Stuck in hard mode? Why tricky video games could be good for your mental health

Words by ITV News Producer Kieran Carter

A new study by researchers in Finland suggests that difficult video games could have a positive impact on gamers' mental health.

Three academics from Aalto University analysed how gamers playing the video game "Dark Souls" interacted with each other and talked about their feelings.

They observed how the challenging nature of the game "cultivated resilience and perseverance" in gamers' real lives, whilst the dark themes and atmosphere encouraged positive discussions about depression.

The researchers also concluded the supportive online communities built up around games like this led to positive interactions and impacts on players' mental health.

Dark Souls is a critically acclaimed videogame franchise made by Japanese game developer FromSoftware. The dark fantasy action role playing game is known among gamers for it's difficulty and bleak atmosphere.

Speaking to ITV News, one of the report's authors, Jaakko Väkevä, said he was surprised by how overtly players described connecting events in the game to their real lives.

"They would start applying what the game had taught them to tackle their personal challenges... Cooperation in the game inspired them to ask for help in the real world," Väkevä said.

"Our findings suggest that the extensively challenging yet rewarding nature of the gameplay, combined with its narrative context, could foster coping skills, empowerment, and a sense of self-efficacy that extend far beyond the gameplay."

Posting about the difficulty of these games one user wrote: “You don’t need to win each fight, but what matters is that you persist and keep going despite getting defeated, always striving to improve. This mindset has been very helpful for me in dealing with my own problems and not getting overwhelmed by them.”

Another player described how the challenging nature helped them in every day situations writing that they played the game, “whenever I’m feeling melancholic, or when I’m struggling with a difficult period of my life".

They added: "It gives me this feeling that if I’m able to beat this, I’m able beat other things as well.”

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Väkevä added that finding such positivity in a thematically dark game shouldn't necessarily be surprising.

"I don't think it's particularly unusual, if you think of art and entertainment media more generally: for instance, what it is that draws people towards watching some emotionally challenging movie," Väkevä said.

"After all, tragedy is an age-old genre of drama that is associated with this idea of catharsis, that is, a purification of negative emotions by way of expressing or experiencing them."

It's not the first time video games have been linked to mental health. During the pandemic many multiplayer games became means of communication for people isolated from physical connection.

Animal Crossing, a life simulation game released by Nintendo during the first Covid lockdown, provided a meeting place for friends and even saw cancelled graduation ceremonies, dates, and birthday parties recreated in the cheerful game world.

Oxford academics found as well as providing community and connection there was a small correlation between mental wellbeing and the amount of time spent playing the game.

"Contrary to many fears that excessive play time will lead to addiction and poor mental health, we found a small positive relation between game play and affective wellbeing," they wrote.

Adding: "Players who objectively played more in the past two weeks also reported to experience higher well-being."

Open world games like Nintendo's Legend of Zelda have also previously been linked to improved mental health, with Researchers from Imperial College London suggesting they "could be used as therapeutic tools for stress and anxiety management, offering a cost-effective and accessible method to improve mental health".

Speaking about the significance of research like this into video games and mental health they added: “The finding that open-world games may enhance people’s well-being through enhanced escapism and relaxation is not trivial, given the growing evidence that other forms of entertainment, such as traditional social media, contribute to adolescent anxiety and depression.”

Despite early positive signs, researchers believe more needs to be done to paint a fuller picture of how video games impact player's brains.

Oxford researcher, Dr Tamas Foldes told ITV News: "Many studies, including systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials, have shown that video games can positively affect conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and ADHD.

"However, the field could greatly benefit from improvements."

Dr Foldes added: "Greater attention should be given to involving young people and clinicians early in the [game] design process.

"Different types of games likely benefit different people," Dr Foldes said, "but we currently lack sufficient understanding of exactly how these differences manifest."

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