Gaming Happiness

Gaming Leads to Happiness?

For those of us that play video games, studies like this are not surprising. Essentially, researchers have found that gaming can lead to more life satisfaction and happiness. MMOs such as World of Warcraft, Rift, and Guild Wars 2 create an immersive environment. If you have played any MMO for a period of time you begin to notice that the social environment and game economy begin to mimic real life. It is as if these games are a microcosm for real life.

As a trained anthropologist and gamer, I am always attracted to the anthropological approach to gaming. Humans have been making games for as long as we have been human. The need to play is ingrained in us. All work and no play makes for very unhappy people. That's why when I feel stressed, I stop what I am doing and pick up a game. Though sometimes, the game itself is stressing me. Then it's time for a different activity (such as watching Arrested Development on Netflix).

What do you think about this kind of research? Do you think this kind of research can help people or is it just a waste of time and money?