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According to a new study, video games may be providing more than just entertainment—they could also be giving gamers a mental health boost.
Researchers at the Boston University College of Communication found gaming can serve as an effective method of stress management and emotional regulation—and that may be why people game in the first place.
The study, published in Frontiers in Communication, explores individual motivations for gaming and how they relate to emotional outcomes. Researchers surveyed just under 350 undergraduate and graduate students, asking questions about their gaming habits, reasons for playing video games, and emotional states before, during, and after gaming.
They found that 64% of respondents used video games as a method of coping with stress. Almost 52% of respondents reported playing single-player games to cope, while around 57% reported playing multiplayer games. Turn-based strategy games, first-person shooter games, and role-playing games were the most popular. The study included games played on computers, on consoles like Xbox or PlayStation, and on handheld devices like smartphones.
“Video games are no longer a niche interest of children and teenagers, but an integral part of the media diet of many adults,” says researcher Tiernan Cahill, a PhD candidate in COM’s emerging media studies division.
“This study is significant because it is one of the first to look at the effect that video games have on well-being, not just in terms of the content of games, but also in terms of how that content interacts with the individual psychological needs of players—which is ultimately a much more potent way of understanding how games can affect us on an emotional level.”
The researchers saw a positive association between individuals who report immersive tendencies—or a predilection to become absorbed with a mediated experience like a video game—and using gaming to regulate emotions. Additionally, respondents who reported playing video games for a game’s story, for social interaction, and for escapism were more likely to experience an increase in positive feelings after gaming. Those playing for a sense of autonomy and an ability to explore within a game experienced the greatest reduction in negative feelings post-gaming.
The results aren’t surprising to Cahill.
The study grew out of Cahill’s previous research into video games during the COVID-19 pandemic, when calming games like Animal Crossing saw a massive surge in players. That study showed video games were being used as a common form of stress relief, he says. But he suspected that video games had effects beyond just entertainment, or taking the edge off a bad day.
He says video games are a perfect medium for building coping and resilience skills. Video games, he explains, fall into the category of “ergodic literature,” which is literature that requires labor in order to engage with it. Unlike watching a show on Netflix, for example, playing a game requires constant effort to progress. That perseverance aspect is critical.
“People will often describe using their in-game experience as a metaphor for their [real-world] experiences,” Cahill says. For example, defeating a challenge in-game might require several attempts and different strategies before a victory. Not only is that victory emotionally satisfying, but it also creates a sense of empowerment and competence gamers can carry into real life.
“They might say, ‘This boss defeated me five times in a row, but the sixth time I got him,’” Cahill says. “That’s a lesson you can internalize: maybe you failed five job interviews, but the sixth one might go well. That, I think, is pointing toward not just what we would call [emotional] recovery, but also emotional resilience coming out of certain types of games.”
He conducted the latest study with James Cummings, a COM associate professor of emerging media studies, and former classmate Erin Wertz, now a researcher at the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Ultimately, the study says, emotional outcomes depend on what someone hopes to get out of gaming in the first place. The spectrum of games on the market gives boundless opportunities: a simulation game like FarmVille is going to scratch a very different itch than a shooter game like Call of Duty or a fantasy role-playing game like The Witcher. But even the same game can deliver wildly unique experiences based on how someone plays it: the mega popular Fortnite, for example, is beloved just as much for its fast-paced action as it is for its social interactions.
“I think that the big takeaway is to really try and push back on treating video games as a monolith in terms of their psychological effects,” Cahill says. “There are going to be some play experiences that are incredibly emotionally complex, rewarding, and stimulating, and there are others that are actually going to be detrimental [to someone’s well-being].”
Researchers, policymakers, and parents should all keep that in mind, he says. “If you’re concerned about some of the negative psychological consequences, or if you’re interested in some of the positive psychological effects, you need to dive deep into the nuances of particular play experiences. It’s much more important to look at how people are playing, rather than just saying, ‘This person plays video games, and therefore I’m going to draw a broad psychological conclusion from that.’ You need to ask, ‘What are they playing, and why?’”
Source: Boston University