London, (AFP) - A large study conducted by the University of Oxford and published Wednesday found that the time spent playing video games had no consequences for their quality of life.

The study, which followed nearly 40,000 gamers over the age of 18 for six weeks, found little or no evidence of a causal relationship between video games and quality of life.

The researchers, whose study was published in the journal "The Royal Society", stated that "the average effects (video games) on the player's quality of life are likely to be very limited, whether positive or negative," noting that "more data is needed to identify potential risks." ".

The players were asked about their feelings in daily life, including their level of happiness, sadness, anger or frustration.

The researchers also drew on playtime data provided by the creators of seven video games, from simulation game Animal Crossing to open-world racing game The Crew 2.

The study noted that the consequences of video games, whether positive or negative, are only felt if the player spends more than ten hours playing daily.

These results contradict those of a study conducted by the same university in 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, to the effect that playing video games may be beneficial for mental health, in contrast to this study, which indicates that there is no link.

It is regularly said that video games, especially those that are played online, affect the psychological health of players, and previous studies have criticized the impact of very long gaming sessions on young people.

"One thing is certain, and that is that there is not enough data and evidence at the moment to allow public authorities to pass laws and regulations aimed at restricting the playing of video games in certain groups of the population," said Matte Faure, who co-authored the new study.