Researchers found a tipping point where too much gaming may start crowding out healthy habits.
Spending more than 10 hours a week playing video games may start to affect young people’s eating habits, sleep quality, and body weight, according to new research led by Curtin University and published in Nutrition.
The study involved 317 students from five universities across Australia. Participants had a median age of 20 years, making the findings especially relevant to young adults during a formative stage of life.
How the Study Grouped Gamers
Researchers categorized students based on how much time they reported spending on video games each week. The groups included low gamers (0-5 hours per week), moderate gamers (5-10 hours per week), and high gamers (10+ hours per week).
Students in the low and moderate groups showed very similar health patterns. In contrast, once weekly gaming time went beyond 10 hours, health outcomes began to worsen noticeably.
Professor Mario Siervo from the Curtin School of Population Health explained that the results point to excessive gaming as the main concern rather than gaming itself.
“What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight,” Professor Siervo said.
“The real differences emerged in those gaming more than 10 hours a week, who showed clear divergence from the rest of the sample.”
Diet Quality and Body Weight Differences
The researchers observed a clear drop in diet quality among students who played video games for more than 10 hours per week. Obesity was also more common in the high gaming group compared with students who played less.
Students classified as high gamers had a median body mass index (BMI) of 26.3kg/m2. By comparison, low and moderate gamers fell within a healthier range, with median BMIs of 22.2kg/m2 and 22.8kg/m2 respectively.
“Each additional hour of gaming per week was linked to a decline in diet quality, even after accounting for stress, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors,” Professor Siervo said.
Sleep Quality and Gaming Hours
Poor sleep was reported across all groups, but sleep problems were more pronounced among moderate and high gamers. The data showed a significant association between longer gaming hours and greater sleep disruption.
“This study doesn’t prove gaming causes these issues, but it shows a clear pattern that excessive gaming may be linked to an increase in health risk factors,” Professor Siervo said.
Why Balance Matters Long Term
According to the researchers, playing video games in low to moderate amounts does not appear to pose major health concerns. The risks increase when long gaming sessions begin to replace essential daily habits.
“Our data suggests low and moderate gaming is generally fine, but excessive gaming may crowd out healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, sleeping properly, and staying active.
“Because university habits often follow people into adulthood, healthier routines such as taking breaks from gaming, avoiding playing games late at night, and choosing healthier snacks may help improve their overall well-being.”
Reference: “Video gaming linked to unhealthy diet, poor sleep quality and lower physical activity levels in Australian University students” by Thanaporn Kaewpradup, Svetlana Deric, Hannah Velure Uren, Van Hoang Nguyen, Leticia Radin Pereira, Ranil Coorey, Jonathan C.K. Wells, Sirichai Adisakwattana, Blossom C.M. Stephan and Mario Siervo, 5 December 2025, Nutrition.
DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.113051
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1 Comment
They should have also noted whether the gamers they tested were autistic or not.
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