Tran 1 How Video Games Affect the Mental Health of Young Adults In the past three decades, video games have been with us for some of our lives, from when we were babies, to now as adults. From nice jump games like Super Mario to the first-person shooters like Call of Duty, there are different kinds of games for anyone to play and get hooked onto. These video games, while fun, have an effect on those who play them. It can have all kinds of effects, from physical to mental and psychological changes. These effects on the mental health of young adults from video games have gained a lot of attention in recent years. With video games becoming one of the most engaging ways through which people spend their time, researchers have also explored the possible benefits and harms that the practice has on well-being. In the article “Gaming Well: Links between Videogames and Flourishing Mental Health”, Christian M. Jones, Laura Scholes, Daniel Johnson, Mary Katsikitis, and Michelle C. Carras argue that there are “positive effects of videogaming, within the literature there has been a long history of highlighting the negative effects of videogames, and this contribution is duly noted” (1). In other words, while video games can help improve the mental health of the young adults that play them, they can also cause problems to the mental health as well. Different Tran 2 kinds of video games can have a lot of effects on people in different ways depending on how long the people play them. With video games sometimes having good effects like reducing stress and improving social interactions, and sometimes bad effects like increasing aggression, violence, and addiction to video games, it shows that video games can help or make things worse for people who play them. Positive Effects of Video Games on Mental Health Video games can have many effects on the mental health of the people who play them, some of which are good effects. One of the positive effects that playing video games can have on mental health is relieving stress and regulating their emotions. Video games can act as a stress reliever for young adults stressed by school, their jobs, and relationships. Video games help young adults overcome these everyday stresses by playing games instead of being overwhelmed by stress. Casual games, such as Candy Crush and Bejeweled, can help reduce stress and boost the mood (V. Russoniello, O’Brien and M. Parks, 55). Computer games can make people happy and feel more refreshed with a lot less hopelessness compared to not playing games. People that play video games said that it can help with “‘letting off steam’ in response to problems with friends or parents with feelings of anger, guilt, or frustration dissipating after time spent in game play resulting in players feeling much happier” (Jones, et al., 2). By playing video games, it can help reduce stress caused by negative feelings and arguments by family and friends. These benefits of reducing stress can be used to help young adults who suffer from certain mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Tran 3 One stereotype about people that play video games is that they are anti-social, but this is wrong in today’s gaming world, especially when video games have multiplayer and online games. Video games with multiplayer features can help young adults make some friendships with others like themselves. In the article “Gamers on Gaming: A Research Note Comparing Behaviors and Beliefs of Gamers, Video Game Players, and Non‐Players”, Kort‐Butler argue that players that play online games would be “engaged with other game players” and that they would frequently play “with others online, including people they know face-to-face and only know online” (975-976). Online gaming is an important part of social interactions for some young adults, especially with people who have problems with socializing with other people in person. According to Mustafa Seref Akin, people with social problems in the real world can build friendships through the online games they play, which can help those people to not feel lonely (6). Video games offer a place for those people so they can have a community to be a part of and friendships that can help erase the loneliness and isolation they would be feeling. Multiplayer games require communication and teamwork between players, which can help improve their social skills and encourage collaboration with each other. Games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Overwatch can encourage players to work together to achieve a common goal by cooperating and solving problems with teammates. These positive effects of video games show that video games can help improve young adults’ social interactions and help improve their mental health. Negative Effects of Video Games on Mental Health Tran 4 Despite having many positive effects that video games can have on mental health, it can also have negative effects as well. One of the negative effects from playing video games is that people that play them won’t stop playing them, getting addicted as a result. Due to them getting addicted to playing video games, it can end up becoming a problem to their day-to-day life, like sleeping for example. According to the article “Sleep Quality and Video Game Playing: Effect of Intensity of Video Game Playing and Mental Health,” Emin Altintas, Yasemin Karaca, Timothé Hullaert, and Patricia Tassi argue that “electronic media exposure time is described as the origin of decreasing sleep duration (Twenge et al., 2017), and as affecting the sleep-wake cycle” and that it could lead to “bad sleep quality, fatigue and insomnia” (2). This shows that people that play video games would prioritize it over other activities and would