Open-world video games can significantly improve relaxation and mental well-being among postgraduate students, new research has found.
Open-world games, known for their expansive environments and player autonomy, offer a form of cognitive escapism that helps players disconnect from daily stressors and enhance their mood.
The study, a collaboration between researchers from Imperial College London, United Kingdom, and the University of Graz, Austria, used a mixed methods approach.
They combined survey data from 609 players and in-depth interviews of 32 players.
Popular titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were found to provide players with a sense of freedom and autonomy, allowing them to explore and interact with virtual worlds at their own pace.
This cognitive escapism was closely linked to reduced stress levels and improved mental health.
The analysis showed that playing open-world games directly boosted participants’ relaxation levels, which positively impacted well-being.
Andreas B. Eisingerich of Imperial College London said: “Open-world games can offer a sense of exploration, a chance to develop and experience mastery and skill, a sense of positivity, and even purpose and meaning in life.”
Immersive gaming experiences could serve as a method for stress management and mental health improvement, according to the study.
Future research could explore the long-term therapeutic potential, particularly for managing stress and anxiety in other populations.
Tabletop gaming could also offer mental health benefits, a recent study suggests.
Research published earlier this year found that popular board game Dungeons and Dragons could be beneficial for people with autism, giving them a safe space to engage in social interactions away from some of the challenges they face in their daily lives.
In interviews, participants spoke at length about their social desires and motivations, but how this came with challenges such as a lack of confidence in their communication with others, and insecurities about how other people would perceive them.
This, they said, often resulted in them masking, or hiding, autistic traits.
Playing Dungeons and Dragons, they said, provided them with a friendly environment in which they very quickly felt a sense of innate kinship with others taking part.
