New study: Video games may boost mental well-being, says Quebec researcher

Certain video games focused on daily routines, community building, or mystery solving, rather than combat and competition, could be beneficial for the mental health of their players.

These games, referred to as “light games” or “friendly games,” include titles like Animal Crossing, Unpacking, Pokémon, and Stardew Valley.

“It’s primarily in terms of gameplay where we note that the main activity will be relaxing and very low-stress for the individual,” explained doctoral student Laurei Mei Ross-Dionne, whose thesis at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières focuses in part on these friendly games.

“But the idea of [these games] is really about the feeling it evokes, because for an individual, a game can […] become a zone of comfort or warmth. We are at the other end of the spectrum.”

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that fans of Animal Crossing began to multiply.

At a time when lockdowns deprived us of our usual social contacts and the uncertain evolution of the health crisis was a significant source of stress, Animal Crossing stood out, Ross-Dionne said.

“(The game) may have contributed to reducing stress factors to some extent, because it had an online functionality,” she explained. “People were able to gather, connect, and create new virtual communities.”

Up to four players can indeed coexist in one of Animal Crossing’s virtual villages, and the villages can communicate with each other. “There’s something very warm, very community-oriented. We’re here to build together,” said Ross-Dionne.

“There’s really no violence or combat or anything like that,” she clarified. “It’s really about community management.”

Several games allow for virtual socialization, Ross-Dionne continued, but Animal Crossing was particularly well-suited for this because it is, at its core, a game focused solely on decorating your island, making it beautiful, or fishing.

“There’s really this idea of a routine that sets in,” she said.

“Due to the very nature of the game, we’re not at all in a situation of violence or opposition,” Ross-Dionne emphasized.

“We’re in a community of exchange and kindness.”

While these games represent a particular category of video games, there is an increasing body of scientific literature highlighting the benefits of video games in general, including socialization, improved concentration, multitasking, working memory, cognition, and emotional regulation, to name a few.

A study conducted in 2021 and published in the journal JMIR Serious Games showed that video games could have beneficial effects on mental health by addressing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The researchers concluded that video games can be a promising resource for alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms in the absence of traditional therapy.

In 2023, the United Nations published a study involving about 13,000 gamers from 12 countries, including Canada. The survey revealed that 71 per cent of participants believed video games served to relieve stress and 55 per cent saw them as a means to combat isolation. About two-thirds of participants reported turning to games to help them cope with daily challenges.

Furthermore, a vast majority of European gamers felt that their gaming experiences had stimulated their creativity, honed their problem-solving skills, and improved their cognitive functions.

In contrast, a study published in 2022 by researchers from the University of Oxford concluded that video games have no impact on mental health, in either direction.

It is only when gaming becomes excessive—specifically, when one dedicates more than ten hours per week to it—that it can potentially become harmful to mental health, particularly concerning stress, anxiety, and sleep quality.

It is estimated that between two and three billion people regularly play video games worldwide.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews.