The experience conducted with hundreds of students shows that playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild and view Ghibli studio classics as My neighbor Totoro is not limited to entertainment.
When science tests Zelda and Totoro
Led by researchers from Imperial College London, Kyushu Sangyo University and Georgia State University, the study published in JMir Serious Games followed 518 third cycle students. Divided into four groups, some played 30 minutes at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildothers have watched film extracts like My neighbor Totoro Or Kiki the little witchwhile a third group combined the two activities. A witness group did not participate in any immersion.
The researchers measured five specific indicators: exploration, serenity, mastery of skills, sense of life and global happiness. Result: video game alone already increases the scores of happiness, but the combination with the poetic universe of Ghibli considerably amplifies this effect.
Surprising encrypted results
The data is speaking:
- Play Zelda only increases the overall happiness of 12 %.
- Watch a movie from the Ghibli studio alone brings a gain from 14 %.
- Combining the two experiences makes the overall happiness of 26 %.
Their effects are also found on inner calm (+28 %with both), exploration (+23 %) and the feeling of purpose in global life/happiness (+26 %). So many essential elements to combat anxiety and loneliness that are increasingly affecting young adults.
As Andreas B. Eisingerich sums it up, principal of the study: “Immerse yourself in the exploratory freedom of Breath of the Wild and the contemplative wonder of the films of the Ghibli studio can actively nourish essential human capacities-exploration, tranquility, the quest for meaning and happiness-and thus offer precious ways to improve well-being on a daily basis“.
© JMir Publications
Towards a cultural prescription of well-being
These results jostle the received ideas: screens and virtual worlds would not be systematically harmful. On the contrary, well chosen, they could become tools for personal development and prevention. In line with French “museum prescription” initiatives, where doctors can direct their patients to cultural visits, we can imagine medical recommendations integrating certain video games or animated films tomorrow.
At a time when the mental health of young people is weakened by academic stress and loneliness, this study opens the way to a new reflection: what if the key to well-being also passed through Hyrule and the universes of Miyazaki?