Official: games make you feel good!

You know how it feels when you clear a Sudoku Master puzzle, get a high score in Tetris DS, or improve your Brain Age with Dr Kawashima?

The simple description would be 'it feels good' but boffins have gone one better: they've discovered exactly what it is that makes games so satisfying to play.

Up until now, most studies about video games have concentrated on their potentially harmful effects. However, Dr Scott Rigby, a virtual environment researcher, and colleagues from the University of Rochester in the U.S. have discovered that, if a player's needs are satisfied, games can create feelings of increased well-being.

To make their findings, the scientists conducted three studies in which they invited people to play various types of game: from simple platform-jumping games to 3D adventures and massive multiplayer online games.

The study showed that players who felt senses of independence, achievement and, in the case of multiplayer games, a connection with others, enjoyed their experience more. These players showed increases in well-being, self-esteem and vitality after playing, while players whose needs weren't satisfied were found to have lower vitality and mood.

Commenting on the report, Dr Rigby argued that video games can offer important psychological fulfilment, in contrast to the real world that offers few opportunities to be independent or successful.

"Video games in some ways are very good at satisfying these psychological needs," Rigby told Reuters News. "Often real life is not as clear...real life often can make you feel ineffective."