This study shows that playing an open-world game, such as The The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and nostalgia evoked by Studio Ghibli films significantly foster a sense of exploration and calm in life, as well as a feeling of mastery and skill, and purpose and meaning, hence ultimately contributing positively to one’s overall happiness in life.

Source: Arigayota A, Duffek B, Hou C, Eisingerich A Effects of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Studio Ghibli Films on Young People’s Sense of Exploration, Calm, Mastery and Skill, Purpose and Meaning, and Overall Happiness in Life: Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study JMIR Serious Games 2025;13:e76522 DOI: 10.2196/76522

  • woelkchen@lemmy.worldEnglish
    14·
    2 days ago

    There is a reason why I have never watched Grave of the Fireflies. I will not have my soul crushed in eternal sadness.

    • dracs@programming.devEnglish
      14·
      2 days ago

      When someone first told me about Studio Ghibli I was told it was “like Japanese Disney films”. Went to watch a Castle in the Sky and quite enjoyed it. Then I watched Grave of the Fireflies. I kept telling myself through out watching it “it’ll get happier soon right?”… Pretty sure I just sat there for like 10 minutes after it ended.

      It’s fantastically well done. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to bring myself to watch it again.

      • ErableEreinte@lemmy.caEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        I could be slightly misremembering the exact context during which I watched Grave of the Fireflies but I’m 95% sure it was a school outing and either in primary school or junior high 20 or so years ago.
        Needless to say it was absolutely gut wrenching, but also extremely memorable.

  • Maple@lemmy.worldEnglish
    4·
    2 days ago

    People who play video games and watch movies are happier in life, and this is news to who exactly?

  • Katana314@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    2 days ago

    Since the demo remake just came out, it’s very topical:

    I played The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky decades after its release on a gaming rig. Though just an RPG, it does give the feeling of exploring a bright and positive open world with cheery music (and terrible character tragedies amid the story). It somehow gave me that same sort of feeling of nostalgia and happiness, even though I’d never played the game back during its release.

    I do think Breath of the Wild is very good at eliciting a state of slowness and calm in people that are normally rushing through actions or constantly distracted. Just suggesting, it’s possible to achieve those feelings with more varieties of games.

    • Skullgrid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I do think Breath of the Wild is very good at eliciting a state of slowness and calm in people that are normally rushing through actions or constantly distracted.

      my current experience :

      Stupid lizard, it’s running away. Finally, a new one I can actually see. Fuck, a bunch of bokoblin skeletons spawned and shood it away. Oh boy, a dragon, I gotta get some dragon pieces to upgrade my armour. Where did it fall to? Oh boy, a shooting star.

      I still need more fucking lizards…

      BTW : any advice finding dragon pieces after they fall? I have lost where they went a couple of times.