Feeling a bit down now that the ‘Study Break’ is over? Worried that you didn’t do too well on your midsemester exams? Stressing out over that 5000 word essay that you’ve been ignoring since week one?

Go play some videogames. Seriously.

A comprehensive review of over 100 scientific papers released in August this year found that playing video games can have major positive effects on people’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

The review, conducted by the Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre in Melbourne found that young people in particular could benefit from a moderate amount of videogaming. A ‘moderate amount’ was defined as 7 – 10 hours per week, over 10 hours being considered ‘excessive’ and less than 7 hours was ‘low’.

Videogames were found to be a healthy and social way to relax and reduce stress, improving the mood and emotional stability of the people who played them.

Most interestingly, people who played moderate amounts of video games were found to be significantly less depressed and have significantly higher self-esteem than people who played no video games at all. However, playing an excessive amount of video games did reduce some of the benefits.

So next time you are playing Halo instead of finishing the major assessment item that is due in two days, remember that you aren’t wasting time but are in fact maintaining your mental wellbeing. And being emotionally healthy is definitely more important than any piece of assessment.