What Gaming Does To Your Mental Health: Here’s What Science Says

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Reuters has recently shared an engaging piece that isn’t your typical article. Instead, it’s more like an interactive game experience. As you navigate through a virtual town called Rootersville on your screen, you guide a character named Radish. During this gameplay, you interact with villagers, cultivate sunflowers, and gain insights about the effects of cozy games on mental health without realizing you’re learning along the way.

I highly recommend checking it out, it is one of the most creative article pages I have ever seen.

Cozy Games: More Than Just a Trend?

Based on a report from Reuters, the gaming sector has overtaken both the film and music industries in terms of size, with one rapidly expanding category being “cozy games.” These tranquil, stress-free games are crafted for relaxation, featuring challenges that revolve more around construction and exploration rather than fighting or wreckage. There’s a growing curiosity if they could also contribute to mental wellness. The latest findings referenced by Reuters hint towards this possibility.

Comforting video games have been around since the ’90s, and early ones like Harvest Moon (1996) laid the groundwork. But it wasn’t until 2020, during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns, that the genre really took off with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This game offered a virtual refuge for many, selling over 13 million copies within its first six weeks. Reuters points out that its success led to a flood of similar games, making cozy games a significant trend in the gaming world.

As a game enthusiast, I’ve found that a “cozy” game is one that envelops me in a sense of warmth and comfort. It doesn’t have a rigid definition, but if it creates a serene ambiance with gentle music, soft color schemes, and allows me to advance at my own speed, it ticks all the boxes. These cozy games are like a comfy blanket on a cold day – inviting, peaceful, and perfect for unwinding.

Games that provide comfort as well as entertainment help build communities. These virtual interactions often serve as crucial connections for many game enthusiasts, especially those who are neurodivergent. Reuters spoke with Suzanne Roman, an autism advocate, who explained how her daughter, who built friendships online during her youth, found significant support from her gaming community. On her 21st birthday, friends from various parts of the world pooled resources to purchase a special gift for her, demonstrating how these digital environments can nurture real-life relationships.

In contrast to worries about gaming addiction, acknowledged by the World Health Organization in 2019, some experts propose that gaming may even boost wellness. For instance, Hiroyuki Egami, an assistant professor at Nihon University, explored the impact of video games on mental health during the pandemic. His results showed a connection: playing video games for around an hour daily was linked to less psychological distress and higher life satisfaction.

In a similar vein, research conducted by Michael Wong at McMaster University demonstrated that playing casual games can be equally beneficial in managing stress levels as practicing meditation. This finding seems plausible, doesn’t it? In essence, meditation revolves around controlled breathing and releasing negative thoughts… Interestingly enough, when I reflect on my moments spent playing Animal Crossing, it appears that the same process occurred there too.

Through such studies, it’s being discovered that video games could potentially serve therapeutic purposes as well. According to Reuters, Aaron Sujar of Rey Juan Carlos University is investigating whether gaming might aid in managing ADHD, indicating that the influence of the gaming industry extends beyond simple entertainment.

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2025-02-03 13:09