Playing video games when angry makes you a worse player, says study

Playing video games can stir up a lot of emotions, but a new study indicates being upset or depressed when you log onto your favorite game can make you play worse. Researchers from Stanford University showed participants video clips intended to make them feel amused, enthusiastic, angry or sad and then compared how they performed on the highly popular soccer game FIFA 19. Gamers exposed to positive scenes -- especially ones that encouraged enthusiasm -- did far better against a computer opponent than ones who watch saddening or anger-inducing clips. Not only did they score more goals, they showed an increase in'approach tendency,' taking possession of the ball more often and having more shots hit the goal, which experts say stems from'extra motivation that comes from positive emotion.' Participants were shown various video clips before playing five matches of FIFA 19, the most popular console game of the year. 'In addition, we observed that players who have greater confidence in their abilities and get more physiologically involved in the game achieve better results,' the researchers told IFLScience.