If you are in my case, a father with young children who are already very addicted to video games, you have probably already heard the voice of mother pronouncing sweet words like “it will drive you crazy to spend hours in front of your screens”. If we can indeed observe physical effects, whether we are young or not, after a full day of geeking our rear end, laying in a sofa, a bed or a gaming chair, with numb limbs, or on the contrary a high degree of existence due to the fact that we did not spend the day (visible especially on our toddlers), nothing demonstrates the effects of games on our mental health. It was without counting on this English study published on July 27 et relayed on the Guardian website.
40.000 people studied
Unlike the vast majority of previous studies on the effect of video games on well-being, the Oxford University team that carried out the study were able to follow actual gameplay, rather than relying on estimates and self-reported feelings of players. Seven game publishers agreed to share tracking data from nearly 40 gamers, all of whom previously agreed to participate in the study.
The scale of the study provided strong evidence of no effect on well-being, said Andy Przybylski, one of the researchers. During the six weeks of observations, there was no evidence that an increase or decrease did not affect well-being. There's even some evidence that this isn't true in a fair number of cases, points out Andy Przybylski, one of the researchers.
" What is important, says Przybylski, it's the mindset people have as they approach the games." Players were asked to report their experiences on such things as 'autonomy', 'competence' and 'motivation' to determine if they gambled for healthy reasons, such as having fun or socializing with others. friends, or more concerning, such as a compulsion to satisfy goals set by gambling. These "healthy reasons" were often associated with positive well-being for gamers, according to the study. While players who felt "forced" to play (to complete objectives, for example) were ultimately less satisfied with their gaming experience.
However, the study has some limitations: that of playing time to begin with. There can be an effect if a player plays more than 10h per session (!) An already colossal figure which represents only a very small sample of the population of players. “The results of the study cannot cover all video games, said Przybylski,and the games studied (Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Apex Legends, Eve Online, Forza Horizon 4, Gran Turismo Sport, Outriders, and The Crew 2) only represent a broad but not total cross-section of the middle. » Games that have not been chosen at random.
Video games banned in some countries
"This is a very basic study: we don't even get into what people do when they play games, we don't create experience, and yet even without this data, countries pass ordinances, in the case of Japan, or laws in the case of China, that prohibit or restrict gambling. It is, if we take the explanations at face value, to improve the mental health of young people. There is no evidence that it is effective. » concludes the researcher.
