Competitive gaming can sometimes bring out an ugly side in people that you might not have noticed was there before. This is an issue with many games, which is why games like League of Legends and DotA 2 have tools in place to report such players, and why some games such as Hearthstone do not even allow gamers to chat with each other.However not all games bring out the worst in people. In fact according to a recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that was published in the journal of Media Psychology (via CNET), it was found that Pokemon GO players tend to be more positive, friendly, and upbeat kind of people.
The study observed 400 people about 3 weeks following the launch of Pokemon GO back in July last year. Out of the 400, 40% played the game and based on their observations, those who played the game tended to experience more positive emotions, made new friends, strengthened existing friendships, and even got more exercise as a result of the game.
According to the study’s author James Alex Bonus, “The more people were playing, the more they were engaging in behaviors that reflected making new connections — making Facebook friends, introducing themselves to someone new, exchanging phone numbers with someone, or spending more time with old friends and learning new things about them.”
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