Divergent effects of recreational and problematic action video game use on visual search: A cross-sectional comparison and 21-day training study

Research has primarily focused on the cognitive benefits of action video games (AVGs), with less focus on the distinction between recreational and problematic use, particularly regarding visual search across different visual fields and cue conditions. This study examined visual search abilities of problematic AVG players, recreational players, and non-players, alongside the effects of a further 21-day AVG training intervention. Recreational players showed better visual search performance than problematic AVG players and non-players. This advantage was observed only under cued conditions, in both central and peripheral visual fields, indicating that recreational players had more efficient use of cue utilization rather than a broader visual field. Furthermore, the 21-day AVG training showed short-term AVG training could improve cue utilization in the training group. These findings support an association between recreational AVG use and better visual search performance, whereas problematic AVG use was not accompanied by the same advantage, with preliminary evidence that short-term AVG training may improve cue utilization.