Over 95% of the world’s population has at least one health problem. And to make matters worse, roughly 2.3 billion people experience more than five different issues. But did you know that video games can improve the health of their users?
While some of these health issues are unavoidable, most can be eradicated (think obesity) or at least minimized through healthy habits.
The problem is, for people that don’t make exercise and healthy living a priority, it’s often difficult to overcome the initial hurdle of getting started.
What could the solution be? The humble video game. You might be wondering how playing games can boost your health, so we’ll spell it out for you…
Video Games Improve the Health of Their Users By:
Playing Games Encourages Physical Movement
In the past, playing video games only required players to use their hands to interact with games. But this changed in 2006 with the introduction of the Wii.
The Wii introduced physical movement as a requisite to playing games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Even later editions of Zelda incorporated motion into gameplay.
Today, there are tons of games that promote movement during the experience of playing games, such as:
- Ring Fit
- Just Dance
- Zumba
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Sports Party
Besides these, Pokémon Go—a mobile gaming app—was the most recent game to take the world by storm and encourage physical movement.
Players had to navigate their local environments (streets, parks, and businesses) to find items and catch Pokémon. If players received a Pokémon egg, they’d have to walk several kilometers to hatch it—making the game a significant contributor to players’ fitness levels.
Whether it was because of the franchise’s nostalgia or because it was a revolutionary gaming experience, the app had over 200 million users hunting for Pokémon. In its prime, it was one of the world’s most played video games. These days, the number is bit lower, but there are still over 8 million daily players getting active and playing games simultaneously.
You Can Play Video Games to Help Improve Mental Health
In the past, many people were concerned about video games and their influence on players—especially violent video games with violent imagery.
However, many studies in the video game industry including those from the Entertainment Software Rating Board have shown positive benefits for the mental health of players, including improving learning, social skills, and health. And yes, even if they played video games featuring “violence”.
Regular gaming in the virtual world has links to benefits like:
- Emotional stability and fewer emotional disturbances in children.
- Positive emotions.
- Relaxation and stress reduction.
- Dissipation of feelings like anger, guilt, frustration.
- Fewer depressive moods.
- Improved skill acquisition.
All of these mental health benefits can profoundly affect a person’s day-to-day life. In saying that, it’s all about moderation. Focusing only on gaming to the detriment of other areas in life will negate any benefits that players may get from video games.
Another misconception about gamers is that they’re social shutouts—which would be a recipe for poor mental health. But this isn’t the case. Some of the most popular games globally have huge communities and focus on multiplayer game mechanics.
Some of these games include:
- Old School RuneScape (2.6 million active players)
- Lost Ark (1.56 million players)
- World of Warcraft (1.12 million active players)
There are also gaming conventions and e-sports tournaments that see millions of attendees each year.
Playing Video Games Supports Illness Treatments
If general physical and mental health benefits weren’t enough, playing video games might also support patients during serious illness treatments.
One example of the positive effect of playing video games on hospital treatments comes from Re-Mission, a game developed to support cancer patients. The game sees players control a robot that fights against cancer cells while having similar experiences to cancer patients, such as:
- Overcoming bacterial infections.
- Managing nausea and other side effects of treatment.
- Sticking to treatment protocols.
An international study on the benefits of playing video games like these found that children who played them were significantly better at adhering to treatment. There are great benefits to be enjoyed aside from just increased psychological therapy outcomes. They also had more knowledge about cancer and other topics related to their illness.
Other studies on the positive effects of playing video games found improvements in:
- 69% of psychological therapy outcomes
- 59% of physical therapy outcomes
- 42% of pain distraction outcomes.
Don’t Forget to Localize to Ensure Yours is One of the Most Played Video Games!
Right now, China holds the top spot in the list of the largest gaming markets in the world. And out of the top five, there is only one predominantly English-speaking country—the US.
That’s why video game localization is vital for making the most significant impact. After all, if players can’t understand your game, how can they enjoy it?
Creating location-specific game versions allows you to generate demand, build an extensive player base and ultimately drive revenue for your company. The role of media and entertainment software in this process cannot be understated, as it enables the creation of more engaging, culturally relevant content that resonates with a global audience, enhancing the overall impact of video games on health.
Here at Day Translations, we’re video game localization specialists. Our native localization teams will cover every localization aspect from voiceovers and manual translations to UI/UX localization, advertising localization, and more.
Give us a call today on 1 800 969 6853, and one of our team members will answer any questions you have about video game localization.