A few hours a day keeps the negative thoughts at bay

We all hear how too much gaming is bad for you, but in fact WePC has recently produced a survey highlighting the positive mental health benefits of gaming, especially in these strange times.

With that in mind, however, like anything you do regularly, it is always sensible to do it in moderation. Not only will you see actually health benefits like reduced eyestrain, aching limbs, etc but our research shows that those who limit their gaming time to within a certain range, are the ones who see the most benefits when it comes to their mental health.

Our survey of nearly 600 people in the USA found that  49% of People who said Gaming had a positive impact on their mental health spent between 1-10 hrs playing per week.

This certainly suggests that they are playing for fun, rather than feeling as though they “have” to play for achievements. It also indicates a degree of self-control to be able to switch off from gaming and just enjoy it as a break.

Of this 49% of Positive Gamers, 33.5%  who found gaming to have a positive effect were from the 51+ age group, second highest being 19% from 29-34 year olds.

This is interesting because elsewhere in the survey, which you can read here in full, found that the types of games that these two ages ranges partake in are very different. With the older generations likely to play single-player titles such as puzzle games and not the multi-player Battle Royale style favored by the younger group.

WePC Managing Editor Paul McNally said: “We probably all know somebody we thing may play games a bit too much. It might even be us ourselves, but this research shows that, like anything in life, moderation increase both enjoyment and health benefits. It’s being able to activate our levels of self-control to make sure we stay in the zone of benefitting from these positives that will truly allow us to make a difference in our daily gaming lives.