A new study from Japan has found that moderate video game playing is beneficial for mental health. The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, took advantage of a unique situation in Japan where, due to a gaming console shortage between 2020 and 2022, retailers used lotteries to distribute two different gaming consoles to consumers. A research team from a Japanese university used this randomized allocation to assess the impact of video games on stress and life satisfaction. They surveyed 97,602 individuals, including 8,192 who participated in the lottery, aged 10 to 69. The survey collected data on lottery participation, gaming console ownership, gaming preferences, mental health, life satisfaction, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using a machine learning algorithm designed to infer causal relationships from observational data, the team found that owning a gaming console and playing games on it improved mental health. However, playing for more than three hours per day did not yield the same benefits. The study also found that owning a gaming console increased life satisfaction and reduced psychological distress.
