Mobile Gaming for Happiness in Lockdown

Augmented reality games played on mobile was found to make people happier during the lockdown, according to a study by Dr Kathleen Yin, of Macquarie University Centre for Health Informatics. In a survey of 2000 people from across the globe, a positive correlation was found between the number of hours played and mental health. Participants played Pokemon GO or Harry Porter: Wizards Unite. The researchers embedded a clinically approved mental health score in the middle of the survey. They were surprised that more than half of survey participants used the words ‘sane’ and ‘sanity’ in their responses: they said playing the game had stopped them from losing their sanity during the lockdown. Games provided them with social interaction, a sense of achievement and purpose. It also kept them in a routine and encouraged them to go outdoors and keep themselves fit through 6.5 hours of physical activity.