A study conducted in June 2014 at the [[University of Buffalo]] concluded that violent behavior in a virtual environment could lead to players' increased sensitivity of the moral codes that they violated, due to immoral behavior in video games eliciting guilt in players.<ref>{{Cite journal|volume=17|issue=8 |pages=499–504|doi=10.1089/cyber.2013.0658|pmid=24950172|year=2014|last1=Grizzard|first1=Matthew |title=Being Bad in a Video Game Can Make Us Morally Sensitive|journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking|last2=Tamborini|first2=Ron|last3=Lewis|first3=Robert J.|last4=Wang|first4=Lu|last5=Prabhu |first5=Sujay|hdl=2152/41144|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
===Mental health disorders===
Studies have shown that video games, whether they are designed to be therapeutic or not, can be used to lower anxiety levels of those who suffer from chronic anxiety issues.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hsieh|first1=Ru-Lan|title=The Impact of Short Term Video Games on Performance among Children with Developmental Delays: A Randomized Controlled Trial|journal=PLOS ONE|date=2016|volume=11|issue=3|pages=e0149714|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0149714|pmid=26983099|pmc=4794225|bibcode=2016PLoSO..1149714H|doi-access=free}}</ref> Furthermore, a study done on children with mental disorders showed specifically designed therapeutic games, that provide a "lifelike alternate reality", which can help treat problems such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and [[ADHD]].<ref>Concepcion, H., (2017). "Video Game Therapy as an Intervention for Children With Disabilities Literature Review and Program Protocol". (Vol. 51, ''Therapeutic Recreation Journal'') Retrieved from http://search.lib.virginia.edu/articles/article?id=s3h%3A125493486 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922013430/https://search.lib.virginia.edu/articles/article?id=s3h%3A125493486 |date=2020-09-22 }}</ref> Following the release of positive first-line data in May 2023, Akili Interactive, Inc. announced that it will launch the video game to adults who wish to use it to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. EndeavorOTC, the adult version of Akili's [[Food and Drug Administration|U.S. Food and Drug Administration]]-approved children's video game, is now available on the Apple App Store and can be used without a doctor's consultation or prescription. Previous versions of the game have been used in children's ADHD treatments<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aguilar |first=Mario |date=2023-06-07 |title=Akili Interactive releases video game treatment for adult ADHD with no prescription required |url=https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/07/adhd-akili-fda-adults-game-endeavorrx/ |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=STAT |language=en-US}}</ref>.
Video games can be effective in facilitating communication and interaction between people.2022 The results of the study suggest that game mode is an important factor influencing social interaction between players. The study was a field-controlled trial conducted in a Swiss nursing home. Creative game modes may increase verbal communication compared to other modes. In contrast, competitive modes may inspire more shared laughter. This has important implications for game design and the use of computer games in practice to promote social interaction between older adults and co-players. [[Analysis of variance|ANOVA]] with repeated measures revealed significant effects: significantly more verbal exchanges in the creative mode than in the co-operative mode, and the effects were significant. The study of verbal communication showed more game-related communication in the creative mode than in the co-operative and competitive modes, with a marginally significant effect and a strong effect size. In addition, biography-related communication was significantly more frequent in the creative model than in the co-operative model, and its effect size was also strong. Regarding non-verbal communication (e.g., laughing together), repeated measures ANOVAs revealed significant differences between the different modes of play and larger effect sizes. The results showed that laughing together was significantly more common in the competitive mode (competitive > co-operative > creative)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zahn |first=Carmen |last2=Leisner |first2=David |last3=Niederhauser |first3=Mario |last4=Roos |first4=Anna-Lena |last5=Iseli |first5=Tabea |last6=Soldati |first6=Marco |date=2022-02-16 |title=Effects of Game Mode in Multiplayer Video Games on Intergenerational Social Interaction: Randomized Field Study |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8892273/ |journal=JMIR Formative Research |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=e29179 |doi=10.2196/29179 |issn=2561-326X |pmc=8892273 |pmid=35171097}}</ref>.
