Two Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage

Farmer, G. and Lloyd, J. 2024. Two Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage. Healthcare. 12 (7) 772. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12070772

TitleTwo Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage
TypeJournal article
AuthorsFarmer, G. and Lloyd, J.
Abstract

Video gamers can play to negate the psychological impact of stress, which may become problematic when users over-rely on the stress relief potential of gaming. This study used a repeated measures experimental design to investigate the relationships between stress, video gaming, and problematic video gaming behaviours in a convenience sample of 40 students at a UK university. The results indicated that positive affect increased and negative affect decreased, whilst a biological stress measure (instantaneous pulse rate) also decreased after a short video gaming session (t(36) = 4.82, p < 0.001, d = 0.79). The results also suggested that video gaming can act as a short-term buffer against the physiological impact of stress. Further research should focus on testing individuals who have been tested for gaming disorder, as opposed to the general population. Research could also utilise variations of the methodological framework used in this study to examine the intensity of a stress relief effect under different social situations. The study’s findings in relation to published works are also discussed.

Keywordsvideo games
stress
motivation
problematic gaming
stress relief
behavioural addiction
Article number772
JournalHealthcare
Journal citation12 (7)
ISSN2227-9032
Year2024
PublisherMDPI
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12070772
PubMed ID38610194
Web address (URL)https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/7/772
Publication dates
Published02 Apr 2024

Related outputs

Preprint: “It’s a good distraction from the mayhem of reality”: An exploratory qualitative study on video gaming during the COVID-19 lockdown.
George Farmer, Nina Higson-Sweeney and Chris Fullwood 2024. Preprint: “It’s a good distraction from the mayhem of reality”: An exploratory qualitative study on video gaming during the COVID-19 lockdown. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/f43e2

Preprint: Two Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, Including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage
Farmer, G. and Lloyd, J. 2024. Preprint: Two Sides of the Same Virtual Coin: Investigating Psychosocial Effects of Video Game Play, Including Stress Relief Motivations as a Gateway to Problematic Video Game Usage. Preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1890.v1

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