Positive Emotions Associated with “Counter-Strike” Game Playing

Shin, Mirim; Heard, Rob; Suo, Chao; Chow, Chin Moi

doi:10.1089/g4h.2012.0010

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Furthermore, studies have shown that ad hoc video games could help adults with anxiety better handle emotional and physiological responses to stressors [78] and improve behavioral performance on anxiety-related stress tasks [79]. Interestingly, in addition to custom-made video games, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video games have also shown potential application for improving mental health [19], including the reduction of stress and anxiety (eg, [80][81][82]).…”

Section: Commercial Off-the-shelf Video Games For Relaxationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quantitative nonrandomized studies (n=8) 1 ( 13 None of the 8 studies that used a quantitative nonrandomized methodology accounted for confounders in the design and analysis. Two of these studies did not clearly describe the target population and the sample (inclusion and exclusion criteria) [80,116]. One study did not adopt appropriate measurements and did not report complete outcome data [116].…”

Section: Quality Assessment Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Commercial Off-The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Systematic Review

Pallavicini¹,

Pepe²,

Mantovani³

2021

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Using commercial off-the-shelf video games rather than custom-made computer games could have several advantages for reducing stress and anxiety, including their low cost, advanced graphics, and the possibility to reach millions of individuals worldwide. However, it is important to emphasize that not all commercial video games are equal, and their effects strongly depend on specific characteristics of the games. Objective The aim of this systematic review was to describe the literature on the use of commercial off-the-shelf video games for diminishing stress and anxiety, examining the research outcomes along with critical variables related to computer game characteristics (ie, genre, platform, time of play). Methods A systematic search of the literature was performed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. The search databases were PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline, IEEExplore, and the Cochrane Library. The search string was: [(“video game*”) OR (“computer game*”)] AND [(“stress”) OR (“anxiety”) OR (“relaxation”)] AND [(“study”) OR (“trial”) OR (“training”)]. Results A total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria for the publication period 2006-2021. The findings demonstrate the benefit of commercial off-the-shelf video games for reducing stress in children, adults, and older adults. The majority of the retrieved studies recruited young adults, and fewer studies have involved children, middle-aged adults, and older adults. In addition to exergames and casual video games, other genres of commercial off-the-shelf games helped to reduce stress and anxiety. Conclusions Efficacy in reducing stress and anxiety has been demonstrated not only for exergames and casual video games but also for other genres such as action games, action-adventure games, and augmented reality games. Various gaming platforms, including consoles, PCs, smartphones, mobile consoles, and virtual reality systems, have been used with positive results. Finally, even single and short sessions of play had benefits in reducing stress and anxiety. Trial Registration International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols INPLASY202130081; https://inplasy.com/?s=INPLASY202130081

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Section: Commercial Off-the-shelf Video Games For Relaxationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quality Assessment Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Off-The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Systematic Review

Pallavicini¹,

Pepe²,

Mantovani³

2021

JMIR Ment Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For example, in a study investigating event-specific emotional responses while playing Super Monkey Ball 2 (SEGA)-a platform game (ie, a subgenre of an action game) where the player controls a character who has to jump and climb between suspended platforms while avoiding obstacles-players who experienced not only positive events (eg, acquiring in-game goods) but also some negative events (eg, falling over the edge of the game board) were reported to elicit positively valenced arousal [26]. In another study, predominantly positive emotions were reported while playing the action game Counter-Strike (Valve Corporation), as assessed by an electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha index; in addition, subjective ratings of emotional responses indicated happiness, both during and after the game [37]. Furthermore, dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to sensations of pleasure and reward, has been detected using positron emission tomography (PET) during video game playing [38].…”

Section: Virtual Reality Video Games Positive Emotions and Relaxationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have shown that computer games played on desktop display devices can generate positive emotions, such as joy or happiness (eg, [35][36][37]). For example, in a study investigating event-specific emotional responses while playing Super Monkey Ball 2 (SEGA)-a platform game (ie, a subgenre of an action game) where the player controls a character who has to jump and climb between suspended platforms while avoiding obstacles-players who experienced not only positive events (eg, acquiring in-game goods) but also some negative events (eg, falling over the edge of the game board) were reported to elicit positively valenced arousal [26].…”

