Digital Games and Well-Being: An Overview

The public debate about digital games primarily revolves around negative outcomes of digital gaming. This bias leads to a neglect of many of the positive aspects, and in particular, digital games’ contribution to well-being. However, more recently, there is a notable growth in studies interested in such beneficial effects. In this overview article, we will discuss some central research findings on three variants of well-being: hedonic, eudaimonic and social. These concepts refer to positive affective states, the fulfillment of central psychological needs and an appreciation of meaningful experiences, as well as the positive contribution to social interaction and relationships. Research on these three forms has consistently shown that games can be very effective in improving well-being.