Researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health

Physical sports have long been known to help with anxiety and mental health. But can augmented and virtual reality sports games improve psychological well-being and reduce loneliness? Researchers at Michigan State University’s Department of Kinesiology say yes.

Assistant professors Sanghoon Kim and Sangchul Park, at MSU’s College of Education, led a study to explore layered questions on the psychological benefits of using augmented/virtual reality, or AR/VR, technology.

Published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, the study shows that playing AR/VR sports games can promote psychological well-being by helping players feel connected to others and engage in real-time communication. More interestingly, the positive effects of feeling socially present were even stronger for those experiencing loneliness.

“These findings remind us that psychological well-being is multifaceted,” said Kim and Park, both lead authors on the study. “Even in gaming, it’s shaped not only by what people experience in virtual environments, but also by how those experiences connect with their real-life relationships and social ties.”

Methodology

The study analyzed results from a survey of 345 individuals who played various AR/VR sports games, such as table tennis, bowling or billiards. These games can be found on platforms like Wii Sports (Nintendo), Home Sports (Meta) and others.

The recruited participants voluntarily completed a questionnaire to assess their game involvement, psychological well-being, loneliness and other factors.

“The importance of these findings is to show that well-being is a complex and multidimensional construct that can be more fully understood when both individuals’ sources of enjoyment — for example, games — and their social experiences — for example, loneliness — are considered simultaneously,” Kim and Park said.

Research findings

Researchers found that those who were more engaged in gaming showed higher levels of psychological well-being. This finding provides valuable insights into the ongoing debate on the advantages and disadvantages of gaming involvement, adding new perspectives from AR/VR gaming.

They also found that AR/VR sports games can create a strong sense of being with others by using avatars, real-time communication and nonverbal cues. Importantly, these social connections not only create a shared presence but also play a key role in improving players’ psychological well-being.

“When people feel present with others through avatars or virtual interaction, the experience becomes more than just a game,” said Kim. “That’s the power of social presence.”

The findings also expand traditional ideas about online interaction, showing that AR/VR gaming goes beyond text to include richer, more human-like ways of connecting.

Users who gamed more often and who experienced loneliness in their daily lives were more likely to experience a positive psychological benefit. The authors speculated that AR/VR sports games might be offered into therapeutic interventions for those experiencing loneliness or mental health challenges.

Looking ahead

Still, the researchers say AR/VR sports games are not a catch-all solution for resolving loneliness. Some users, they found, may still feel uneasy about communicating and interacting in virtual settings, making it harder for them to develop a sense of belonging through gaming.

It’s one of the reasons the researchers encourage practitioners and policymakers to also consider regulating how AR/VR sports games are used to support mental health and engagement.

“The study revealed not all individuals benefit from social AR/VR sport gaming,” according to the study, which was co-authored with Jun-Phil Uhm at Inha University and Sungsook Ahn at Cheongju University. “This highlights the importance of educating users, practitioners and policymakers on how to harness its potential while being mindful of its possible drawbacks.”

This finding provides valuable insights into the ongoing debate on the advantages and disadvantages of gaming involvement, adding new perspectives from AR/VR gaming.