Can Video Games Cause Anxiety?: Connection & Effects

What Is the Link Between Video Games & Anxiety?

Although video games are sometimes thought of as self-soothing techniques due to the sense of escape that they provide, they can cause anxiety in some people. Instead of feeling calm or even disconnected from what was stressing them out, anxiety makes itself present in the body and mind of the player.

Because video games are so popular in mainstream media, their effects on mental health are often downplayed.¹
In moderation, video games can be a healthy social activity if it does not impact sleep or other activities and needs.² But for some, even moderate gaming can cause mental health symptoms such as anxiety.

However, despite their popularity among adolescents as well as adults, video games are found to have a “pervasive negative influence” on gamers.² When gaming becomes excessive, such as when it impacts daily life or when it causes symptoms such as anxiety, it can cause an increase in psychological stressors.

What Video Game Anxiety Looks Like

Video game anxiety symptoms can look similar to regular anxiety symptoms but are tied back to the effects of playing video games. Obsessing about the game, even when not playing it, and finding yourself restless or irritable when playing it are all some common signs that you are experiencing video game anxiety.

Common gaming anxiety symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Irritability
• Hopelessness
• Feelings of dread
• Restlessness or inability to sit still
• Obsessive thoughts about the game, even when not playing it
• Unwillingness to play a different game until you clear the level or beat the challenge
• Repetitive thought loops (especially about things you can’t complete in the game)
• Feeling an incessant need to return to playing the game when doing other things
• Talking nonstop about the game
• Difficulty with focus and attention
• Feeling sweaty or clammy

Video Games & Anxiety Depend on Personality Traits

Researchers are unsure whether it is the excessive video gaming that leads to increased mental health symptoms, or whether it is the mental health symptoms that lead to a desire to game.¹ Therefore, there is no guarantee that gaming will give someone anxiety.

What we do know, is that there is a correlation between those with anxious personalities such as neuroticism and gaming. Video games have long been used as a form of escape from the real world into fantasy. Those with stress at school or work often look forward to when they can come home and escape into a virtual reality that takes them away from everything else going on around them.

Because there is a link between stress and trauma experiences and developing anxiety as an adult, it is not surprising that those with anxiety would be more likely to long for an opportunity to escape. “If children and adolescents experience difficult situations, it can be easier for them to “substitute” those situations with a virtual picture that is convenient and offers the prospect of being able to solve any problematic situation.”³

Do Video Games Affect Social Anxiety?

For those with social anxiety disorder, developing and maintaining social support can be difficult due to the amount of stress and concern often involved with forming friendships. It can often feel easier to engage socially while playing a game, or even virtually, rather than interacting in person. Therefore, it is not surprising that those with social anxiety find the social element of online gaming easier to navigate.

In fact, researchers found that while engaged in multi player video games, players actually were more connected socially.¹ However, immediately upon ending the game, this feeling of social connection can likely go away, leaving the person without that feeling of social connection.

Can the Relationship Between Video Games & Anxiety Be Weakened?

Finding ways to decrease the reliance on video games for social and mental stimulation, as well as redirecting your energy to other interesting activities, are some ways to weaken the relationship between video games and anxiety symptoms.

The following tips can help reduce video game anxiety:

Take Reality Breaks

A reality break is when you take time away from virtual reality to spend time in the present, or the real world. Taking time away from video games in the form of reality breaks can help reduce anxiety by helping the body relax.

Become Grounded

Anxiety increases when we feel uneasy or distracted. Working on becoming grounded can help anxiety by helping the body promote relaxation. Some ways to practice grounding is to focus on breathing, orient yourself to your present surroundings, and engage your body in purposeful movement such as stretching.

Watch Games Instead of Joining

Many people enjoy watching others play video games, either in person or on streaming websites. Video game streaming is one of the top viewed categories, showing that it is a huge aspect of gaming for many people.⁴ Taking a break from gaming, while still watching others engage in it, can decrease the anxiety of participating while still allowing you to enjoy the social and entertainment elements.

Read or Watch a Movie about Fantasy

For many, video games are appealing due to their ability to provide “instant gratification” as well as distractions.⁵ However, movies could potentially offer many of these similar benefits, but without the added anxiety that comes from engaging in gaming.

Set Limits

Unless you have a desire to stop completely, there is no need to give up gaming altogether. In moderation, and when used in a healthy way, video games can actually provide benefits such as improved cognitive functioning.⁶ Instead, set a timer to remind yourself to take breaks. Limiting your time spent gaming is beneficial for decreasing the anxiety associated with playing video games.

Consider if You are Using Gaming to Procrastinate

Due to their ability to take you out of reality, many people use gaming to decrease stress and avoid uncomfortable or difficult situations. Similarly, it is also common to use video games to procrastinate from doing uninteresting or boring tasks such as homework or housework.

Researchers found that those who use gaming  “…to escape reality and to reduce stress had more problems of procrastination than those who play for entertainment, reward or social reasons.”⁵ If you think this could be you, take a moment to think about what you could be avoiding.

Refocus Your Energy

If you find that you engage in video games due to trying to escape from uncomfortable feelings such as anxiety, redirecting your energy onto other coping skills can be effective. Developing healing coping skills does not mean you have to stop gaming. Over time, you can work to develop other coping skills to help your mental health symptoms, while still being able to engage in occasional healthy use of video games.

Hang out With Friends

Instead of “seeing” people virtually on a video game, try hanging out in person. Even if you just start by talking about the game, you will still experience the benefits of spending time in person. Over time, you will notice the benefit of spending time with friends and may find it easier to incorporate this into your life while still playing games sometimes.

Look Deeper

For many who struggle with mental health issues, gaming can become an easy outlet due to its ability to distract from what is going on in the person’s life, including any trauma or difficulties they had to deal with in the past. While not all people with trauma history will turn to gaming to cope, research has found a connection between excessive gaming or computer use and psychological trauma.³ Taking a look at your history, and taking time to work through it, can help you decrease the need to use gaming as a coping skill.

Make Sure to Get Enough Rest

Due to the effect of gaming on the mind and body, gaming can put someone more at risk for a heightened stress response following this activity. Research shows that those who play video games display more fatigued executive functioning following gaming.⁷ Making sure to get enough rest each day can help prevent the stress and anxiety that comes from video gaming.

When to Seek Professional Help for Anxiety

Video games can be a healthy outlet when used in moderation. However, if you feel that you are using them to escape from trauma or life stress, it could be possible that you are using them as a crutch to cope. If you find that your gaming or the anxiety you are trying to escape from is affecting your ability to live a fulfilling life, it is time to seek support.

It is easy to find support for treatment of anxiety. Use an online therapist directory or online therapy platform to look for a therapist who specializes in anxiety.

In My Experience

Like many with anxiety, I learned to deal with my symptoms through escapism. Unfortunately, I was never any good at video games, so my escape was through reading, food, and other things that would give my body the dose of dopamine that it longed for. As I developed more self awareness into my symptoms, I realized that the coping skills I was using to escape were not working, they were only prolonging the inevitable return to discomfort that I always felt after stopping the activity. Taking time to replace some of the escapism coping skills with more present ones such as grounding helps to decrease anxious symptoms.