Researchers in China have discovered that the Nintendo Switch exercise title, Ring Fit Adventure, may help alleviate depression and improve the quality of sleep of those who regularly play it.
The study, published on JMIR Publications (via Automaton) and conducted by Jilin University’s Kexin Huang and Lei Song, trialed 84 people diagnosed with subthreshold depression.
Half of the participants followed a regimen of playing Ring Fit Adventure for 50-60 minutes at a time, two to three times a week, for eight weeks. The other half continued with their regular lives.
After 16 weeks, the Ring Fit Adventure players showed “significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms,” as well as improvements in sleep quality and anxiety.
“These findings suggest that commercially available exergaming platforms may serve as accessible, engaging tools for early mental health support in real-world settings,” the study concludes.
Through interviews, members of the group who played the game revealed that they were motivated by its RPG elements, such as the progress bars, depleting enemy health gauges, and leveling up. They also liked the game’s story, sound cues, character customization, and branching paths.
Some limitations were acknowledged, as were some external factors which may have possibly influenced the results. The sample consisted exclusively of university students – who received supervision from the research team – and the laboratory setting differed from a typical home environment where most people would play the game.
The researchers believe that “Future studies with extended follow-up periods are warranted to determine whether these benefits persist over time.”
Ring Fit Adventure launched exclusively on Nintendo Switch in 2019, and came bundled with the unique Ring-Con controller. Nintendo Wire gave the game a near-perfect score in its review, which stated: “Simply put, Ring Fit Adventure is the new gold standard of fitness games. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and it just works.”
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
