Gaming for Better or Worse: Longitudinal Analysis of Objective Video Game Play Data and Mental Health

Research problem and specific questionsThis study will investigate the complex associations between game play and mental health using objective behavioral data.

Specifically, our objectives are to: 1) describe the complex longitudinal associations between objective video game play and mental health, 2) study the objective behavioral markers of gaming disorder, and how do they differ from unproblematic gaming behavior in terms of frequency, duration, intensity, and engagement patterns, and 3) take the first steps toward disentangling the reciprocal causal effects of game play and mental health.Data and methodThis study will use a longitudinal design to collect objective game play data from multiple platforms by linking video game accounts to our independent research platform.

We will follow a large cohort of Swedish gamers aged 15 and above for a duration of 12 months.

Participants will complete surveys at baseline and at follow-up waves to assess mental health indicators, such as depression and anxiety.

We will analyze the complex associations between game play and mental health, as well as the reciprocal effects between these factors and health behaviors.Societal relevance and utilisation This study will be the first to leverage independently collected objective game play data from multiple platforms, combined with longitudinal survey data on mental health indicators.

Screen time, and especially gaming, is frequently brought up as an important factor behind the decrease in young peoples’ mental health, and excessive gaming has recently been classified as a formal psychiatric disorder. The study has significant implications for healthcare professionals, parents, and policymakers.

The results from our studies will help answer if and how gaming is related to mental health problems, and if it is a good intervention target or if our efforts should be focused elsewhere.Plan for project realizationThe participants will donate their objective play data via a purpose-built website, that we have already developed.

The project is a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet and researchers at the University of Oxford.

Participants will be recruited using targeted advertisements and using a digital marketing company and they will be reimbursed for their time. We will use a planned missingness design to improve the efficacy of the survey data collection.