Video Games Can be Good for You in Small Doses

Playing violent video games may increase the risk of aggressive behaviors. Yet a new study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that playing certain video games for up to an hour a day could give some children a social advantage.

Oxford University researchers found that teenagers who played video games for less than one hour a day were better adjusted to society than peers who did not regularly participate in the games or than those who played for three hours a day or more.

"Young people who indulged in a little video game-playing were associated with being better adjusted than those who had never played or those who were on video games for three hours or more," the study noted, in a news release. "Those who played video games for less than an hour... were associated with the highest levels of sociability and were most likely to say they were satisfied with their lives. They also appeared to have fewer friendship and emotional problems, and reported less hyperactivity than the other groups."

For the study, researchers examined 5,000 youths, and compared  them to those who did not regularly play video games.

Findings revealed that those who excessively indulged in the games--at three hours a day more--saw some harmful effects. For instance, they were more likely to have difficulties in social situations or exhibit symptoms of aggressive behaviors.

For those who played between one and three hours a day, they did not experience any added benefits or consequences when compared to those who played for an hour or less daily, who gained some social benefits.

Researchers said they believe that this positive impact may be explained, quite simply, by a healthy dose of fun and learning from experiencing the right amount of interaction from this activity. 

"When kids are having fun and are at play, you'd expect them to be happy, right?" concluded lead study author Andrew Przybylski, an experimental psychologist at the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the University of Oxford in England, via WebMD.

Good excuse to get out the Playstation 4, right?