More than ‘just’ fun: Gaming for science

Some unwind with a puzzle game on the couch, others dive into a shooter with friends. But as the newest research shows, games don’t just entertain—they can offer insight and even sharpen the mind. Max Birk, an associate professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), knows everything about it. “Even commercial games like League of Legends can teach us something.”

Gaming has become an integral part of our society: almost half of the Dutch population plays a video game on their phone, laptop, or game console daily. That’s not bad news—gaming is far more than a guilty pleasure. A new paper, recently published in Technology, Mind, and Behavior, offers a comprehensive analysis of the link between gaming and mental health, based on dozens of studies. It shows that action games can boost brain function and help regulate stress, while story-driven games can foster meaning, reflection, and new perspectives.

Measuring stress

Researchers are using games to study mental processes. Birk is one of them. He is affiliated with TU/e’s Human Technology Interaction group, where he works at the intersection of psychology, computer science, and game design. Among other things, he investigates how mental processes can be measured through gaming. For example, he has mapped cognitive functions affected by the stress of participants who played Tunnel Runner. Participants play as one of five lab rats trying to escape a mad scientist’s lab. The objective is to navigate a challenging tunnel filled with traps and obstacles.

Birk and his colleagues studied a mental process called inhibitory control — the ability to suppress impulses, which is known to be affected by stress. To test this, they used a so-called go/no-go task: participants had to press a button when they saw a “go” signal, but refrain from responding when a “no-go” signal appeared. The results were clear: stress made it harder for people to hold back. “Stress reduces your ability to control your reactions,” Birk explains. “That’s why people often say things they regret in stressful situations—it becomes harder to stop themselves.”

Max Birk

Games that motivate

Games can do more than map mental states. They can actively put people into action. They motivate, strengthen cognitive skills, and even support physical health. “Let’s take motivation as an example,” Birk continues. “Suppose someone has difficulty with daily tasks such as doing the laundry — games offer reward systems to make such activities more appealing. We call this gamification.”

With rewards and rankings, games make ’boring’ tasks more appealing. According to Birk, personalization can also play an important role in motivation. Think of creating a character in a game, just like The Sims. His research shows that players who recognize themselves in their avatar continue to play longer and participate more actively. This effect is similar to the so-called IKEA effect: people value something more when they make it themselves.

“Thanks to technological advances, such as better game engines, there is even more room for diverse representations now —for example, realistic depictions of different hair types, which is essential for inclusive and recognizable avatars,” he says. “And modern techniques such as VR and XR further advance experiences of immersion.”

League of Legends brings insight

Most of the games and avatars that Birk uses for his research are developed with colleagues or students at the university, sometimes in collaboration with external developers. But even commercial games can offer valuable insights into a person's mental state. A lot of games contain some form of cognitive challenge. Take League of Legends, for example. In games like this, functions such as inhibition and response selection play a significant role, Birk explains. ”The challenge now is to extract those signals from the game data and link them convincingly to cognitive processes – a complex but promising area of research. We have a project underway that investigates this relationship.”

Beyond disciplines

Birk operates at the intersection of gaming and psychology. He loves combining worlds. Now, he can use this power to connect as chair of the TU/e Young Academy of Engineering. This platform brings young researchers from different disciplines together to learn from each other, share experiences, and collaborate on solutions to societal issues. “Within universities, you often see people staying within their discipline,” Birk explains. “By creating a structure in which young researchers can meet each other at an early stage and discuss current topics together, space is created to understand other perspectives and the different needs of disciplines.”

Beyond national borders

Recently, Birk also became a member of De Jonge Akademie, a platform for early-career researchers supported by KNAW (Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen).

In his new role, he also aims to promote internationalization, both in gaming science and in science more broadly. “Political decisions are making Dutch science more inward-looking. For example, introducing ‘Dutch-only requirements’ in psychology—a field that mainly publishes in English—can make it less accessible to international researchers. I see opportunities to keep strengthening international ties.”

Birk is also looking forward to his upcoming trip. He concludes: “I'm visiting Concordia University in Montreal. I'm very excited to work on projects there at the intersection of games and mental health.”

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