and the context of the game. The research, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests that the psychological benefits of video games may be influenced by context, underscoring the need for further studies in a post-pandemic environment to fully understand these effects.
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