In this episode of Research Review, we look at a pre-print of the article “Video game play is positively correlated with well-being” by Johannes, Vuorre, and Przybylski. 

While game studies as a field has been exploring the links between video games and negative outcomes including aggression, addiction, well-being, and cognitive functioning for decades, in recent years researchers and policy makers in recent years have shifted focus towards concerns about the association between the amount, or nature, of the time people spent playing video games and well-being.

In this paper, Johannes and colleagues assess the relationship between video game play and well being by analyzing players’ actual play behaviour through a collaboration with two large game companies: Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America.

Overally, this study is well-designed and executed and provides clear evidence between the link of play and mental health. However, perhaps more importantly, this study also highlights the importance of industry partners to produce higher level quality research.