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Certain type of gaming provides “substantial benefits” to mental well-being
Gamers who are free to interact with and explore a game world at their own pace are more relaxed and have improved mental well-being, according to new research. The findings could open the door to using gaming as a therapeutic tool to counter stress and anxiety.
Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK and the University of Graz in Austria have examined the mental health benefits of playing open-world games, which are characterized by sprawling, detailed environments in which gameplay is not always linear and structured. Whether it’s Minecraft, Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, or Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, open-world games are all about giving players freedom. The qualitative data they collected from in-depth interviews with gamer postgraduate students showed that the so-called ‘cognitive escapism’ that immersive game worlds provided allowed players to temporarily disengage from real-life stressors, improving their mood and psychological well-being.
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