University of Oxford study finds that games are "good for well being," Animal Crossing: New Horizons used in testing

Those who play video games know the numerous benefits they can provide. They're a great way to relieve stress, they can expand your knowledge on thousands of topics, they are a great way to connect/grow with friends and family, and so on. Sometimes that hands-on experience isn't enough to convince naysayers, but hopefully the results of a study from the University of Oxford can sway opinion.

A total of 3,274 gamers over the age of 18 were part of a University of Oxford study to see what possible benefits gaming can have. Players spent time with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as well as Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. Devs behind the games shared anonymized data about how long each participant had played. This data was matched with a survey that asked players questions about how they felt.

The study was led by Professor Andrew Przybylski, who shared some thoughts on the findings.

"If you play Animal Crossing for four hours a day, every single day, you're likely to say you feel significantly happier than someone who doesn't. That doesn't mean Animal Crossing by itself makes you happy."

This actually went against other studies, which showed that the longer people played a game, the more unhappy they grew. The key difference here is that the social aspects of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which could be the key to keeping players feeling good.

"I don't think people plough a bunch of time into games with a social aspect unless they're happy about it. It's like a digital water-cooler."

It's important to note that those who felt compelled to play due to other stress in their lives did say they felt less content than those who felt good overall.