"Two studies recently published by Jeffrey Snodgrass, associate professor of anthropology at Colorado State, examine types of video gaming experiences and the effects they can have on players’ lives, including their self-reported levels of stress, life satisfaction and happiness.

In both studies, Snodgrass and his research team examined the popular online game, World of Warcraft, which currently has about 12 million players worldwide. In the game, players develop avatars and complete tasks in cooperation with other players. The complex and highly interactive nature of the game can lead players to feel as though they have become part of a vividly compelling alternate universe that is in some important sense separate from the world outside the game."

Immersive state of play

"The idea is that if you lose yourself, you escape,” Snodgrass said. “So it’s deeply relaxing, what some gamers describe as akin to meditation, or at other times positively challenging and stimulating, like a great chess match where you’re actually one of the pieces, and we show that there are strong associations between these various states of consciousness and the game’s health benefits. But it is important to note that the escape must be controlled and temporary to be positive, so that it leads to rejuvenation rather than simple problem avoidance, which in the end only increases the experience of stress.”

Balancing act

"But we want to be careful to present a balanced portrait of online gaming,” Snodgrass said. “Our study does show that in other instances players get drawn in too much and they enjoy losing themselves too greatly. That can contribute to problematic play and what some researchers even call online gaming addiction.”

Online vs. offline friends

"Snodgrass and his colleagues determined that playing with offline friends (friends who are friends in “real life”) is healthier, because offline friends can help regulate game play. Playing with offline friends also allows players to transfer their positive gaming experiences into their real lives.

Playing with offline friends also makes it more difficult to have those immersive experiences, Snodgrass said, which can be positive or negative."

“If it’s harder to immerse, that’s a double-edged sword,” Snodgrass said. “You’re losing some benefits of playing such as reducing stress and tension, but you’re also losing some potential for addiction.”