AsianScientist (Nov. 19, 2013) – Don’t feel guilty for stuffing Sonic in the Santa sack – video games can be good for your children’s mental health.
In fact, according to the director of Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) Games Research and Interaction Design Lab, Dr. Daniel Johnson, playing video games as a family can help you build stronger relationships with your children.
Johnson and his gaming research group at the Young and Well Cooperative Research Center (CRC) combed through 200 papers and reports from around the world to find out when and how video games can have a positive effect on the well being of young players. They discovered that the types of video games a young person plays is less important for their well being than how they play video games – and who they play them with.
Their research challenges the belief that video games breed socially isolated, aggressive and lazy teenagers.
“Our research showed that playing video games can improve a young person’s mood, help them reduce their stress levels, and promote feelings of competence and autonomy,” said Johnson.
“Playing video games with others in particular increases a person’s brain activity, improves their social wellbeing and helps them feel more connected with others. If you’re trying to reach out to the teenager in your house, spending time with them playing a cooperative video game you both enjoy could be the bridge you’re looking for – and you’ll likely feel the same positive impacts on your well being, too,” he said.
Overall, the team’s research found that moderate (non-excessive) levels of playing are associated with positive emotions and improved mood, improved emotion regulation and emotional stability and the reduction of emotional disturbances. Playing video games can be a healthy means of relaxation, stress reduction and socializing, they found. Further, people who play video games in moderation have been shown to have significantly less depressed mood and higher self-esteem compared to those who don’t play or who play excessively, the study showed.
But Johnson cautioned that excessive or obsessive video game play and technology use was not good for mental health as it could lead to negative outcomes such as anxiety and insomnia.
“One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to ensure you and your child engage thoughtfully with what you are playing,” said Johnson. “Look for games that encourage creativity and cooperation and that are age appropriate.”
Johnson said his team’s future research will in part focus on what constitutes a healthy or moderate amount of play for people at different ages and how best to leverage the well being benefits of video games in a therapeutic setting.
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Source: Queensland University of Technology; Photo: RebeccaPollard/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
