Most of the early research into video games seemed to be designed to find a link between in-game violence and its effects on players in the real world. More recently, there have been studies about the adverse affects of gaming addiction. However, there’s now research that suggests playing games may actually be beneficial for players, depending upon the type of the game.
According to Reuters, the majority of the research into the benefits of gaming focuses on cozy video games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. These casual games are designed to be soothing to play and almost impossible to lose. That genre also avoids putting players into overly stressful situations.
Hiroyuki Egami, an assistant professor at Nihon University, published a study conducted in Japan between 2020-2022 which found that participants experienced greatly reduced stress and an increase in mental health if they spent one extra hour playing games each day. A separate study by McMaster University assistant professor Michael Wong compared the benefits of casual gaming to meditation.
“To our surprise, there really wasn’t a difference between the two forms of interventions,” explained Wong. “For blood pressure and heart rate, there was no statistically significant difference between playing a video game and engaging in meditation.”
This is an area of study that still remains largely unexplored, but these results are encouraging for players who have touted the benefits of gaming for years.
Improved mental health for players isn’t the only way games are creating positive change. Players have also come together to help Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 raise $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Last year at the BAFTA Game Awards, a UK gaming charity called SpecialEffect was given a special award for its efforts to improve access to video games for people with physical disabilities. At its best, gaming can bring people together, and it’s a side of the industry worth celebrating when given the chance.
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