Playing alone does not necessarily mean feeling lonely, gaming study finds

The players who reported less loneliness were not necessarily meeting more people online.

Many were spending time alone inside large digital worlds or bright, low-pressure adventures. Their games offered exploration, setbacks, small discoveries, and repeated chances to try again.

A study of 2,252 adults found that players of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Yoshi’s Crafted World reported lower loneliness than nonplayers. They also scored higher on a measure of stoicism.

The researchers use that term to describe emotional resilience, self-control, and a calm response to difficulty. They suggest that certain single-player games may strengthen those qualities without relying on online social contact.

The cross-sectional survey does not prove that games caused the differences. Still, it complicates the familiar picture of gaming as little more than escape.

“Contrary to the stereotype of gaming as mere escapism, we found that open-world and accessible, joyous games can help foster a resilient, stoic mindset and alleviate loneliness,” said author Andreas B. Eisingerich.

The researchers focused on two contrasting gaming experiences.

Breath of the Wild places players inside a wide landscape with limited starting resources. Progress depends on gathering supplies, solving problems, adapting, and recovering from failure.

The game also leaves room for quiet movement and observation.

A player may cross a field, climb a mountain, or test a solution without receiving constant instructions. The researchers argue that this design can encourage patience and self-reliance.

Yoshi’s Crafted World takes a gentler approach.

Its colorful levels emphasize discovery, creativity, hidden objects, and simple enjoyment. The pace is less demanding, and the experience centers more on playfulness than survival.

The study proposes that the two styles may complement each other. An open-world adventure may encourage persistence. A cheerful, accessible game may support calm attention and appreciation of the present.

Together, they form what the researchers describe as a balanced “digital diet.”

The study took place during November and December 2025.

Three trained research assistants recruited adults outside a busy video game store in a shopping mall. Participants had to be at least 21 years old.

The survey took less than seven minutes.

A total of 2,300 people participated. After researchers removed 48 incomplete questionnaires, the final sample included 2,252 adults.

Among them, 966 were women and 1,281 were men. Five participants did not disclose their sex. About 18.5% reported currently or recently playing an open-world Zelda game. Roughly 11.7% reported playing a Yoshi game.

The study used a convenience sample rather than a random sample of the broader population.

That detail matters because people near a game store may differ from adults elsewhere.

Participants answered questions about companionship, emptiness, and whether they felt they had someone to turn to.

They also completed measures tied to stoic attitudes. Those questions asked whether they reflected on life’s temporary nature, considered what they could control, and focused on personal conduct during hardship.

The researchers then compared players with nonplayers. Zelda players recorded an average stoicism score of 4.87. Nonplayers averaged 3.23.

Yoshi players averaged 4.49, compared with 3.61 among those who did not play. The differences also appeared in loneliness scores.

Zelda players averaged 3.02 for loneliness. Nonplayers averaged 4.28. Yoshi players recorded an average of 3.09. Those who did not play averaged 4.21.

Participants who played both game types had an even stronger association with stoicism than those who played only one.

Gender did not significantly affect loneliness or stoicism in the analyses.

The researchers next tested whether stoicism might help explain the link between gaming and loneliness. Their analysis found a strong relationship between Zelda play and higher stoicism.

Higher stoicism, in turn, was strongly associated with lower loneliness. Both Zelda and Yoshi play still had direct links with lower loneliness after the researchers accounted for that pathway.

The association between Zelda and stoicism also grew stronger among people who played Yoshi.

That pattern supports the proposed digital diet, though it does not establish a treatment formula.

The authors suggest that open-world games may encourage courage, endurance, acceptance, and independence. Accessible games may support mindfulness, empathy, and emotional recovery.

Those claims come from statistical associations and the design of the games. The study did not watch players develop those traits over time.

Much gaming research focuses on multiplayer communities.

Online games can create friendships, teamwork, and shared routines. This study asks a different question. Can solitary play help without adding direct social contact?

The researchers suggest it can, at least in some cases.

A game may give players a space to practice handling setbacks. It can reward patience, observation, and repeated effort.

That experience may also make solitude feel less empty. The idea is not that fictional worlds replace relationships. Instead, certain games may shape how people respond to difficult feelings when they are alone.

Loneliness involves more than physical isolation. A person can feel disconnected even in a crowded setting.

The study treats emotional outlook as one possible part of that experience.

The survey captured one moment in time. Because of that design, the researchers cannot determine cause and effect.

Playing these games may help people feel less lonely. The reverse could also be true.

Adults who already feel more resilient or comfortable alone may prefer these games. The study did not measure several factors that could affect the results.

Researchers lacked detailed information about income, education, living arrangements, social contact, lifestyle, social media use, and broader gaming habits.

They also relied on self-reported play and emotional measures. The sample came from people approached near one game store, which limits how widely the results can be applied.

Future studies would need to follow players over time.

Randomized trials could also test whether assigning certain games changes loneliness or resilience. The authors call for both longitudinal research and more complete information about participants.

The researchers do not present video games as a substitute for professional support.

Loneliness can accompany serious mental and physical health problems. A game cannot address every cause. The study instead frames selected games as possible additions to broader well-being efforts.

Their wide availability makes that idea attractive.

Many mainstream games already reach large audiences. Using them would not require creating an entirely new health platform. Yet access alone does not guarantee a benefit.

Different games create different experiences, and players respond in different ways.

The amount of time spent gaming may matter as well, though this study did not establish an ideal schedule.

Its findings concern associations with particular game styles, not unlimited screen time.

These resources explore how video games relate to loneliness, relaxation, motivation and psychological well-being.

Is Increased Video Game Participation Associated With Reduced Sense of Loneliness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: This review of 18 studies found mixed evidence connecting gaming with loneliness and emphasized major methodological limitations in the existing literature. (Frontiers in Public Health, 2022)

Open-World Games’ Affordance of Cognitive Escapism, Relaxation, and Mental Well-Being Among Postgraduate Students: Mixed Methods Study: This study of open-world games examined how freedom, exploration and cognitive escapism may relate to relaxation and psychological well-being. (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2024)

Video game play is positively correlated with well-being: Using objective play data from game companies, researchers found a small positive association between gameplay and affective well-being. (Royal Society Open Science, 2021)

Time spent playing video games is unlikely to impact well-being: Objective data from nearly 39,000 players found little evidence that playtime alone produces meaningful changes in well-being. (Royal Society Open Science, 2022)

Restorative Play: Videogames Improve Player Wellbeing After a Need-Frustrating Event: This experiment found that gameplay could restore feelings of competence, positive affect and vitality after a frustrating experience. (CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2020)

Research findings are available online in the journal JMIR Serious Games.

The original story "Playing alone does not necessarily mean feeling lonely, gaming study finds" is published in The Brighter Side of News.

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