Examination of Video Game Play and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Principal Author
Kennedy Anderson
Graduate
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Joe Etherton
Abstract
While so many people are socially distant from their friends and family due to COVID-19, video games may provide alternative, meaningful interactions with others. This study examined various aspects of mental health among gamers and non-gamers during the pandemic. It was hypothesized that 1) for gamers, hours spent gaming each week will increase; 2) gamers who play with friends will experience fewer negative psychological symptoms than those who do not; and 3) gamers who play a moderate amount of time (1-24 hours/week) will experience fewer psychological symptoms than non-gamers and heavy gamers (25+ hours/week) during the pandemic. Participants (N = 239) were classified by self-reported gaming frequency as non-gamers (n = 55), moderate gamers (n = 145), and heavy gamers (n = 38). Moderate gamers played an average of 9.3 hours (SD = 6.4) and heavy gamers played 37.5 (SD = 13) hours each week. Most gamers (68.8%) reported an increase in hours played each week during the pandemic (M = 13.2, SD = 11.9). There were significant differences between those who gamed with friends and those who played solo on scores of loneliness and positive coping strategies, indicating that participants who played with friends were less lonely and used positive coping strategies more frequently than those who didn’t play with friends online. There were no significant differences between non-gamers, moderate gamers, and heavy gamers on any of the mental health measures. There is some evidence that online gaming can help combat isolation and loneliness during pandemic situations.
Wow that’s some crazy results. I have to admit that I thought gaming would have a negative effect on your mental health.
I thought this had pretty cool findings, the fact the playing online with friends makes you less lonely was pretty cool because this pandemic has been really stressful overall. I have been playing video games more than ever during this pandemic and I myself can say that it has been good for my mental health.
I hwas a heavy gamer too during the pandemic. Very interesting topic.
i really liked your work and what you decided to research! As someone that started to game more during the pandemic I can agree with your research findings and find it very nice that someone decided to research this !!
was educating because I would think more time spend would cause a bigger significant difference
As someone who gamed during the pandemic as a pastime I can definitely agree with these findings.
I found this study amazing and i play video games and i feel like the founding are pretty true and people see that technology is bad but it does have its positives.
Since the start of the pandemic I have always wondered about this sort of thing in particular. As someone who does game regularly with friends, even before the pandemic. I can confidently say that it has been one of the things that has helped my mental health significantly through this god awful pandemic.
Thank you so much for this research study! What surprised me is that there were no psychological differences between the gamers and non-gamers. especially during the pandemic, I would think that gamers would be more entertained since they’re used to gaming and staying indoors. This was a very interesting study!
I always thought gaming only caused a negative impact so it is very interesting seeing that it caused a positive impact on individuals.
I used to assume that gaming had a more negative impact on individuals than positive, very cool to see a positive of gaming. Especially during this time of COVID-19, it is nice to see individuals still communicating. Great study!
I liked this study! I have always wondered how big of an impact gaming can have on an individuals mental state, especially during the pandemic. I thought it was cool that you tested their mental state alongside the factor of playing alone vs. with others.
I never thought of gaming as a way to cope with your mental health and use this in a positive way to combat loneliness. I always assumed gaming was just used to combat boredom. This opened my eyes to the possibility of seeing gamers in a more positive light as they are trying to connect with others.
I really enjoyed this study. I was not surprised that gaming time increased during the pandemic as people were stuck home for long periods of time. As a non-gamer I have never thought of how gaming with friends can help improve mental health and found it very interesting.
During the pandemic I started gaming with my friends and I could tell a shift in my mental state. Great to see how gaming can a factor on mental health.
This study is very intriguing to me because I have wondered prior to reviewing this study how video game playing has affected individuals during the pandemic. It is not surprising to me that video game playing increased during the pandemic because staying at home raises boredom and need for stimulation for many. Social interaction is important during this socially distant time. This idea was confirmed by the results of the study which showed that loneliness levels among those who played video games with friends was lower than those who did not play with friends.
I think it is important to see how the impact of video games has changed mental health throughout the pandemic.
I really enjoyed this study and have wondered about this myself so it is great to read about your findings. Also I really enjoy the layout of your poster, it is very easy to navigate and read.
Interesting study! I think it’s amazing that gamers who play with friends report feeling less lonely and have better coping mechanisms- this highlights, despite the loneliness that quarantine has brought, that interacting with friends in any way can keep you from feeling lonely.
This study was really cool to read about because it shows the effects of gaming during the pandemic which is interesting because although people have been isolated they don’t feel as lonely while gaming with others as the people who game alone do.
I thought this study was really fascinating. I know many of my friends video game play increased a lot during the pandemic, but with the many study’s regarding video games being a negative influence in the lives of people, I thought it was awesome to see some of the benefits they can have on loneliness during isolation.
During the pandemic, I have wondered if people were doing research on people’s mental health. I’m glad people had opportunities to still connect and I’m also glad that you took multiple factors into your analyses.
It is very interesting to see the connection between video gamers and mental health during the pandemic, I never thought that video gamers were affected by the pandemic, but I guess the pandemic changed everyone one way or another. I liked this study because it sheds light on mental health in the gaming community, especially since society has a negative view on gamers, it is important to be aware that these people go through their own problems. It’s nice to know that they are able to cope by connecting with others online.
What a great topic to discuss! The pandemic has definitely changed a lot for everyone – especially the amount of time someone spends on a phone or playing a video game.
I know video game play increased during the pandemic. It was very informative to know various aspects of mental health among gamers. And I do believe that gamers may benefits from playing with others. Thank you!
I have wondered if video games have helped relieve some of the loneliness of social isolation the pandemic has caused, this study showed me that it does help people feel more connected when playing video games with friends.
As a competitive C.O.D gamer, I enjoyed your research. I would be interested discovering whether or not the game/ type of game/s played during the pandemic had anything to do with the increase in hours spent gaming. Good stuff!
I really like the fact the study took into account mental illnesses and conditions. Most people will assume that someone’s mental health is fine.
I think this information could be very beneficial to show how people cope during times of isolation. I’d imagine that gaming with friends creates a bigger sense of community so this research reflects that well.
I feel that video games has left a positive impact on many people during the pandemic as it has allowed gamers to connect with their friends safely!
It is nice to see an assessment of potential positive effects of gaming. I think research such as this will shed so much light on the mental health effects of the pandemic and it is so important that the news is not all bad!
Thank you! I do think video games are a great way to positively connect with others, even though the activity gets a bad rap.
During the pandemic, I have wondered if people were doing research over people mental health and here I am reading about it. Its good that gamers don’t feel as lonely and at least we have technology to still connect with others from a distance.