Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Video Games Linked to Better Mental Health in Surprising Study

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

In a plot twist worthy of the most engaging video game, new research suggests that leveling up your gaming habits might just level up your mental health. The study turns the conventional wisdom about video games on its head, revealing that picking up a controller could be more than just a way to pass the time – it could be a power-up for your psychological well-being.

For years, parents, policymakers, and even some researchers have warned about the potential dangers of excessive gaming, from addiction to aggression. However, this new study, conducted in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides compelling evidence that moderate gaming might actually be a winning strategy for improving mental health.

“Our findings challenge common stereotypes about gaming being harmful or merely providing temporary euphoria,” says Hiroyuki Egami, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Nihon University, in a university release. “We’ve shown that gaming can improve mental health and life satisfaction across a broad spectrum of individuals.”

The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, analyzed survey responses from nearly 100,000 Japanese individuals between the ages of 10 and 69, collected between December 2020 and March 2022. Of these, about 8,200 had participated in console lotteries. The results were striking: lottery winners who obtained a new gaming console showed significant improvements in mental health compared to non-winners.

Perhaps most intriguingly, the study found that increased time spent gaming led to better mental health outcomes. However, the benefits began to taper off for those gaming more than three hours per day, suggesting moderation is key.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/video-games-mental-health/

Video Games Help Teens Cope With Academic Stress

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by PsyPost.

A recent study published in the journal Deviant Behavior has found a significant relationship between academic stress and increased video game use among adolescents. The research indicates that this connection is influenced by the adolescents’ confidence in their gaming abilities, suggesting that video games may serve as a coping mechanism for academic pressures.

The study, led by Yeungjeom Lee of the University of Texas at Dallas, aimed to examine how stress and gaming efficacy jointly affect video game overuse. The researchers utilized data from the Game User Panel administered by the Korea Creative Content Agency, which included a longitudinal sample of 801 adolescents from South Korea. The participants, ranging from 10 to 16 years old, provided data over five years, from 2014 to 2018.

The study focused on two types of stress: academic and peer-related. Academic stress encompassed concerns over grades, exams, and schoolwork, while peer stress involved difficulties in communication and bullying. The researchers measured excessive gaming using a 20-question survey assessing behaviors such as neglecting responsibilities and social life due to gaming. Gaming efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to succeed in video games, was also measured.

The findings indicated a strong link between academic stress and increased video game use. Adolescents experiencing higher levels of academic stress were more likely to engage in excessive gaming. This relationship, however, was not observed with peer-related stress, which did not show a significant connection to gaming behavior.

A crucial element that the researchers identified was the moderating effect of gaming efficacy. Gaming efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed at playing video games. The study found that adolescents with higher gaming efficacy were more likely to use video games as a coping mechanism in response to academic stress. This suggests that for those who feel competent and successful in the gaming environment, video games serve as an effective escape from the pressures and frustrations associated with their academic challenges.

The study highlights that video games provide a structured environment with clear goals and immediate rewards, which can be particularly appealing to adolescents who face ongoing academic pressures.

Source: PsyPost
https://www.psypost.org/video-games-help-teens-cope-with-academic-stress-study-suggests/

Massive Global Study Warns Gamers At Much Higher Risk Of Hearing Loss, Tinnitus

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Gamers are at risk of going deaf or developing tinnitus because of excessively loud sound levels on their gaming consoles, medics warn. Researchers say that sound levels coming from gaming consoles can spike to short bursts of 119 decibels, equivalent to the noise of a bulldozer or motorbike.

Frequently, these sound levels are close to, or exceed, safe limits, with the highest levels reaching around 89 decibels, similar to the noise of a vacuum cleaner, food blender, or people shouting. Prolonged exposure to anything over 85 decibels can lead to hearing loss or tinnitus.

This conclusion comes from an analysis of evidence involving 50,000 people worldwide. Experts from the World Health Organization and the Medical University of South Carolina are calling for increased public health efforts to make people aware of these risks.

Gamers often play for hours with high-intensity sound levels, potentially causing hearing damage among the world’s three billion gamers.

The team reviewed existing studies from nine countries across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Asia, and Australasia, involving a total of 53,833 people. Some games feature “impulse bursts” of sound lasting less than a second but reaching 119 decibels. Permissible exposure limits for sound are around 100 dB for children and 130–140 dB for adults.

