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Playing video games harms players' mental health.
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CONTESTED PARTIAL
Recorded sources
1 source for · 6 against
Is it true that playing video games harms players' mental health?
Partly. The retrieved studies mostly cover narrower populations and specific play patterns rather than the general claim. Several report no significant mental health harm or even benefits from moderate play, while one legal paper asserts that excessive gaming harms mental health, so the evidence is mixed and only partial on both sides.
Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 1 source for, 6 against · Last checked
Evidence for · 1
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Is the software to blame for video gaming disorder?. (2025). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.47743/ejes-2025-0204
Evidence against · 6
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Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in young children?. (2016). ehesp.hal.science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1179-6
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More against · 5
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Exploring the possible mental health and wellbeing benefits of video games for adult players: A cross-sectional study. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562221103081
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Correlates of video games playing among adolescents in an Islamic country. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-10-286
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Building Creative Strategies and Solutions to Promote Benefits While Mitigating Harms of Video Games: A Workshop at CHI PLAY 2024. (2024). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1145/3665463.3678860
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F, P., A, P., & F, M. (2022). The Effects of Playing Video Games on Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, and Gaming Disorder During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: PRISMA Systematic Review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0252
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Seligman’s PERMA Model in Video Games – The Positive Influence of Video Games on Well-Being. (2023). ifip.hal.science. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8248-6_4
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