Research Study: Gamers and Anxiety Disorders

[Linkachu]

I personally love reading any studies I find done on video games, even if some of them hold no validity whatsoever. This one... Well, you read it and see what you think.

Or, if you're lazy, the idea is that some video games can create a 'fight or flight' reaction in the player that triggers an adrenaline surge, but since it's only a game players don't act on that response. Instead the chemicals just stay in the body, which can cause an adrenaline overload. Neurological side-effects can result from this over time, ie. an increase in the likelihood of developing an anxiety disorder.

In the words of Kotaku:

It doesn't mean this happens to all gamers. Nor that the effects - which are similar to that of a drug addict - mean you're all a bunch of worthless drug addicts. They're just sayin', is all. Be careful.

Makes sense really, but watching certain movies or TV shows would have a similar effect, would they not? We're freaking ourselves out but still staying glued to our seats as we watch. Although, chances are a study on that has already been done...

There was also cute little bit in the article that countered the above study:

The above results stand contrary to an Oxford University study, which found that video games could reduce stress. Gamers who played Tetris immediately after a traumatic event appeared to suffer less post-traumatic stress symptoms.

"This is only a first step in showing that this might be a viable approach to preventing post traumatic stress disorder," Emily Holmes, a psychologist who led the study, said.

Food for thought.

 

[Magpie]

Nonetheless, Laura M Padilla-Walker told Reuters Health: "This does not mean that every person who plays video games has low self-worth, or that playing video games will lead to drug use."

I'm glad they cleared that up XD

Some games certainly do cause 'fight or flight' responses. Me and my boyfriend recently played Dead Space (Aka, he played and I watched). I've never jumped so much in all my life. Ever. I'm not ashamed to admit that a few screams were present too. If all games had this effect, then I could see there being a problem. However, I can't say many games have had this effect on me. Tomb Raider used to scare me and my brother, but that's the only other game I can remember making me jump on a regular basis.

It's an interesting study, and like you said, Linkachu, the same can be said for films. I'm not a big fan of horrors, because I do jump easily (Wait... maybe Tomb Raider gave me an anxiety disorder... 0_o). It's noises that do it though, image alone never makes me jump. In the cinema I tend to spend the whole horror film in a state of slight unease, because I know I'm going to jump at some point, which I hate. So, considering that I'd say films are far worse than games in that respect.

To be fair, everything these days seem to be bad for us, even the things studies originally proved were good XD

 

[Stark]

The thing with these studies is that they tie those who play games and class themselves as gamers who also have a life, with those who don't have a life and do the same.

What I mean is, people might play a few times a week with some friends and call themselves a gamer, or people might play for 50 hours a week on WoW or something, and call themselves a gamer.

Thats what I really hate about these surveys and stuff. Oh well.

 

[Secad MS]

I actually do have an anxiety disorder, but video games have never made me feel anxious. Frustrated with a difficult game or task, yes, but I have never gotten anxious over a game. [size=1pt]It usually only happens over schoolwork.[/size]

However, I do see how it could happen. Something such as 200 hours straight of Silent Hill could possibly put some at edge.

 

[Linkachu]

It's not exactly speaking about video games directly causing anxiety, though. It's more speaking about the effects of an adrenaline overload in a person's body over an extended period of time, and with repeated occurrence. Those are the sorts of side effects that a gamer wouldn't consciously notice.

 

[Secad MS]

Hmm...I do understand that now. I was thinking of direct effects, sorry.

Then I would think some games that require good reaction times and aiming such as first-person shooters could cause enough mental stress for one to react like there was a threat, so adrenaline would flow.

 

[Shiny Motley]

I guess you can say certain video games have made me kind of jumpy, if not that then somewhat nervous. I remember my first few bouts of SSB made me go all excited and stuff, and I literally flinched every time someone got hit. Making me die very easily, as I hated giving people damage. XD Then I cussed for the first time in years (out loud) while playing SSBB. At church. ^^;;;;;

But that's just SSB. As I haven't played very many video games (I've only been exposed to Pokemon, the Mario games, SSB, Legend of Zelda, and Kirby games, plus one or two others, but that's pretty much it.... yesh, I ish sad), I can't say I agree or disagree with the study. However, I have found myself a bit more hyper after a lot of video games... but meh. That's not really anxiety. XD

 

[Midnight Shadows]

This is very interesting, and after reading the article I think I might have Post-traumatic stress..

Post-traumatic stress symptoms range from irritability, outbursts and trouble concentrating.

Which happens to me a lot, I get irritated way to easily, have outbursts of anger, and I have trouble concentrating in normal activities. Though I can admit, after playing a certain video game for a long period of time I do get some sort of adrenaline rush or decrease. For example, after I first got Guitar Hero: World Tour, I played it for hours and didn't do anything else, then after stopping it felt like my heart rate slowed and I had trouble breathing and I was going to pass out. It might be because I get addicted to things easily..like whenever I get things taken away from me, I used to pull my hair out in big intervals.

But I would like to believe I have some sort of stress, whether it's from video games or not. I can't have a normal conversation with my mom without having to take a deep breath and slowing my adrenaline, because it seems to speed up whenever I talk to her..I also have that when I have to repeat myself a lot >>'

 

[Psycho Monkey]

I do know that when I'm in a loosing streak against really tough bosses I have to take a break every once and a while because my hands are shaking and I become slightly light headed.

Prime example is Olcadan in Soul Calibur 3 because you need to take a certain path with out loosing once to fight him. Olcadan is a cheep bastard as it is, but with characters I suck with (Taki) it's near impossible to even get to him.

 

[Chibi]

I think I've something like this before. Only two games, well three actually, made me jump real bad: Resident Evil 2, The Thing (big time), and splinter Cell. Hey now, on Splinter Cell when I played I was so nervous about screwing up that I screwed up XD And The Thing, hell I jumped so many times when I watched my dad play it I didn't even want to hold the controller.

I don't really remember being anxious right in the middle of a game, but afterwards of like, a super huge boss fight I realize I'm shaking and breathing heavily but I was so absorbed in the game I had no clue I was having an adrenaline rush. Then afterwards when the game's all calm and I'm still jumpy and waiting for it throw something else at me.

I get where the irritability comes from afterwards, it took me forever to sit still. However, since I was so good at concentrating at my game that I didn't know my blood pressure was going up that I'm good at paying attention XD And I never really had an "outburst" per se, but my brother can be heard down the flippin hall. In fact, the only true anxiety I get is during the games and not afterwards.

 

[Teapot]

See, see, I find this amusing. The first study says that:

some video games can create a 'fight or flight' reaction in the player that triggers an adrenaline surge, but since it's only a game players don't act on that response.

This is all fine and well - and sounds realistic, but the other study comes back with:

The above results stand contrary to an Oxford University study, which found that video games could reduce stress. Gamers who played Tetris immediately after a traumatic event appeared to suffer less post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't get an fight-or-flight reaction when playing Tetris. Call of Duty or Resident Evil, definitely yes, but Tetris? No.