British study: gaming has little influence on students

Gaming has little influence on students, according to large-scale British research. Children who played little games appeared to be slightly more satisfied with their lives and slightly more sociable, but the effect was small. The reverse effect was visible in children who play a lot of games.

The link between gaming and psychosocial adjustment in schoolchildren between the ages of 10 and 15 is very weak but significant, researcher Andrew Przybylski said in a study published Monday in the American scientific journal Pediatrics. In addition, the researcher says nothing about cause and effect: he only observes that children who play little games are better adapted and have fewer problems with friendships.

In an interview for the university’s own site, the researcher says that gaming seems to have little influence on children’s lives anyway: influences such as family circumstances, relationships at school and material situation are much more important, according to him.

About 5,000 British students took part in the study and the group is representative for that age group in Great Britain, according to the researcher. The researcher used questionnaires to measure various elements, including how long the students were gaming per day and how adapted they behaved.