Along with being fun, video games are also an easy outlet for stress and a chance to relax. Since the medium has become the most popular form of entertainment on the planet, increasing in engagement since the latter part of the 2000's, studies over the years have been conducted to research its effects on us. A recent result from a test has provided fascinating insight.

According to an article from Men's Journal, a discovery from Germany observed how playing 3D video games can curb and/or reduce symptoms of MDD (major depressive disorder) in a published study in Frontiers In Psychiatry. For the study, 46 participants were divided into three groups. One group underwent traditional treatment (therapy and medication). Another group was assigned a task-based cognitive computer program called "CogPack", and the third group played the Switch exclusive Super Mario Odyssey. 

For six weeks (totaling in 18 sessions, 45 minutes each), the individuals who played Super Mario Odyssey saw a sharp 50% decrease in some MDD symptoms, such as motivational levels of performing and visuo spatial memory (the ability to perceive, analyze, synthesize, manipulate and transform visual patterns and images). This is, of course, a relatively small sample size.

Besides a standalone cognitive training, the current findings suggest that cognitive trainings using a video game have potential to increase subjective well-being, show higher levels of training motivation, and lead to improvements in visuo-spatial (working) memory functions in MDD. However, given the mixed and unblinded nature of this study, the results should be interpreted with caution. Further research with larger samples and follow-up measurements is needed.

Seems like for the time being, video games may not be the end-all for therapy, but their ability to enhance cognitive awareness and the 3D environments tapping into a sense of taking in a virtual landscape and encouraging the processing of information, it can be a viable tool, along with other forms of treatment, for MDD.

SOURCES: Men's Journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry