A study involving college students revealed that the overall time spent playing video games is generally not linked with anxiety or stress, regardless of the video game genre. The sole exception was life simulation games, where students who dedicated more time to these games exhibited somewhat higher levels of anxiety. The paper was published in Psychological Reports.
Video games are interactive digital entertainment experiences that allow players to engage in a variety of virtual worlds and challenges using electronic devices. They can be played on various platforms, including consoles, computers, and mobile devices. Video games encompass a wide range of genres, including action, adventure, role-playing, simulation, sports, and strategy, each offering different types of gameplay and experiences. Some games also blend elements from multiple genres, creating unique and diverse gaming experiences.
Video gaming is one of the most popular modes of entertainment, particularly among college students. Playing video games is a lot of fun, but many researchers link excessive gaming with mental health issues. Notably, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an increase in gaming time coincided with heightened distress and mental health symptoms. However, scientific evidence remains sparse regarding the relationship between specific video game genres and mental health.
Study authors Ishan N. Vengurlekar and Koushik R. Thudi sought to examine the correlation between the time spent playing video games across specific genres—such as shooters, action, RPGs, sports, miscellaneous, strategy, adventure, racing, platformers, and life simulation—and anxiety and stress symptoms among college students.
The study involved 311 students from a public university in the Southeastern United States, who participated in exchange for course credit. Of these, 169 were male, with an average age range of 19 to 20 years. Most participants were in their freshman or sophomore year.
Participants underwent assessments for video game enjoyment (using an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory), anxiety (the General Anxiety Disorder Screener), and stress (the Perceived Stress Scale). They also provided details on their interest in specific video game genres, the amount of time they spent playing each genre, and their most frequently played games.
Results showed that 30% of the students most frequently played shooter games. Those who enjoyed strategy games reported slightly lower stress levels, while participants who spent more time on life simulation games showed somewhat higher levels of anxiety and stress.
Other than this, the time spent playing specific game genres and the level of enjoyment experienced while playing such games were not associated with either anxiety or stress.
“Our results demonstrated no evidence of moderation, and findings overall indicated both time spent playing video games and video game enjoyment have a minimal influence on college student anxiety and stress. Though our results seem to suggest video gaming has little strength in predicting anxiety and stress, our results do not nullify the work from other researchers. Gaming is a widely popular pastime for college students, but little is known about its influence on mental health,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the relationship between video game preferences and mental health. However, it also has limitations that need to be taken into account. The study participants were solely college students, predominantly freshmen and sophomores. The results may not apply to other age groups and demographics.
The paper, “College Student Video Gaming: Risk or Resilience for Mental Health?,” was authored by Ishan N. Vengurlekar and Koushik R. Thudi.