Super Mario Odyssey Was Used To Treat Depression In A Study!

General news News Nintendo Nintendo News 12/28/2023

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The study tested the ability of 3D games to improve symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD).

In the study, published in Frontiers of Psychology, German researchers tested the effects of Nintendo Switch-exclusive games released in 2017 on symptoms of MDD. Symptoms include depressed mood, decreased motivation, and memory impairment, and although the sample size was limited, the study concluded that 3D video games have the potential to improve subjective well-being, which is a motivational factor for continuing treatment, and the improvement in visuospatial memory function should not be overlooked.

46 people with clinical depression were divided into three groups. The video game group played Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch, the traditional treatment group is self-explanatory, and an active control group used a cognitive exercise program. Although they focused mainly on cognitive symptoms of MDD rather than affective ones, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of those who showed clinical levels of depressive symptoms and an increase in their motivation to continue their treatment, however, the researchers said they interpret the results with caution, but they see the games as a cost-effective way to use them alongside conventional treatment and therapy.

The researchers say that a much larger sample size is needed, meaning more people should be involved in the study, but the results are encouraging as those who have researched in a non-traditional way have found very helpful results. Super Mario Odyssey is not the only game being used by psychologists, as another recent study found that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may be the best game for mindfulness.

Let’s hope Nintendo doesn’t take action against the research and its findings, because the big N is very protective of its intellectual property and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if they scrapped the study. We’re just kidding, of course. Maybe this will also help Nintendo to finally make a new 3D Mario game (we wrote about that the other day).

Source: GameRant

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