Is gaming stress or relaxation? An HRV-based investigation of physiological responses in young adults

This study investigates the impact of video gaming activities versus watching a nature film on heart rate (HR) and vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) in healthy young men. Employing a randomized within-subject design, 31 male participants (average age: 23 years; BMI: 25.68; gaming experience: 8.69 years; daily gaming time: 1.96 h) were assigned to either start with playing video games for 120 min on two consecutive days, followed by watching a nature film for the same duration in the following week, or the reverse order. HR and vmHRV were measured via ECG before and after each activity. Results showed that Video gaming activities had no significant effect on HR and vmHRV. It is indicated that video gaming does not appear to have notable physiological impacts on the autonomic nervous system. Conversely, watching a nature film significantly reduced HR and increased vmHRV compared to playing video games. These findings suggest that watching nature films exerts a calming effect and enhances parasympathetic activity, potentially offering health benefits through stress reduction and relaxation. This study contributes important insights into the physiological effects of digital media and underscores the need for further research in this area.