Researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, discovered that popular video games have the potential to provide low-cost, easy-access, effective, and stigma-free support for some mental health problems.

According to the Lero team, video games could be utilized in areas where traditional therapies are not available due to cost or location, or as a complement to traditional therapeutic treatments for anxiety and depression.

Lero researcher Dr. Mark Campbell said, “It is worth considering commercial video games as a potential alternative option for the improvement of various aspects of mental health globally.”

“The overall accessibility and pervasiveness of commercial video games within modern society position them as an invaluable means of reaching individuals with mental health disorders, irrespective of age and sex, and with limited access to mental health care, particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic.” He added.

Earlier on this, A study from Oxford University suggests playing video games can be good. This study was conducted in collaboration with actual gameplay data.

The study which focused on players of video games and various gaming consoles found that people who played more games tended to report greater wellbeing. These results cast doubt on reports which claim video games can be harmful to mental health.

The study was one of the first to be done with the aid of actual play-time data. The team at Oxford University was able to link psychological questionnaires with true records of time spent playing games.

Previous studies done focused only on self-reported time playing which weakened the correlation with reality.

“This is about bringing games into the fold of psychology research that’s not a dumpster fire,” said Andrew Przybylski, the lead researcher of the project. “This lets us explain and understand games as a leisure activity.

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A study from Oxford University suggests playing video games can be good...