Are Video Games Healthy?

Written by Jacob Butler 

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Lucas Ortiz on Unsplash

Video games have always been faced with stigma, like claims that they cause violence and contain satanic messages. Most of these ideas faded over time, but some remained. One of the more prevalent negative sentiments about video games is that they contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle, which seems intuitive enough. Video games don’t generally take a lot of physical exertion and do take a lot of mental focus, so it’s understandable that some people are very concerned about the effect of video games on their loved ones. However, this still begs the question, are video games actually unhealthy? Do video games encourage an unhealthy lifestyle, or do they offer more benefits than people give them credit for? While there is a relatively limited amount of research on the topic, there's still plenty to look into regarding the pros and cons of video games on one's physical and mental health.

Physical Health

Video games are often understood to promote a sedentary lifestyle since most games require very little physical activity. This, alongside the addictive nature of video games, means that there is some level of correlation between excessive video game use and a deterioration in physical health. There are also several injuries associated with excessive gaming, such as carpal tunnel and inflamed tendons, which arise from overusing the muscles needed to operate a keyboard or controller.

That said, there are also several ways video games can be used to improve one's physical health. One of these ways is through pain reduction, as video games are great distractions, and have been used in medical contexts to keep the focus of some adolescents away from their sickness and trauma, leading to a noted decrease in many negative symptoms.

Video games have also been used as a therapeutic activity for patients with arm injuries, and are used in strength training, as they provide a distraction from pain, while supplementing an engaging exercise experience. There has also been research into Active Video Games - games that require significant physical exertion, which have been shown to be very effective at increasing physical activity in adolescents.

Mental Health

The relationship between video games and health is very complicated. While video games have been shown to lead to increased depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, they’ve also shown to have the exact opposite effect. Video games are simultaneously correlated with alleviating mental health problems as well as causing them, which begs the question: what causes the mental effects of video games to vary so significantly? 

The answer lies in how often one plays any given video game. While video games are a useful tool for dealing with depression and anxiety if used in moderation, excessive use can exacerbate many mental health issues. 

Similarly, while video games can be used to improve certain cognitive skills, such as memory, problem-solving, and mental adaptability, playing them excessively can harm one's cognitive functioning by causing mental fatigue and causing one's time management skills to deteriorate. Video games are both extremely helpful and harmful to all areas of mental health, with the only reliable factor determining their effect being the amount of time one gives to these games. 

It's for these reasons that the main risk video games present is their addictive nature. Video game addiction has become an increasingly popular phenomenon. The reason why is currently undetermined, but some researchers suggest it could be caused by the regular release of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that can give people feelings of satisfaction and motivation. Video games tend to make the brain release dopamine, making players more inclined to keep playing. While the vast majority of people won’t ever face this level of addiction, people with addictive personalities or low self-control are very susceptible to the more negative effects of video games, both physical and mental. 

Healthy Habits

If you want to prevent the negative mental health effects and addictive capabilities of video games, it’s important you learn healthy ways of engaging with the hobby. While there are many things you can do to make your gaming experience healthier, one of the easiest and most important is to game on a schedule. Playing no more than an hour a day is a good place to start, as limiting it to that degree will help with addiction and keep you from remaining in a sedentary state for too long. Beyond that, it’s important to treat video games as a pastime and a reward, rather than a significant part of your life so that you refrain from growing dependent on video games. Overall, you should work on limiting the amount of time spent to maximise the benefits of a healthy gaming lifestyle. 

While there are plenty of negative effects that video games can have on your physical and mental health, there are also many positive effects as well. Much like many other things in life, it's not video games themselves that are the issue. Instead, video games are tools that people can use in either good or bad ways. If you want to get the most out of your video gaming experience, it's important to recognize that it's up to you to set healthy habits for yourself, and to encourage people around you to do the same. Instead of fearing video games, or ignoring their dangers, we should acknowledge the many pros and cons associated with gaming, and learn to engage with the hobby in healthy ways.

Melissa Alvarez Del Angel