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 “cozy games”, a term that could be loosely translated 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 ‘cozy games’ is really about the feeling it evokes, because for an individual, a game can become ‘cozy’ because it provides that feeling, becoming 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, Ms. 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.”
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% of participants believed video games served to relieve stress and 55% 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.
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