IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-05581-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Video game play and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis of global findings

Author

Listed:
  • Łukasz D. Kaczmarek

    (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)

  • Patrycja Chwiłkowska

    (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)

  • Maciej Behnke

    (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)

  • Dariusz Drążkowski

    (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań)

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, video gaming was often suggested as a way to help maintain physical distancing by encouraging people to stay indoors and play games instead of seeking social activities. However, there was concern about whether the increased time spent on video gaming could negatively affect players’ mental health. In our meta-analysis, we synthesized studies to evaluate changes in gaming time during the pandemic and examine its association with positive and negative mental health metrics. We searched databases for studies published from March 2020 to December 2021 reporting gaming time and mental health positive (e.g., happiness, positive affect, relaxation) or negative (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, anger) indicators during the pandemic. We employed random effects meta-analyses with robust variance estimates. We accounted for potential moderators (e.g., world region). In 17 studies (26 effects, n = 18026), we found a small increase in time spent gaming during the pandemic versus pre-pandemic, d = 0.26, 95% CI [0.14, 0.37], p = 0.0004. In 22 studies (100 effects, n = 19752), gaming time was not associated with mental health, r = −0.03, 95% CI [−0.08, 0.02], p = 0.22, regardless of whether it was for positive or negative mental health metrics. Moderator analyses indicated negligible differences across study characteristics (d

Suggested Citation

  • Łukasz D. Kaczmarek & Patrycja Chwiłkowska & Maciej Behnke & Dariusz Drążkowski, 2025. "Video game play and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis of global findings," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05581-6
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05581-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05581-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-05581-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julian P. T. Higgins & Simon G. Thompson & David J. Spiegelhalter, 2009. "A re‐evaluation of random‐effects meta‐analysis," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 172(1), pages 137-159, January.
    2. Lukasz Kaczmarek & Jolanta Enko & Małgorzata Awdziejczyk & Natalia Hoffmann & Natalia Białobrzeska & Przemysław Mielniczuk & Stephan Dombrowski, 2016. "Would You Be Happier If You Looked Better? A Focusing Illusion," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 357-365, February.
    3. Viechtbauer, Wolfgang, 2010. "Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 36(i03).
    4. Chu Kim-Prieto & Ed Diener & Maya Tamir & Christie Scollon & Marissa Diener, 2005. "Integrating The Diverse Definitions of Happiness: A Time-Sequential Framework of Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 261-300, September.
    5. Jens Bonke, 2005. "Paid Work and Unpaid Work: Diary Information Versus Questionnaire Information," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 70(3), pages 349-368, February.
    6. Dongil Kim & Junwon Lee, 2021. "Addictive Internet Gaming Usage among Korean Adolescents before and after the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of the Latent Profiles in 2018 and 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-17, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luisa C Eggenschwiler & Anne W S Rutjes & Sarah N Musy & Dietmar Ausserhofer & Natascha M Nielen & René Schwendimann & Maria Unbeck & Michael Simon, 2022. "Variation in detected adverse events using trigger tools: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(9), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Fabio Vieira & Roger Leenders & Joris Mulder, 2024. "Fast meta-analytic approximations for relational event models: applications to data streams and multilevel data," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 1823-1859, October.
    3. Cinar, Ozan & Nakagawa, Shinichi & Viechtbauer, Wolfgang, 2020. "Phylogenetic multilevel meta-analysis: A simulation study on the importance of modeling the phylogeny," EcoEvoRxiv su4zv, Center for Open Science.
    4. Peter Hartley & Patricia Costello & Rachel Fenner & Nathalie Gibbins & Édáin Quinn & Isla Kuhn & Victoria L Keevil & Roman Romero-Ortuno, 2019. "Change in skeletal muscle associated with unplanned hospital admissions in adult patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Fahad M. Al Amer & Christopher G. Thompson & Lifeng Lin, 2021. "Bayesian Methods for Meta-Analyses of Binary Outcomes: Implementations, Examples, and Impact of Priors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Bachmann, Federico & Liseras, Natacha & Graña, Fernando Manuel, 2021. "Innovative performance and firm size: a meta-regression analysis," Nülan. Deposited Documents 3614, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales, Centro de Documentación.
    7. Billari, Francesco C. & Giuntella, Osea & Stella, Luca, 2018. "Broadband internet, digital temptations, and sleep," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 58-76.
    8. Bart Verkuil & Serpil Atasayi & Marc L Molendijk, 2015. "Workplace Bullying and Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis on Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Francesca Pilotto & Ingolf Kühn & Rita Adrian & Renate Alber & Audrey Alignier & Christopher Andrews & Jaana Bäck & Luc Barbaro & Deborah Beaumont & Natalie Beenaerts & Sue Benham & David S. Boukal & , 2020. "Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    10. repec:cup:judgdm:v:15:y:2020:i:6:p:972-988 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Jonas Schmidt & Tammo H. A. Bijmolt, 2020. "Accurately measuring willingness to pay for consumer goods: a meta-analysis of the hypothetical bias," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 499-518, May.
    12. Michael Frisch, 2013. "Evidence-Based Well-Being/Positive Psychology Assessment and Intervention with Quality of Life Therapy and Coaching and the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 193-227, November.
    13. Sofia Dias & Alex J. Sutton & Nicky J. Welton & A. E. Ades, 2013. "Evidence Synthesis for Decision Making 3," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 33(5), pages 618-640, July.
    14. Mario Herberz & Tobias Brosch & Ulf J. J. Hahnel, 2020. "Kilo what? Default units increase value sensitivity in joint evaluations of energy efficiency," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 15(6), pages 972-988, November.
    15. repec:osf:metaar:tp45u_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Piers Steel & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Herman Aguinis, 2021. "The anatomy of an award-winning meta-analysis: Recommendations for authors, reviewers, and readers of meta-analytic reviews," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 23-44, February.
    17. Morris, Tim P & White, Ian R & Pham, Tra My & Quartagno, Matteo, 2023. "How to check a simulation study," OSF Preprints cbr72, Center for Open Science.
    18. Augusteijn, Hilde Elisabeth Maria & van Aert, Robbie Cornelis Maria & van Assen, Marcel A. L. M., 2021. "Posterior Probabilities of Effect Sizes and Heterogeneity in Meta-Analysis: An Intuitive Approach of Dealing with Publication Bias," OSF Preprints avkgj, Center for Open Science.
    19. Giménez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Velilla, Jorge & Ortega, Raquel, 2022. "Revisiting excess commuting and self-employment: The case of Latin America," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1179, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    20. Yuta Masuda & Lea Fortmann & Mary Gugerty & Marla Smith-Nilson & Joseph Cook, 2014. "Pictorial Approaches for Measuring Time Use in Rural Ethiopia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 467-482, January.
    21. Georgiou, George K. & Guo, Kan & Naveenkumar, Nithya & Vieira, Ana Paula Alves & Das, J.P., 2020. "PASS theory of intelligence and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    22. Stephan Kambach & Ingolf Kühn & Bastien Castagneyrol & Helge Bruelheide, 2016. "The Impact of Tree Diversity on Different Aspects of Insect Herbivory along a Global Temperature Gradient - A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(11), pages 1-14, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05581-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/palcomms/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.