We knew this and no one would listen! A new study has recently revealed that playing videogames is good for mental health and potentially as an antidote to loneliness.
Videogames and gaming in general have had a bad rep for a long time. Since the 90s there has been a general stereotyping of videogames as harmful to children, encouraging violence among adolescents, keeping them indoors and turning them into isolated zombies who never see the light of day. More recently, scandals such as gamergate – which saw gamers bully and harass female gamers and gaming journalists – have brought the gaming community under fire for its toxic culture of misogyny.
Yet, despite the gaming community undoubtedly having its problems, gaming has for a long time been a place of community and friendship, one that has grown in numbers and perhaps importance at a time when we live out our lives increasingly online. A new study brought out by The Washington Post and University of Massachusetts Lowell showed that in 2018 25% of the American population had at some stage during that year played a videogame! A quarter of the population!
The study went on to focus on men’s motivations for playing videogames and overall the most popular reason given was “friendship.” In fact, the study showed that many of the subjects interviewed said that “coop games” – games that involve playing as a group – were an occasion to make new friends or maintain friendships with people who lived far away or were overtaken by family commitments.
The study is important because not only does it help in redressing the predominant negative stereotype surrounding gaming community, but it also highlights a solution to a big problem – male loneliness. In the last few years we’ve all heard a lot about what is sometimes described as the “epidemic of loneliness” affecting people (particularly men) as we work longer hours and spend more time online. Gaming according to the study, can and does create a sense of community for people and can significantly lower their risk of anxiety and depression. So what do you know – gaming is actually good for you after all these years!
