Video games considered being healthy

Video games are considered as being beneficial for the mental health of children. According to Dr Daniel Johnson, the director of QUT's Games Research and Interaction Design Lab, video games played in the family can build stronger relationships between parents and children. Dr Johnson, in collaboration with his gaming team of researchers from the Young and Well Cooperative Research Center (CRC) analyzed 200 reports and papers to discover how video games have a positive impact on the wellbeing of children. “Our research showed that playing video games can improve a young person's mood, help them reduce their stress levels, and promote feelings of competence and autonomy”, said Dr Johnson, from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty. Video games are considered to be helpful for improving a person`s brain activity, social wellbeing and feeling more connected to other people. However, excessive playing of video games could lead to negative effects, such as insomnia or anxiety, according to Dr Johnson. The overall results prove that moderate playing of video games has only positive effects, such as improved mood, positive emotions, stress reduction, relaxation and less depressed mood. Rafael Calvo, Associate Professor from the University of Sydney's School of Electrical and Information Engineering was also part of this study.