“Although the data provided in this review are limited, they suggest that some gamers, particularly those who play frequently and at or above the average sound levels described by papers included in this review, probably exceed permissible sound exposure limits and are thus engaging in unsafe listening practices, which could put them at risk for developing permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus,” says Dr. Lauren Dillard from the Medical University of South Carolina’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in a media release.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/video-games-hearing/

Board Games Are Boosting Math Ability in Young Children

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by ScienceDaily.

Board games based on numbers, like Monopoly, Othello, and Chutes and Ladders, make young children better at math, according to a comprehensive review of research published on the topic over the last 23 years.

Board games are already known to enhance learning and development, including reading and literacy.

Now this new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Early Years, finds, for three to nine-year-olds, the format of number-based board games helps to improve counting, addition, and the ability to recognize if a number is higher or lower than another.

The researchers say children benefit from programs -- or interventions -- where they play board games a few times a week supervised by a teacher or another trained adult.

"Board games enhance mathematical abilities for young children," says lead author Dr. Jaime Balladares, from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in Santiago, Chile.

The findings are based on a review of 19 studies published from 2000 onwards involving children aged from three to nine years. All except one study focused on the relationship between board games and mathematical skills.

All children participating in the studies received special board game sessions, which took place on average twice a week for 20 minutes over one-and-a-half months. Teachers, therapists, or parents were among the adults who led these sessions.

Results showed that math skills improved significantly after the sessions among children for more than half (52%) of the tasks analyzed.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230707111629.htm

Many Adolescents Game a lot Without Negative Effects on Their Wellbeing

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

A new study published by University of Oxford researchers in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting shows that although many school-age adolescents are spending considerable time gaming, it is not having a negative impact on their well-being.

The OxWell Student Survey is one of the largest school surveys of adolescent health and well-being in England. More than 12,000 secondary school-aged students (12-18 years) took part in the latest survey in June-July 2021 and provided information on how much they game.

Almost one-third (31.2%) of students that answered questions on their gaming reported spending at least 3.5 hours each day playing games on any electronic device ('heavy' gamers), but a fifth (21.8%) reported not engaging in any gaming. The study identified different profiles of adolescents who game for longer periods of time based on their psychological well-being, how much time they spent playing games on different electronic devices, and how much control they have over their gaming behaviors.

They found that most of the 'heavy' gamers were experiencing no negative effects with regard to their well-being, and 44% of 'heavy' gamers reported higher well-being than those who play games less or do not play them at all.

The study highlights, however, that this was not the case for everybody. 1 in 12 adolescents who were 'heavy' gamers did report a loss of control over gaming and well-being issues. They were more likely to be female and report gaming on their mobile phones. They were also, however, more likely to report previous experiences of abuse or anxiety and aggressive behaviors, suggesting that those with traumatic experiences and mental health issues may turn to gaming as a coping mechanism.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-11-adolescents-game-lot-negative-effects.html

Playing Video Games Every Day May Boost Brain Development, Behavior in Children

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Playing video games may actually boost a child’s brainpower, according to new research. Researchers in Vermont say gaming leads to better impulse control and working memory, improving behavior and academic performance.

Lead author Dr. Bader Chaarani, a psychiatrist at the University of Vermont, describes the findings as “encouraging.”

“Many parents today are concerned about the effects of video games on their children’s health and development, and as these games continue to proliferate among young people, it is crucial that we better understand both the positive and negative impact that such games may have,” Chaarani says in a media release.

The team analyzed survey, cognitive, and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scan data from nearly 2,000 children between nine and 10 years old. Those who reported playing video games for three or more hours per day were faster and more accurate in memorizing information and controlling impulses.

They also showed higher activity in regions of grey matter associated with attention and memory than peers who never played. The participants also had more activity in frontal areas linked to cognitively demanding tasks and less in those related to vision. The patterns may stem from practicing tasks related to impulse control and memory while playing video games.

“While we cannot say whether playing video games regularly caused superior neurocognitive performance, it is an encouraging finding and one that we must continue to investigate in these children as they transition into adolescence and young adulthood,” says Dr. Chaarani.

The findings are published by JAMA Network Open.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/video-games-boost-brainpower/

Gaming Time Has Little Effect on Short-Term Mental Health

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

The short-term mental-health impact of playing video games "is probably too small" to be noticeable, according to a major study by the University of Oxford published recently.

"Our study finds little to no evidence of connections between gameplay and well-being," said Andrew K. Przybylski, a researcher at the university's Oxford Internet Institute.

The study surveyed 38,935 players from the English-speaking world, asking them to rate their mental well-being and comparing it with the amount of time they spent gaming in the previous two weeks.

