A study conducted by Oxford University in collaboration with PowerWash Simulator reveals that 72% of participants experience increased happiness while playing video games

Research from the University of Oxford, in collaboration with FuturLab and the game PowerWash Simulator, indicates that 72% of participants felt a boost in mood while engaged in gameplay.

The findings, detailed in the Games: Research and Practice Journal, incorporated responses from 8,695 players residing in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany.

Participants shared their well-being information during 67,328 gaming instances using a version of the PowerWash Simulator designed for research.

The analysis revealed that, out of over 162,300 in-game feedback entries, players generally reported a "more positive mood" during the initial fifteen minutes of play compared to when they began.

These insights are expected to contribute to understanding how gaming can be used for "mood-related interventions," and may provide a groundwork for exploring long-term mental health impacts of gaming.

Matti Vuorre, assistant professor at Tilburg University and a research associate at the Oxford Internet Institute, stated: "Currently, there's limited understanding of the immediate mood changes experienced by video game players."

Vuorre emphasized that previous studies often involve artificial gaming scenarios in lab settings. The aim of this study was to explore how gameplay in normal settings influences short-term mood shifts.

Andrew Przybylski, professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, cautioned against broadening these results to other games, noting: "Since we focused on a single game that may not reflect today's most frequently played games, further studies should employ randomised controlled trials to compare playing PowerWash Simulator or other games with different leisure or therapeutic activities."