This study investigated the effects of casual video game play on psychological wellbeing. 21 participants played either Journey or Flower for 6 weekly sessions. Questionnaires before and after gameplay measured negative affect, psychological wellbeing, stress, and anxiety/depression. Analysis found that negative affect was significantly reduced after gameplay in weeks 2, 3, and 6, though the effect did not persist. Psychological wellbeing increased over time for those playing Flower but not Journey. No effects were found for stress, positive affect, or anxiety/depression. So casual games may provide psychological benefits by reducing negative affect and improving wellbeing.

1. Introduction
The psychological impact of video gaming has received considerable attention in
recent years, reflecting the continuing growth of its popularity. The negative
impacts of video game play is well established within the literature, particularly
in relation to violent games and young people (Anderson & Bushman, 2001;
Gentile et al., 2004).
However, playing prosocial games can lead to more prosocial behavior (Gentile,
2009). There is evidence for the positive effects in relation to perceptual skills
and cognitive abilities. Ceranoglu (2010) further demonstrated that video games
can be used with psychotherapy encouraging motivation throughout therapy.
Competition has been shown to be a major factor in the enjoyment of playing
video games, although competitive situations in games can lead to negative
emotions and counteract the player’s enjoyment (Vorderer et al., 2003).
A relatively unexplored aspect of video gaming is the effects of casual video
game play. Russoniello et al. (2009) showed against controls how casual video
games can reduce stress and improve mood.
This study was designed to further investigate the potential benefits of video
game play on psychological wellbeing.
Method
Participants
Twenty-one people participated in the experiment. Ten of the volunteers played
‘Journey’ and eleven played ‘Flower’. All were students from Southampton
Solent University. Participants took part in six sessions over a number of weeks
to allow the effect of regular play to be evaluated.
Materials
Dependent variables scales included the Positive And Negative Affect Scale -X
(PANAS: Watson & Clark, 1994), Scales of Psychological Wellbeing (Ryff, 1998),
the Percieved Stress Scale (Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein, 1983), and anxiety
and depression scales from the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP:
Goldberg et al., 2006).
Procedure
Firstly the participants completed the four questionnaires, followed by 15
minutes participating in their computer based task. The following 4 weeks
consisted of participants playing the computer based task for 25 minutes,
followed by completing the Positive And Negative Affect Scale. On their sixth
and final session, participants would continue on their computer based task for
20 minutes and then complete all four questionnaires.
Discussion/Conclusions
The two games chosen for the study were selected
based on the basis that they were developed to
provide a meaningful, enriching and inspiring gaming
experience.
The results showed that following gameplay negative
affect (PANAS-X) was significantly reduced. Although
the reduction was apparent for up to six weeks
significance was only reached in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th
week, raising a question about the longevity of the
effect. It is also notable that there was no change in
positive affect over the duration of the study. The
reduction of negative affect could be beneficial if used
in conjunction with psychotherapy (Ceranoglu, 2010).
Interestingly, the effect of the two games on
Psychological Wellbeing differed. Over the six week
period there was a significant improvement in the
PWB of the group that played Flower, but no change
in the PWB of the those that played Journey. Our
speculation is that this is related to the fact that
progression in Journey poses greater challenge for the
player and has a more competitive element to it than
Flower. Vorderer et al. (2003) suggest that
competition is a critical variable in games that leads to
negative emotions.
Gameplay had no effect on perceived stress, positive
affect or levels of anxiety and depression, so
collectively across all of the variables we found no
negative effects of gameplay. This seems important
given the tendency to emphasise the potentially
harmful effects of video gaming.
A novel aspect of this study was the measurement
across several weeks and the results highlight the
importance to taking this into account. Many studies
only measure changes immediately following
intervention. The results for negative affect show an
initial reduction in the first couple of weeks, but this
was not maintained across all six sessions. This might
be related to habituation, although it not clear why
the effect returns in week 6. However, it seems clear
that longevity of any intervention needs to be
carefully considered.
Another factor that future studies should try to take
account of is the level of interest and enthusiasm that
participants have in playing video games and if they
are experienced game players, what genre of games
do they prefer since this may influence affect and
wellbeing.
In conclusion, video games do not necessarily have
negative psychological effects and these findings
confirm that some games can actually reduce negative
affect and improve psychological wellbeing. Future
research should pursue those elements of gameplay
that promote the positive benefits demonstrated in
this study.
Enhancing Psychological Well-being using Video Games.
Brian Wink; Katie Harwood; Julia Moszkowicz; Carina Buckley; Adam Barton; Nick Hampton; Anneyce Knight:
Southampton Solent University, UK.
Results
Analysis of the PANAS showed a significant main effect of gameplay
on negative affect. Planned comparisons to compare the pre-
gameplay baseline scores to each of the subsequent post-gameplay
measures showed a significant decrease in negative affect in weeks
2, 3 and 6. There was no main effect of game or interaction
The Ryff Scales of PWB showed no main effect of game or time, but
did indicate a significant game x time interaction. Simple main
effects were therefore analysed. These showed no change in PWB
for Journey, but a significant increase in the PWB of participants who
played Flower.
There were no significant changes on any other of the measures
used.
References
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological
science, 12(5), 353-359.
Ceranoglu, T. A. (2010). Video games in psychotherapy. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 141.
Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., Yukawa, S., Ihori, N., Saleem, M., Ming, L. K., ... & Sakamoto, A. (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: International evidence from correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Gentile, D. A., Lynch, P. J., Linder, J. R., & Walsh, D. A. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of adolescence, 27(1), 5-22.
Russoniello, C. V., O’Brien, K., & Parks, J. M. (2009). The Effectiveness of Casual Video Games in Improving Mood and Decreasing Stress. Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation, 2(1).
Vorderer, P., Hartmann, T., & Klimmt, C. (2003). Explaining the enjoyment of playing video games: the role of competition. In Proceedings of the second international conference on Entertainment computing (pp. 1-9). Carnegie Mellon University.
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PRE (Week 1) Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6
PANAS(Negative)Score
Time
Effect of Gameplay on Negative Affect
50
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65
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95
PRE POST
RyffPWBScore
Time - Pre & Post Gameplay
Effect of Gameplay on Psychological Wellbeing
Flower Journey