"Many have warned about video games' possible addictive qualities and their potential harm to players' well-being, leading to far-reaching and widely contested health policy decisions," said the study published by the Royal Society.

In China, children are only allowed to game for one hour each day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

"Our results show that the impact of time spent playing video games on well-being is probably too small to be subjectively noticeable and not credibly different from zero," the study said.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-gaming-effect-short-term-mental-health.html

Video Game Players Show Enhanced Brain Activity, Decision-Making Skills

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by EurekAlert!

Frequent players of video games show superior sensorimotor decision-making skills and enhanced activity in key regions of the brain as compared to non-players, according to a recent study by Georgia State University researchers.

The authors, who used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) in the study, said the findings suggest that video games could be a useful tool for training in perceptual decision-making.

“Video games are played by the overwhelming majority of our youth more than three hours every week, but the beneficial effects on decision-making abilities and the brain are not exactly known,” said lead researcher Mukesh Dhamala, associate professor in Georgia State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and the university’s Neuroscience Institute.

“Our work provides some answers on that,” Dhamala said. “Video game playing can effectively be used for training — for example, decision-making efficiency training and therapeutic interventions — once the relevant brain networks are identified.”

The Georgia State research project involved 47 college-age participants, with 28 categorized as regular video game players and 19 as non-players.

The study found that video game players were faster and more accurate with their responses.

Analysis of the resulting brain scans found that the differences were correlated with enhanced activity in certain parts of the brain.

The study also notes there was no trade-off between speed and accuracy of response — the video game players were better on both measures.

The paper, “Video Game Players Have Improved Decision-Making Abilities and Enhanced Brain Activities,” was published in the journal Neuroimage: Reports.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958462

Video Games Can Boost Children's Intelligence

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have studied how the screen habits of U.S. children correlate with how their cognitive abilities develop over time. They found that the children who spent an above-average time playing video games increased their intelligence more than the average, while TV watching or social media had neither a positive nor a negative effect. The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

More than 9,000 boys and girls in the U.S. participated in the study. At the age of nine or ten, the children performed a battery of psychological tests to gauge their general cognitive abilities (intelligence). The children and their parents were also asked about how much time the children spent watching TV and videos, playing video games, and engaging with social media.

Just over 5,000 of the children were followed up after two years, at which point they were asked to repeat the psychological tests. This enabled the researchers to study how the children's performance on the tests varied from one testing session to the other and to control for individual differences in the first test. They also controlled for genetic differences that could affect intelligence and differences that could be related to the parents' educational background and income.

On average, the children spent 2.5 hours a day watching TV, half an hour on social media, and 1-hour playing video games. The results showed that those who played more games than the average increased their intelligence between the two measurements by approximately 2.5 IQ points more than the average. No significant effect was observed, positive or negative, on TV-watching or social media.

"We didn't examine the effects of screen behavior on physical activity, sleep, well-being, or school performance, so we can't say anything about that," says Torkel Klingberg, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. "But our results support the claim that screen time generally doesn't impair children's cognitive abilities and that playing video games can actually help boost intelligence. This is consistent with several experimental studies of video-game playing."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-video-games-boost-children-intelligence.html

Playing Video Games May Enhance Reading Skills

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Phys.org.

New research from the University of Saskatchewan suggests that playing video games could have a surprising benefit – improving reading skills. The data shows video games may contribute to improving one's peripheral attention skills that are essential for reading ability.

"Attention is an important part of successful reading," explained Shaylyn Kress, who led the study.

Kress' research team analyzed what types of video games were most popular, and assessed each one to determine the average number of objects placed peripherally—to the side, top, or bottom of the screen—versus in the middle that players had to react to.

A group of participants with varying levels of video game experience completed an attention-demanding reading task involving words flashing in one of eight possible locations on a screen. The words were a mix of well-known words that were easy to read on the spot, and fake words that required phonetics—or "sounding out"—to read.

The study determined that exposure to more peripheral demands in video games likely exercise visual attention systems in the brain that are required for quick and efficient reading.

"We observed that individuals with more exposure to peripherally-presented visual demands in video games—for example, a text notification or enemy appearing on the side of your screen, rather than the center of the screen—tended to have faster reading reaction times than individuals with less or no exposure to peripherally-presented visual demands," said Kress.

She notes that a surprising finding of the study was the relationship between reading times and peripherally-presented visual demands occurred during phonetic (sounding out) decoding of words as well as during lexical (sight reading) reading of words.

This means participants with more experience with peripheral visual demands from gaming may be able to read known words and sound out new words more quickly than those who do not play as often.

Phys.org
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-video-games-skills.html