Video Game Usage and its Impact on Mental Health

About this Research Topic

Background

Video games are being used as a means to escape from reality. The video game industry started as a mere small-scale industry and has now developed into a multi-million-dollar industry with various gaming consoles spanning across generations from 1983 till the present. The portability and easy accessibility of video games among all age groups has led to pathological gaming behavior in some individuals, affecting their psychological well-being. This is one among the many reasons for the World Health Organization to include gaming disorder in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. Various research reports suggest that video game usage can have beneficial effects on the mind, cognition, health, and wellbeing.

There are conflicting theories and debates on the benefits and negative effects of video games. It is debated that video games can have benefits like problem-solving, hand-eye coordination, multitasking, quick-thinking, and improving concentration, memory, and reasoned judgments. The negative effects video games have on an individual are mostly tied to violent video games. Research has shown that violent video game usage is associated with a lack of empathy and aggression. Regular video gaming can cause social isolation, make him/her an introvert, can confuse reality and fantasy, can lead to poor academic performance, impulsive behavior, and attention problems. Research data available on video game addiction, usage patterns and associated factors are limited. Since all those who play video games do not develop a pathological gaming pattern, it is imperative to assess the factors which are responsible for the causation of the same. The benefits of playing video games are also not having sufficient data to quantify the benefits of playing them.

The aim of this Research Topic is to elucidate the various social, economic factors and pathways leading to pathological gaming patterns which can enable the development of prevention strategies to address such issues and also to look for evidence to support the benefits of video game use and associated factors.

We welcome original research articles, literature reviews and case reports which address the following themes related to video game usage and mental health:

1) Patterns on video game usage among different population groups like adolescents, teenagers, college students, working population groups, and associated psychosocial impact

2) Qualitative studies with emphasis on exploring the pathways to pathological video game usage

3) Development of validated scales to assess pathological gaming behavior in different population groups

4) Online gaming and impact on mental health and wellbeing

5) The impact of different genres of video games on mental health and wellbeing

6) Benefits of video game usage on mental health and wellbeing

7) Video game usage among children and impact on academic performance

8) Mental Health intervention strategies to prevent mental health problems related to video game usage

9) Therapeutic use of video games in treating mental health problems

10) Concept and role of serious video games and gamification in mental health

11) Role of Virtual and Augmented reality games in treatment of mental health problems

Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Addiction, Emotions, Dependence.

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