VOA慢速英语2020 牛津互联网研究院称电子游戏有益心理健康

Oxford¹ University researchers say a new study marks a rare example of collaboration² between academics and the video game industry.

牛津大学研究人员表示，一项新的研究标志着学者和电子游戏产业之间的罕见合作。

Lack of information from game makers³ has long been an issue for scientists hoping to better understand player behaviors.

缺乏来自游戏厂商的信息长期以来一直是希望更好地了解玩家行为的科学家所面临的难题。

The new study, which looked at how video games affect mental health, is unusual because it used information provided by the video game makers themselves. It comes at a time when video game sales have increased. Many people are staying at home because of the coronavirus health crisis. And in many countries, public health officials have set limits on public life.

这项新研究着眼于电子游戏如何影响心理健康，这是一项不寻常的研究，因为它使用了电子游戏厂商自己提供的信息。该研究发布时，电子游戏销量有所攀升。由于新冠病毒健康危机，许多人窝在家里。在许多国家，公共卫生官员对社会生活设定了限制。

The paper, released by the Oxford Internet Institute, is based on questions presented to people who played two video games. Those games were Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

牛津互联网研究院发布的这篇论文是基于对两种电子游戏玩家的调查。这两款游戏分别是《植物大战僵尸：邻里之战》和《集合啦！动物森友会》。

The study used data provided by the game makers Electronic Arts and Nintendo of America. It showed how much time the people in the study spent playing the games. Earlier research used estimates from the players themselves.

该研究使用了游戏厂商美国艺电公司和任天堂北美公司提供的数据。这些数据显示了研究所涉对象花了多少时间玩游戏。之前的研究使用的是玩家自己的估算。

The researchers said they found the actual amount of time spent playing was a small but positive factor in people's well-being⁴ - the state of being happy, healthy, or successful.

研究人员表示，他们发现实际游戏时间是影响人们幸福感的一个很微小但很积极的因素，幸福感是指人们感觉快乐、健康和成功的一种状态。

The paper said the level of enjoyment⁵ that players get from a game could be more important for their mental health than playing time.

该论文表示，对于玩家的心理健康而言，游戏享受程度比游戏时间更为重要。

The paper has not yet been peer reviewed. Peer review is a process by which a study is examined by a group of experts in the same field.

该论文尚未经过同行评审。同行评审是指由同领域专家小组对研究进行审查的过程。

The study results could raise questions about ideas that gaming causes aggression⁶ or addiction⁷.

该研究结果可能会引发人们对游戏导致好斗或成瘾这种观点的质疑。

"Our findings show video games aren't necessarily bad for your health," said Andrew Przybylski, the institute's director of research. "In fact, play can be an activity that relates positively⁸ to people's mental health – and regulating video games could withhold⁹ those benefits from players."

该研究院的研究主任安德鲁·普齐比斯基表示：“我们的研究结果表明，电子游戏不一定对你的健康有害。实际上，游戏可以成为有益人们心理健康的活动，而监管电子游戏可能会使玩家无法享受到这些好处。”

Regulate means to make rules or laws that control people or things.

监管是指制定控制人或事物的规则或法律。

Joseph Hilgard is an assistant professor of social psychology¹⁰ at Illinois State University. He noted¹¹ some limitations in the study. He suggested that the data does not directly show that video games have an effect on well-being. Instead, Hilgard described the data as "correlational," which suggests that two or more things change or happen together.

约瑟夫·希尔格德是伊利诺伊州立大学社会心理学的助理教授。他指出了这项研究的一些局限性。他暗示这些数据不能直接表明电子游戏会影响幸福感。相反，希尔格德称这些数据是“相关型，”，这表明两个或更多事物同时发生改变或发生。

Paul Croarkin of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota said he had "lingering questions" about the study. Croarkin has studied video games and children. He said the self-reporting nature of the study was a weakness. But he added that the researchers presented their findings in a balanced way.

明尼苏达州梅奥诊所的保罗·克罗瓦金表示，他对这项研究有着“挥不去的疑问。”克罗瓦金研究过电子游戏和儿童。他说，这项研究的自我陈述性质是缺点。但是他补充说，研究人员以一种均衡的方式提出了他们的发现。

For the study, the researchers questioned 2,756 people who played the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They also questioned 518 players of Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. All the players were asked to complete a questionnaire on their experiences. Their answers were matched up against playing time recorded by the video game companies.

在这项研究中，研究人员调查了2756名《集合啦！动物森友会》的玩家。他们还调查了518名《植物大战僵尸：邻里之战》的玩家。所有玩家都被要求填写一份关于自身经历的调查问卷。他们的答案再跟电子游戏厂商记录的游戏时间相匹配。

Andrew Przybylski suggested that researchers need to work more with the video game industry "to study how games impact a wider, and more diverse, sample of players over time."

普齐比斯基表示，研究人员需要跟电子游戏产业开展更多合作，“以研究随着时间推移，游戏如何影响更广泛、更多样化的玩家样本。”

He added, "We'll need more and better data to get to the heart of the effects of games, for good or ill, on mental health."

他还说：“我们需要更多更好的数据，以便深入了解游戏对心理健康的影响，无论它是好还是坏。”

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

8 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

9 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

10 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。