Video Games

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.

A large international study has uncovered four psychological profiles of video game players, each shaped by emotional regulation, attachment style, and mental health. The findings offer new insight into which gamers are most at risk for problematic use.

Researchers exploring digital game use in boys found patterns linking specific games to different social traits. Fortnite and Clash of Clans were associated with stronger peer relationships, while Mortal Kombat was tied to more aggression.

A new study finds that a therapeutic video game, AKL-T01, improved task-switching and processing speed in people with post-COVID cognitive deficits. While sustained attention did not improve, participants reported better quality of life and reduced fatigue after six weeks of...

A study combining brain scans and gameplay data reveals that players with more efficient visual attention and stronger white matter connections excel at StarCraft II. The results highlight how neural traits shape success in cognitively demanding video games.

Despite similar gaming hours, high-risk gamers exhibit distinct attentional biases towards game images, unlike esports players. Published in Computers in Human Behavior, the study suggests eye movements differentiate these groups better than time played alone.

A simple video game task eased trauma-related symptoms in healthcare workers, offering a potential tool for frontline mental health support.

A new brain imaging study finds that action video gamers may develop enhanced visual processing abilities, especially in spatial awareness and movement tracking.

New research shows playing open-world games promotes cognitive escapism, relaxation, and improved psychological well-being. Key benefits include autonomy, skill mastery, and a sense of purpose.

New findings indicate that competitive attitudes do not directly lead to in-game impulse purchases. Instead, the need for popularity fully mediates this relationship, while social competence moderates it.

Recent research found that mindfulness meditation reduces gaming cravings by improving brain connections related to self-control and reward processing, while also lowering sensitivity to gaming cues and stabilizing neurotransmitter activity linked to addiction.

Playing PowerWash Simulator slightly boosts players’ moods, especially in the first 15 minutes. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 9,000 players and found short-term mood improvements.

A single, guided session with the video game Tetris reduced distressing intrusive memories in healthcare workers, with effects lasting up to six months, suggesting a simple, accessible intervention could alleviate trauma symptoms in high-stress populations.

While strength cues in female video game characters signal capability, they don’t counteract the negative impact of sexualization. Surprisingly, female players often chose highly sexualized characters to play, despite generally disliking them.