Video gaming during COVID-19 had little impact on mental health.
A meta-analysis finds that increased gaming time during COVID-19 was not linked to significant changes in mental health.
Why it matters
- Challenges assumptions about gaming's impact on mental health.
- Highlights the complexity of gaming behaviors during lockdowns.
By the numbers
- 37,778 participants across multiple studies.
- Modest increase in gaming time (effect size d = 0.26).
- Negligible correlation between gaming time and mental health (r = −0.03).
The big picture
- Gaming was neither widely harmful nor beneficial to mental health during the pandemic.
- Concerns about gaming's negative impacts may have been overstated.
What they're saying
- Personal anecdotes suggest gaming helped cope with stress and isolation.
- Social aspects of gaming were valued during lockdowns.
Caveats
- Data relied on self-reports, which can be biased.
- Does not account for new gamers or specific gaming contexts.
What’s next
- Further research needed on gaming motivations and contexts.
- Longitudinal studies could provide deeper insights.