Mario Kart — Stressbuster or Stress Inducer?

Playing games like Mario Kart may sometimes be more stressful than busting out the stress as revealed by a recent study.

Mario Kart is found to be one of the most stressful games as a new study by BonusFinder shows its link with increased heart rate. If you are a Mario Kart game lover, read on carefully!

The research discovered that the game can increase players’ heart rates by nearly 33 percent after just 30 minutes of playing.

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Playing games like Mario Kart is found to increase one’s heart rate, thereby adding to the stress.

"What the study highlights is quite remarkable, despite all the newcomers with improved graphics and increased spending, the old Nintendo formula is still irresistible to gamers and nothing can replace the jeopardy of a red shell on the last lap of a race," said Fintan Costello, Managing Director at BonusFinder.

"It’s interesting to see in so many of these games, the increase in heart rate is equivalent to doing light exercise, which might explain why it feels like it takes plenty of energy out of those playing them," he added.

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According to the findings, the other games that made it into the top 5 most stressful games alongside Mario Kart were FIFA Soccer (31 percent), Call of Duty (30 percent), Dark Souls (28 percent), and Fortnite (27 percent).

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The game’s 30 percent increase in heart rate is equivalent to nearly half of the target increase in heart rate when exercising, and is physically equal to going for a gentle walk

However, the research also uncovered some video games that were able to reduce heart rates and stress levels.

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The combination of training games and direct brain stimulation showed particular benefit in older people with lower initial working memory.

Over the course of a 30-minute session, Animal Crossing, The Sims, and Skyrim significantly reduced participant heart rates by up to 5 percent, the research showed.

Source-IANS