7 Mental Health Benefits of Mystery Games

Or, 7 reasons why you should play (and make) more mystery games!

Last week's article explained how you can make a mystery game.

This week, we'll explain why you should make a mystery game!

The Motive To Make Mysteries

Mystery games provide unique benefits compared to other video game genres.

Other games just let you mindlessly mash buttons, or repeat the same monotonous actions on loop.

Some games are so psychologically manipulative that they make us form bad habits and destroy our mental health — a growing problem in today's society.

But I've noticed that mystery games are especially designed to be beneficial for our mental health, which makes me proud to be a Mystery Gamedev.

Here are 7 mental health benefits of playing mystery games:

1 - They Keep Your Brain Sharp

Playing puzzle games in general keeps our brains sharp as we get older, and mystery games are no exception to this rule.

Since mystery games have more interactivity than a movie or a book, we're actually giving our brain some exercise each time we play.

We're forced to think carefully and make decisions that impact the game, not unlike playing chess.

In games like Ace Attorney, we're required to piece together the puzzle before experiencing the next part of the story.

We can't just sit back and watch the mystery unfold or expect the detective to solve it for us — because we are the detectives!

As we solve each step of the mystery, we feel rewarded by the next part of the story.

Our brains register the positive feedback from the game, and we condition ourselves to find these mental challenges fun.

By the time we've played the whole game, we're capable of solving cases that would've seemed impossible at the very beginning.

And the more mystery games you continue to play, the faster you get at solving them — and creating them, too.

2 - They Improve Logical Reasoning

When we play the role of detective, we're forced to use our brains to piece together the evidence and form a conclusion.

We're rewarded for using logic correctly, and punished if we can't.

Improved mastery of logical reasoning leads to better decision-making all across life.

Rather than purely listening to our emotions, we can deduce the logical outcomes of all possible alternatives and rationally weigh the pros and cons of each.

We become less impulsive and more strategic.

When we understand the reasons why things happen, we can leverage that understanding to make useful predictions about the future.

Thus we can avoid future problems and generally improve our quality of everyday life.

And for the problems we can't avoid, we can logically think our way through them.

3 - They Improve Spatial Reasoning

Mystery games with heavy emphasis on open-area investigations, especially in 3D, improve our spatial reasoning.

Through gameplay, we train ourselves to look around and become aware of our surroundings.

We learn to observe our environment — down to the smallest detail — and make good use of what's around us.

For example, you might be trying to solve a problem, and by observing your environment, you can come up with a creative solution.

But more importantly, awareness of your surroundings is often the difference between life and death in a real-world scenario.

"What's that noise? Where could it be coming from?"

"I don't remember leaving the window open when I left..."

"Do I know the route to the emergency exit?"

Even if it's not a direct confrontation, observation can save your life.

One time, I was driving far away from home at night, and I noticed an electronics store around the corner.

An hour later, my phone died, and I didn't have a way to charge it.

I was lost in an unfamiliar area with no method of contact or GPS for navigation.

But I remembered the electronics store and realized I could pick up a charger there.

If I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings, I would've been totally lost.

So I did exactly that, and I made it home safely.

4 - They Reduce Anxiety Through Learning

Most people have a fear of the unknown — and rightfully so.

Mysteries, in general, are just things that we don't know.

If you already know the solution, then it's boring, right?

So any well-written mystery will almost always require you to learn something new.

And similarly, mystery authors are almost always required to teach new things.

Fortunately, the world is constantly evolving, so there is no shortage of things to learn.

From the complexities of the legal system to the methods of murder themselves, mystery games are highly educational.

I'd even say that mystery games are some of the most creative and entertaining ways to teach otherwise boring concepts.

And as the saying goes: knowledge is power.

The more you know, the less you have to fear.

5 - They Give Us Emotional Catharsis

The dark nature of mystery game stories — of death, murder, and tragedy — takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Everyone faces tragedy in life, and everyone desires some form of justice, even if they don't actually get it.

By playing mystery games, you can experience a level of emotional catharsis that might not be possible in real life.

The catharsis might be solving the crime, locking up the criminal, and serving justice.

Or it could be getting to know the story behind why the culprit committed the crime.

As famous mystery author S. S. Van Dine once wrote:

"[The motive] must reflect the reader's everyday experiences, and give him a certain outlet for his own repressed desires and emotions."

The most emotionally captivating motives are the ones where the killer goes through a relatable struggle, because it demonstrates the inherent capability for evil in all of us.

And as fans of Umineko will know, the motive is the heart of the mystery.

If puzzle games are about understanding abstract concepts, then mystery games are about understanding people.

6 - They Reduce Loneliness Through Community

One of the most fun parts of mystery games is creating theories with other players.

When Umineko was first released, I had just moved and didn't know anyone nearby.

But I met some like-minded people online — and through our shared interest in Umineko, we've become lifelong friends.

One of my goals was to replicate that experience with my own games, but I think our Mystery Gamedev community is an even better approach.

Loneliness is such a big issue these days, and giving people reasons to talk to each other is one of the greatest things to combat it.

Some mystery games make the game itself a multiplayer experience — a trend I hope will continue to grow.

7 - They Teach Us Empathy For Others

And of course, once you start talking to other people, you'll eventually encounter people with differences in perspective.

It's easy to just ignore, insult, or block people who think differently from you.

But any great detective knows that there are always two sides to every story.

The roles of a defense attorney and prosecutor are always at odds, but both are necessary to find the truth.

Like a diamond, the truth can only be seen by looking at it from all sides.

Mystery games teach us that in order to learn and grow and pursue the truth, we must respect differences in points of view.

And that's it!

Or, who knows — maybe there are more benefits I haven't thought about.

Let me know in the comments!

And if you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing this newsletter with others who might need it. I really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading, and have a super day!