Dark Souls: A Challenging Game That May Improve Mental Health
Can a notoriously difficult video game actually be good for your mental health? A new study suggests that games like Dark Souls, known for their challenging gameplay and bleak atmosphere, may offer psychological benefits to players. Researchers at Aalto University have delved into player discussions surrounding the game, finding surprising connections between in-game struggles and real-life resilience.
The study, which analyzed player interactions on Reddit, reveals that Dark Souls – a dark fantasy action RPG developed by FromSoftware – can empower players to confront real-life challenges with perseverance and hope. Jaakko Väkevä, a doctoral researcher involved in the study, notes, "Dark Souls, through its ruthless difficulty and powerful narrative themes, seemed to empower many players to confront their real-life struggles with perseverance and hope."
Players described how the game's unforgiving structure helped them accept failures as an essential part of life. In the game, losing means the character loses accumulated souls (experience points). Souls are, however, potentially recoverable. Many players expressed how the structure of the Dark Souls games helped with acceptance of failures as part of the process of life.
This finding challenges common perceptions of gaming, often seen as a source of potential negatives like addiction and excessive screen time. Instead, Dark Souls appears to offer a platform for developing coping skills and fostering a sense of self-efficacy.
Further underscoring the findings, UK news outlet ITV News wrote about the original research papers noting that players themselves actively connected specific events in the game to real-life feelings and experiences. “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.
The game's bleak atmosphere and themes, surprisingly, also encouraged positive discussions about depression. Many players even found solace and support in the game's online communities, where phrases like "Don't You Dare Go Hollow" became rallying cries for perseverance and mutual encouragement.
Of course, gaming is not a replacement for professional therapy or treatment. However, the research highlights that thoughtfully designed games can have a real impact on mental well-being. The researchers argue that games like Dark Souls are an opportunity to create positive game experiences that can have positive effects in the real world.
While Dark Souls may offer a unique approach to improving mental health, its impact pales in comparison to the impact of NASA budget cuts on space telescope production. According to phys.org, the Trump administration once considered slashing NASA's budget, which could scrap the James Webb Space Telescope right at the beginning of its operational life (they're also pushing to scrap the completed Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope before its launch).
What do you think? Can video games offer genuine mental health benefits, or is it just a distraction? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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