Playing video games is beneficial for a person's mental health

Consoles are often associated with negative health effects - particularly for children - due to concerns that they can prevent development and socialisation, but a new study suggests that gaming has a positive impact on the mental well-being of individuals of all ages.

Due to a shortage of consoles in Japan between 2020 and 2022, retailers in the country used lotteries to assign a PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch to citizens aged between 10 and 69.

Analysis from experts at Nihon University in Tokyo revealed that owning a console and playing games on it improved mental health, although those who gamed for over three hours per day did not experience the same benefits.

The researchers said: "Through a natural experimental approach, we demonstrated that winning a lottery for a Switch or PS5 positively impacted mental well-being for individuals aged 10-69 in Japan.

"All our estimates indicated positive correlations between video gaming and life satisfaction - a finding that while counterintuitive given certain public perceptions around gaming, is consistent with recent studies."

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