Video Games

Can a video game change your mind about having kids? A new study suggests that emotional bonds with virtual characters in simulation games may boost real-world fertility desires among young adults.

It is a commonly held belief that social media drives the youth mental health crisis. However, a recent study tracking 25,000 teenagers finds little evidence that time spent online causes anxiety or depression, challenging the popular narrative.

A new meta-analysis of nearly 150,000 participants reveals that Internet Gaming Disorder affects about 6 percent of young adults globally, challenging the assumption that video game addiction is solely a teenage problem.

A new study finds that university students playing video games for over ten hours weekly have poorer diets and higher body mass reported than their peers, suggesting excessive screen time displaces healthy habits.

Not all screen time is equal. A study of 8,000 teens reveals that while gaming doesn't harm focus, social media use specifically predicts increased inattentiveness—potentially explaining the global rise in ADHD diagnoses.

A new experiment suggests that gaming is still a resume "red flag." Applicants who listed gaming as an extracurricular activity received significantly lower hirability scores than those who listed traditional team sports.

Can Mario fight burnout? New research indicates that the childlike wonder found in Nintendo games helps young adults manage emotional exhaustion.

Esports players can improve shooting performance by training with real-time biological data. Researchers found that focusing on cortical activity and gaze control significantly reduced reaction times .

Engaging in creative activities like music, drawing, dance, or strategy video games may help keep the brain younger, according to a new study in Nature Communications. The research suggests creativity is linked to healthier brain function.

Research analyzing 140,000 hours of Nintendo Switch gameplay found no evidence that time spent playing predicts well-being. A player’s perception of how gaming fits their life was a more significant factor.

Do gamers really differ from non-gamers in their psychological makeup? A new study suggests they don’t. Researchers found few meaningful differences in personality traits, emotional regulation, or defense mechanisms, complicating popular assumptions about the mental health of gamers.

A comprehensive review of studies on pandemic-era gaming finds that while people played more, the increase was modest and unrelated to mental health outcomes. The findings raise questions about whether concerns over gaming during lockdown were overstated or misdirected.

Children who played the Cucca Curiosa game showed improvements in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and math. The findings suggest that digital interventions designed to strengthen executive functioning may also indirectly support academic skills like arithmetic and problem-solving.

Playing A Plague Tale: Requiem helped participants recover from stress on a biological level, regardless of violent or non-violent gameplay. But those playing violent passages felt more stressed and aggressive, highlighting a disconnect between felt and physiological stress responses.

Experienced FPS players showed faster aiming execution and more efficient eye movement patterns, especially a single-saccade strategy, compared to non-players. Their advantage persisted across different distances and timing conditions, suggesting enhanced visual-motor coordination under pressure.