New Study Finds Excessive Gaming May Hurt Your Health

For years, a debate has raged between gamers, parents, and health experts: exactly when does a harmless hobby turn into a health hazard? Until now, the answer has been vague. However, new research has finally put specific numbers on the problem, pinpointing distinct thresholds where gaming goes from a fun pastime to a physical risk. According to findings from Curtin University, there are clear "tipping points" for both weekly and daily play that significantly impact weight, pain levels, and overall wellbeing.  

After analyzing the habits of 317 university students in Australia with a median age of 20, researchers identified 10 hours a week as the crucial divide. The study categorized participants into three groups: low gamers (0-5 hours per week), moderate gamers (5-10 hours), and high gamers (over 10 hours). 

The results showed that gaming isn't inherently bad, as low and moderate gamers maintained similar, generally healthy outcomes. Professor Mario Siervo from the Curtin School of Population Health highlighted that the issue is excessive gaming rather than the hobby itself. "What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight," Siervo explained. However, once that 10-hour weekly mark was crossed, the data showed a sharp decline in physical health.

"The real differences emerged in those gaming more than 10 hours a week, who showed clear divergence from the rest of the sample," Siervo noted. The impact on weight was particularly stark among the high-frequency group.  Professor Siervo explained that this weight gain is often linked to diet quality, which plummets as gaming hours increase. 

Sleep Disruption and Healthy Habits

"Each additional hour of gaming per week was linked to a decline in diet quality, even after accounting for stress, physical activity and other lifestyle factors," he said. The study suggests that excessive gaming "crowds out" healthy habits, leading players to skip balanced meals in favor of processed snacks, miss out on sleep, and reduce physical activity.

While the weekly total affects your waistline, the duration of your daily sessions dictates physical pain. Researchers from the University of Queensland found that playing for more than three hours straight significantly raises the risk of physical ailments. Sessions exceeding this three-hour mark were linked to eye fatigue, headaches, neck pain, and wrist pain, regardless of the player's age or gender. Over time, ignoring these limits can lead to repetitive strain injuries like back pain, or "gamer's thumb."

The research also highlighted that these physical effects are often compounded by poor sleep. The Curtin data revealed that while university-aged adults generally report poor sleep quality, moderate and high gamers scored significantly worse than low gamers, establishing a direct link between screen time and sleep disruption.

Professor Siervo warned that these patterns shouldn't be ignored, noting that "university habits often follow people into adulthood." To stay healthy, experts recommend simpler routines: taking regular breaks, avoiding gameplay late at night, and choosing healthier snacks. "Our data suggests low and moderate gaming is generally fine," Siervo concluded, "but excessive gaming may crowd out healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, sleeping properly and staying active."