continue gaming despite the negative effects it could have. When young adults prioritize gaming over everything else in their life, it can lead to many negative effects for the mental health like increased anxiety, depression, make them feel socially isolated, and poor sleep. This effect on young adults can ruin their mental health and well-being, making them suffer in the future. Another negative effect video games can have on the mental health of young adults is the increased aggression and violent behavior they can have. Some violent video games, especially first-person shooters, may make the players desensitize to violence and give them aggressive thoughts and tendency. While the relationship between violent video games and real-world aggression is still debated, violent media can make people Tran 5 have violent tendencies. According to Craig A. Anderson, Nobuko Ihori, Brad J. Bushman, Hannah R. Rothstein, Akiko Shibuya, Edward L. Swing, Akira Sakamoto, and Muniba Saleem, they have found that violent video games are associated with increasing violent thoughts and aggressive behaviors, as well as decreasing empathy for other people (156). This means that when playing a video game that has violence in it, it can make a person have violent thoughts from it, while not caring about the other people’s feelings in the process. Many gamers play violent video games without displaying aggression while some young adults may be more impacted by these things. Due to repeated exposure to violent content, it can desensitize players to the consequences of violence, reducing their sensitivity to real-life suffering and aggression. Playing in Moderation Considering that both positive and negative effects can happen, people can see that these positive effects of video games as a way to help people grow up when controlling their use of video games. The duration and type of games being played and the person’s opinions towards gaming all dictate whether or not gaming will be healthy for the person. One of the most important parts of gaming is moderation, which allows gaming not to consume a player’s life. Video gaming can be harmless when played sometimes or during times of relaxation from stress, so young adults should avoid spending many hours on gaming so that it doesn’t affect their responsibilities and social interactions. Jones, et al argue that moderate gaming, one to three hours of gaming per day, has positive impacts on the mind and mood but does not have harmful effects on mental health (7). These Tran 6 healthy gaming habits can be kept in check by setting strict session times, playing in intervals with breaks, and making sure that real-world interactions are not ignored. Other factors that affect healthy gaming for young adults may include increased parental involvement and self-regulation. Parents are responsible for looking after their own children and preventing them from playing adult games or spending too much time on gaming. It is possible for young adults to find ways to regulate their gaming habits to avoid becoming addicted by setting goals and schedule for gaming and seeking help if they feel that they are spending too much time playing video games. With proper moderation and management, young adults would be able to use the positive effects of video games while avoiding the negative effects of it. Conclusion Video games can have positive and negative effects on the mental health of young adults. Despite having some positive impacts like reducing stress and improving social interactions, they can also have negative effects like addiction, aggressive and violent behaviors. It is up to individuals to regulate and limit their playtime when playing video games to make sure that any positive benefits from video games can help their mental health. This means that while video games can be damaging when played excessively, the damage can be avoided since the benefits of playing video games are plenty when played at the right amount. The authors suggested that as technology continues to grow, researchers and mental health professionals must stay observant in looking into the Tran 7 effects of video games and making prevention and strategies that can encourage healthy gaming styles. Worked Cited Jones, Christian M., et al. “Gaming Well: Links between Videogames and Flourishing Mental Health.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 5, 2014, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00260. Russoniello, Carmen V., Kevin O’Brien, and Jennifer M. Parks. "The effectiveness of casual video games in improving mood and decreasing stress." Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation 2.1 (2009): 53-66. Kort‐Butler, Lisa A. “Gamers on Gaming: A Research Note Comparing Behaviors and Beliefs of Gamers, Video Game Players, and Non‐Players.” Sociological Inquiry., vol. 91, no. 4, 2021, pp. 962–82, https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12363. Akin, Mustafa Seref. “Communication with the social environment in multiplayer online games: The Turkey case.” International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL) 13.1 (2023): 1-14. Altintas, Emin, et al. “Sleep Quality and Video Game Playing: Effect of Intensity of Video Game Playing and Mental Health.” Psychiatry Research, vol. 273, 2019, pp. 487–92, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.030. Anderson, Craig A., et al. “Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression, Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior in Eastern and Western Countries: A Meta-Analytic Tran 8 Review.” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 136, no. 2, 2010, pp. 151–73, https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018251.