Section: Virtual Reality Video Games Positive Emotions and Relaxationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Reality Games and the Role of Body Involvement in Enhancing Positive Emotions and Decreasing Anxiety: Within-Subjects Pilot Study

Pallavicini¹,

Pepe²

2020

JMIR Serious Games

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Background: In the last few years, the introduction of immersive technologies, especially virtual reality, into the gaming market has dramatically altered the traditional concept of video games. Given the unique features of virtual reality in terms of interaction and its ability to completely immerse the individual into the game, this technology should increase the propensity for video games to effectively elicit positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and anxiety in the players. However, to date, few studies have investigated the ability of virtual reality games to induce positive emotions, and the possible effect of this new type of video game in diminishing negative emotions and anxiety has not yet been tested. Furthermore, given the critical role of body movement in individuals' well-being and in emotional responses to video games, it seems critical to investigate how body involvement can be exploited to modulate the psychological benefits of virtual reality games in terms of enhancing players' positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions and anxiety. Objective: This within-subjects study aimed to explore the ability of commercial virtual reality games to induce positive emotions and diminish negative emotions and state anxiety of the players, investigating the effects of the level of body involvement requested by the game (ie, high vs low). Methods: A total of 36 young adults played a low body-involvement (ie, Fruit Ninja VR) and a high body-involvement (ie, Audioshield) video game in virtual reality. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form-Y1 (STAI-Y1) were used to assess positive and negative emotions and state anxiety. Results: Results of the generalized linear model (GLM) for repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a statistically significant increase in the intensity of happiness (P<.001) and surprise (P=.003) and, in parallel, a significant decrease in fear (P=.01) and sadness (P<.001) reported by the users. Regarding the ability to improve anxiety in the players, the results showed a significant decrease in perceived state anxiety after game play, assessed with both the STAI-Y1 (P=.003) and the VAS-anxiety (P=.002). Finally, the results of the GLM MANOVA showed a greater efficacy of the high body-involvement game (ie, Audioshield) compared to the low body-involvement game (ie, Fruit Ninja VR), both for eliciting positive emotions (happiness, P<.001; and surprise, P=.01) and in reducing negative emotions (fear, P=.05; and sadness, P=.05) and state anxiety, as measured by the STAI-Y1 (P=.05). Conclusions: The two main principal findings of this study are as follows: (1) virtual reality video games appear to be effective tools to elicit positive emotions and to decrease negative emotions and state anxiety in individuals and (2) the level of body involvement of the virtual video game has an important effect in determining the ability of the game to improve positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and state anxiety of ...

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“…Although the emotions elicited by gaming situations might seem intuitive, studies on the emotional experience of playing first-person shooter games show its complexity. For instance, wounding and killing an opponent causes an increase of positive emotions that could result from the game's progress [15] but also leads to an increase of negative emotions like fear and anger that could result from shooting the rivals [16]. Similarly, wounding or killing one's character (a negative event in the game) leads to positive emotions that could result from alleviating the stress associated with playing [1], but also leads to negative emotions that could result from the game's failure [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes male gamers angry, sad, amused, and enthusiastic while playing violent video games?

Behnke

Chwiłkowska

Kaczmarek

2021

Entertainment Computing

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Positive Emotions Associated with “Counter-Strike” Game Playing

Abstract: The overall results are consistent with the hypothesis that predominantly positive emotional reactions are elicited from playing the CS game and concur with positive subjective ratings of happiness. Future studies may explore the relationship of game pleasure and obsessive game play.

Cited by 14 publications

References 25 publications

Commercial Off-The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Systematic Review

Commercial Off-The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and Anxiety: Systematic Review

Virtual Reality Games and the Role of Body Involvement in Enhancing Positive Emotions and Decreasing Anxiety: Within-Subjects Pilot Study

What makes male gamers angry, sad, amused, and enthusiastic while playing violent video games?

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