Video games are not merely a form of digital recreation and a means to blow off some steam. Fitness games have proved their worth at boosting mental well-being, while some are finding a purpose in addressing phantom limb pain and helping people with mobility issues in their wrists and hands. As per new research, playing an open-world title like Zelda can significantly increase your happiness.
What’s the latest on Zelda and science?
A team of experts from Imperial College in London, Kyushu Sangyo University, and Georgia State University conducted a randomized test involving more than 500 students. The students were asked to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and watch Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki’s Delivery Service.
At the end of the study, students were presented with a questionnaire that sought to gauge their sense of exploration, calm, mastery, skill, purpose, and meaning in life after exploring the well-received open-world adventure. Based on the students’ responses, the researchers came to the conclusion that playing the Zelda series game can help cultivate a sense of happiness by inspiring a spirit of wonder and exploration. Here’s a notable excerpt from the research paper:
“Engaging with these archetypal narratives can prompt a sense of mission: players feel they are contributing to a cause bigger than themselves, even if it is within a fictional world. This “bigger than self” feeling can be deeply meaningful. Furthermore, many players find calm and meditative moments in the game by simply riding through open fields, quietly gathering resources, or watching sunrises atop tall peaks.”
Why does this research matter?
Games are often seen as a form of distraction, but after conducting their research, the experts note that they are a means of “active escapism” that revitalizes energy. That, in turn, helped cope with the feeling of stress, anxiety, and burnout in the students who were a part of the study.
Andreas B. Eisingerich, co-author of the research paper and a professor at the Imperial College Business School, remarked that engaging with the world of Zelda can “actively nurture essential human capacities—exploration, tranquility, purpose-finding, and happiness—and, thus, offer valuable pathways to enhance everyday well-being.”
Interestingly, experts claim that watching the nostalgia-evoking Studio Ghibli films and also playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can trigger increased happiness, calm, purpose, and a sensation of discovering meaning in life. You can check out the research paper in JMIR here.
