Cozy Games May Help Improve Players’ Mental Health, Researchers Say

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Initially, many studies on video games primarily aimed to uncover any correlation between in-game violence and its impact on players outside the virtual world. Nowadays, research focuses not only on negative aspects like gaming addiction but also explores potential positive effects of gaming, which can vary depending on the kind of game being played.

As a gamer myself, I’ve noticed that most research on the positive aspects of gaming tends to focus on relaxing titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. These easy-going games are crafted for tranquility and it’s hard to actually lose them. Moreover, they steer clear of placing players in overly stressful circumstances.

Greetings! Hiroyuki Egami, who works as an assistant professor at Nihon University, recently published research he conducted in Japan during the years 2020-2022. This study revealed that individuals experienced significant decreases in stress levels and improvements in mental health when they added an extra hour of gaming to their daily routine. In a different study, Michael Wong, an assistant professor at McMaster University, investigated the advantages of casual gaming compared to meditation practices.

In an unexpected twist, I found that both methods of intervention showed no discernible differences when it came to lowering blood pressure and heart rate. Believe it or not, the results were just as effective whether I was immersed in a video game or practicing mindfulness meditation.

In this field of research, there’s still a lot left to discover, yet these findings offer hope and validation to those who advocate for the advantages of video games for an extended period.

As a passionate gamer, I’m thrilled to witness how our beloved pastime is making a significant difference beyond just entertainment. Recently, gamers have rallied together to support Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 in their mission to raise an astounding $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Last year at the BAFTA Game Awards, SpecialEffect, a remarkable UK gaming charity, was recognized with a special award for its tireless work in enhancing accessibility to video games for individuals with physical disabilities. At its heart, gaming has the power to unite people, and it’s moments like these that highlight the best aspects of our community when given the opportunity to shine.

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2025-01-28 22:09