The Effects of Video Games on Stress in College Students and Tips to Make the Best Use of Them

There is no secret that education has never been an easy matter. We all know that studying both in school and, later, in college requires significant commitment and effort. Also, there are plenty of issues and challenges that learners face every day. Still, experts believe that stress might be the biggest problem in education for students.

Recent statistical reports reveal that 75% of college students have gone through a highly stressful event in the past year. To this time, the two primary stressors for students remain exams and challenging homework assignments. The good news is that there is now a possibility to hire a paper writing service to write my essays for me and get rid of at least a part of your stress. But the truth is that there are plenty of other stressors that make over 50% of students feel stressed every day, so it’s crucial to find a working solution to this problem. And we actually might have one already!

How Do Video Games Affect Students’ Stress? (H2)

For the majority of people, video games are a type of leisure that helps them relax and unwind. Indeed, when you get home after a long and tiring day in college, it always feels great to forget about your studies and spend a few hours playing your favorite game. But the biggest reason why players love games so much is that they also provide stress relief.

According to a recent report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), 89% of players claim that playing games helps them cope with daily stress. Based on this number alone, you can think that if you read essay writing services reviews and find a trusted academic helper to delegate your current tasks to, you can spend all your free time playing video games, and it will actually benefit you.

But is this really true?

The answer is yes. According to experts, playing video games offers students a number of positive benefits:

• An opportunity to socialize. Video games bring together same-minded people and help them interact in real-time and build friendships. According to specialists, this can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
• A sense of accomplishment. Video games offer players a unique environment where they have all the decision-making power. This is an environment where players get to “sit in the driver’s seat” and do everything the way they want to, which leads to a sense of accomplishment. This factor is especially tangible for the youngest players, but older students also feel it and benefit from it.
• Pleasant activity players deeply enjoy. Finally, every person will agree that playing video games is fun. This is an activity that people enjoy regardless of their age.

By giving players an opportunity to have a lot of fun, socialize, and gain a sense of accomplishment, video games can indeed reduce their stress levels. Multiple studies confirm that video games are relaxing and rewarding, which positively affect players’ well-being. On top of that, games offer an opportunity to escape from real life. They offer a chance to get distracted from the unwanted thoughts and problems that cause stress on a daily basis. So playing them can indeed help college students relieve stress. But there are a few factors that are worth keeping in mind.

3 Tips to Get the Best Stress Relief From Playing Video Games

If you decide to use gaming as a stress relief opportunity while in college, there are a few things that will help you get the most out of it:

1. Choose the Right Type of Game

According to studies, all types of video games can offer you stress relief as long as you are genuinely enjoying the process. Nevertheless, studies suggest that not all types of games affect your body and mind in the same way. While some of them are positive and relaxing by nature, others can be called rather distressing. 

For example, games like shooters are known to cause cardiovascular stress responses. These responses are very similar to ones people experience when the body responds to external stressors. These games can still provide relief. However, experts believe that choosing role-playing games like The Sims, Minecraft, and similar can be better for de-stress.

Still, be sure to choose games based on your personal preferences.

1. Make Sure Your Duration of Play Is “Healthy” 

Despite all the benefits of video games, excessive gaming is proven to do more harm than good. Moreover, there are multiple studies that confirm that spending too much time gaming (especially at night) can boost your cortisol levels and, eventually, lead to more stress. Therefore, in order to feel the positive effects, you should limit your gaming time to a few hours a day.

1. Don’t Get Too Engaged in Escapism 

Since video games let you distract from problems and escape the real world, it can be easy to start using them to run away from the world every day. There is nothing beneficial or healthy in excessive escapism. Thus, it’s important to play video games for fun and leisure and don’t make them your only form of stress relief and escapism.

The Bottom Line

For nearly every person, years in college are incredibly distressing and cause lots of challenges. Sometimes, when facing too much stress in college, it can even feel like finding a working remedy isn’t possible. However, now you know that getting rid of stress can be done by simply playing your favorite video games.

Now that you know about all the benefits, delegate your current tasks to the top paper writing services and let yourself spend some hours playing fun and relaxing games. The benefits you will get make it definitely worth it.