When my mental health is good I can enjoy more productive stuff so I do that instead.
Games, like sports, can help you a lot, but they alone won't simply make you happy/non-depressed.
I could use a food analogy. Kale can improve your health, but if you're sick it won't cure you, it'll just have a positive impact in your overall health.
I'd like also to add Minecraft to that list. The ability to get in and just start building your world as you imagine them can be very relaxing.
Games with small communities are pretty cool as well. Once you're in, there's that belonging feeling that you don't usually get on popular games. Small games communities exist because the people there really love the game and their attitude to any newcomer is warm and friendly. Unreal World is a roguelike that comes to my mind writing this.
Dark Souls got me through a rough patch so this article is essentially a non-sequitor. If they're going to extrapolate on a very focused study, is it healthier to address the therapeutic aspects of interactive media in general?
This isn't a post for or against them, but rather acknowledging the ethical concerns and how we determine what is "okay" for gamification. If we use these methods for health, education, etc., it is presented under the guise of "helping" an individual receive the respective benefits. BUT, one will likely be able to argue the same aspects for things like personal finance and video games.
A well laid out payment structure when it comes to gaming is the best way to distinguish this.
But in the case of Robinhood for example, they gamify buying/selling a security with confetti. You aren't paying them money per say, but they do sell your payment for order flow to other institutions. This sort of fits into my original post where there are less overt gamification/nudges and which environments is it "acceptable" to do so.
Is sending reminder notifications on Duolingo a gamification/nudge? Is it, or why is it, appropriate in this context? Could Robinhood do the same thing without scrutiny? That's sort of where I see gray areas on gamification and when its okay to use.
On the other hand games like Fighting games keep me widely awake and it takes me quite some time for the adrenaline to settle down before I can sleep.
Hearthstone is kinda in the middle of the road between the two examples. It largely depends on what happens and how much RNGesus screws me over the matches.
So yeah the game doesn't need to be calm to make me relax. I guess what works best for me is something that puts me in flow state without requiring too much of my brain power.
> something that puts me in flow state without requiring too much of my brain power
Personally, the THPS 1+2 remaster and Tetris Effect have been scratching that itch perfectly.
Haven't tried Spiritfarer, but the others on that list don't seem similar.
Try: Return of the Obra Dinn, Gone Home, Dear Esther, The Stanley Parable, SOMA (with peaceful mode enabled). I've heard good things about What Remains of Edith Finch, That Dragon Cancer and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture but have not played them.
Life is Strange
The Stanley Parable
Subnautica
Portal
Astroneer
Actually, that's basically how I try to organize my life...
Exercising might improve your mental health more than playing a video game for the same duration, but both activities will also affect many other "character stats" in various different ways.