Playing video games can relieve stress, regulate emotions, and make you feel better. That may sound like a big claim to make, but there's plenty of evidence available to support it.

Basically, adding a bit of game-playing time to your schedule could improve your mental health in many surprising ways. But this topic is not without its controversy.

With the scientific data available, you could build a case for both the positive and negative effects of video games. But the research in favor of them is compelling enough to establish their benefits for good.

Who Plays Video Games? Everyone.

Several factors influence how a gamer’s body reacts to any activity. Their overall health and habits play as big a part as age or gender. And, if you think gamers are only teenage boys, you’re very wrong.

According to Statista, 38 percent of avid US gamers in 2020 were between 18 and 34 years old, while over-55s reached 15 percent—and are probably still rising.

Not only that, but 2019 saw female gamers at 46 percent, the third highest in a decade. Further research into the topic has revealed more interesting patterns.

Gamer Gender Distribution US

A Frontiers in Psychology study by Olatz Lopez-Fernandez et al. published in 2019 measured female gaming and found that women are especially passionate about RPGs, MMORPGs, and First-Person Shooters.

Among other discoveries, like the fact that 24.6 percent of the 703 participants played daily, was that women use video games as an escape from stressors.

A vast range of people—men and women, young and old—engage with video games and their effects. These can be physical and psychological, and have a direct impact on stress levels.

Video Games and Mental Health

Playing Video Game on Mobile

A Healthy Body Benefits the Gamer’s Mind Too

Depending on the gameplay and your overall wellbeing, gaming can help manage your emotions. To do that, you need to balance digital fun and real life. This ensures your stress-relief doesn’t actually damage your physical and mental health.

Something as simple as leaving your console for an hour to eat properly or do some back and arm stretches for gamers has several benefits.

For starters, your body stays in decent shape and your brain gets the nutrients and stimulation it needs to not crash. Second, taking care of yourself means you can enjoy the calming effects of video games for longer.

Careful Gaming Lets You Express and Ease Feelings

Video games’ fantastical and immersive stories are key to how they benefit mental health. But so are their social capabilities, letting you connect with others, whether in battle or conversation.

Even violent video games can help you forget about a bad day and relieve stress. Daniela Villani et al. point this out in their 2018 Games for Health Journal review of top video game studies.

For some people, the sense of control and tactical goals violent titles offer can distract from everyday problems and ease a hostile or depressed mood.

The matter is still quite complex, however, considering how different one player can be from another and how easy it is to overindulge in the joys of gaming.

Related: Best Brain Training Mobile Apps to Keep Your Mind Sharp

Villani et al. also highlight that developers taking advantage of the enriching effects of video games have much to gain too. But the industry as a whole must take more control over gaming's slippery slope.

On an individual level, research has so far shown beyond a doubt that video games can be good for your mental health. It’s a form of entertainment with all the right ingredients to relieve stress and many other bad feelings.

But its success comes down to, at least, three rules:

  • Avoid excessive gaming.
  • Learn to manage your emotions with or without video games.
  • Engage with real life as much as your favorite fictional one.

How Playing Video Games Can Help Relieve Stress

Self-Esteem Tackles Stress

To overcome stressful thoughts or situations, you have to distance yourself from them. Video games put entire worlds in your head and give you exciting scenarios to focus on. This is at the heart of their entertainment and stress-relief value.

Scientific studies like Andrew Kuo et al.’s 2016 Journal for Consumer Marketing study on active escapism delve deeper into the matter. Video games, especially RPGs, can boost self-esteem and make people feel better when their sense of identity or control is under threat.

So, video games counter stress by increasing your confidence. Winning battles through strength of arms or cunning strategy is definitely something to be proud of. But these activities and emotions have two more factors in common: immersion and happiness.

High Engagement Makes You Happier

A 2019 Frontiers in Psychology study, courtesy of Anne Marie Porter and Paula Goolkasian, explores how stressful gaming conditions affected people’s cardiovascular and emotional state.

After participants played Mortal Kombat and Tetris with various challenges, the findings intrigued researchers. To begin with, the violence of the fighting game didn’t trigger aggressive reactions as other studies predict.

Mortal Kombat Video Game

On the contrary, its immersion gave victorious players a greater sense of accomplishment, relaxation, and happiness than Tetris did. And as Porter and Goolkasian state:

"Studies have shown that positive emotions can be a protective factor and predict faster cardiovascular recovery after stressful events."

But another important factor emerges: winning. If you’re not good at the game you’re playing, your stress levels are more likely to go up than down.

Playing Well Improves Stress-Relief

Fortunately, there are so many types of video games for desktop, console, and mobile platforms that everyone has a chance at finding a good outlet for their negative emotions.

According to another Games For Health Journal study, a group of scientists in 2019 looked into whether a prescribed regimen of Plants vs. Zombies would work better than antidepressants in reducing treatment-resistant depression symptoms. Turns out, it absolutely could.

Even a casual video game can help you escape your troubles, at least for a little while. This doesn’t mean that gaming should take over your life, but it lets you take a breather and then calmly deal with whatever’s stressing you out.

Play Video Games at Least a Little Every Day

A gamer with headphones on playing a game, which is blurred.

From puzzles and RPGs to fighting and casual games, try out any genre that draws your eye. Choose titles for different situations. For example, avoid overly immersive ones during work breaks. Above all, pace yourself and maintain healthy habits.

Understanding how video games affect humans is still a complicated field of study, but it’s good to see more and more scientists shine a positive light on the medium. Here, you can be sure that the least the right video game can do is help relieve stress.