Study: Those At High Risk of Social Withdrawal Prefer Cooperative, Low-Pressure Video Games

Study Finds a Surprising Pattern in How Isolated Gamers Play Online

Hikikomori is a Japanese term for severe, prolonged withdrawal from work, school, and social life. Once considered a problem unique to Japan, it is now recognized globally, with cases documented in Italy, Brazil, the United States, and across the Middle East. Researchers estimate that about 1.2% of Japanese adults between ages 20 and 49 have experienced it at some point, and more than half of those individuals also reported having a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety at some point in their lifetime.

A new study in PLOS Mental Health examined whether gamers who scored higher for hikikomori-related risk described games differently than those who scored lower.

Researchers surveyed 529 people in Japan to find out. The responses revealed a clear pattern: those at higher risk are picky about the terms of connection, not opposed to it.

Cooperative Play Draws Higher-Risk Gamers More Than Competition

Video games might seem an unlikely tool for supporting people with social withdrawal, but researchers see real potential if the games are designed thoughtfully. Past research shows games can help people cope with anxiety, grief, and difficult life events. They can also offer a low-stakes social practice space: cooperating with strangers online may feel far less threatening than face-to-face conversation for someone who has pulled back from the world.

Gaming carries risks too. Studies have found a link between hikikomori and compulsive gaming behaviors that interfere with daily life. So the question is not simply whether games could help, but which types, and how they should be built.

Researchers recruited 676 participants through a Japanese crowdsourcing site called Crowdworks, reasoning that people with hikikomori-related tendencies would be drawn to anonymous, remote work. After exclusions, 529 people remained, averaging about 38.8 years old and roughly split evenly between men and women.

Each participant completed a psychological screening tool called the NEET-Hikikomori Risk Scale, which measures tendencies associated with social withdrawal rather than diagnosing anyone outright. Using a set score cutoff, researchers sorted participants into two groups: higher risk and lower risk of hikikomori. Just over half, about 52%, fell into the higher-risk group. Participants then answered open-ended questions about favorite games and their views on single-player, multiplayer, and online gaming.

On the surface, the two groups looked almost identical in genre preferences. Action, role-playing, adventure, and simulation titles were the most frequently mentioned across both groups, and statistical analysis found no significant relationship between hikikomori-related risk and genre or keyword choices.

Higher-Risk Players Report More Harassment and Less Appetite for Competition

Written responses told a more textured story. Participants in the higher-risk group were far more vocal about negative experiences with other players online, describing harassment and the helplessness of waiting for moderators to step in. One participant wrote: “[In online games,] it’s easy to meet people you don’t like and it’s hard to avoid them. The downside is that it is up to the management to deal with them.”

Higher-risk players also leaned toward cooperation over competition. Competitive games pit players against each other; cooperative games ask everyone to work toward a shared goal, and that distinction seems to matter. For people who already carry heightened social anxiety and a fear of being judged, the pressure of a competitive match is a real barrier. One participant put it plainly: “I don’t like to be in competition with others.”

Some higher-risk participants still enjoyed playing alongside others and feeling connected to a community. They also spoke warmly about stories, characters, and detailed game worlds, though those features appealed to lower-risk participants too. Bonds with fictional characters may simply feel more manageable than real-world relationships. Fast-paced action and strategic puzzles drew positive mentions as well, though very difficult games may discourage some higher-risk players faster than others, a pattern the authors flagged without directly testing it.

Some higher-risk players also reported positive experiences with location-based games like Pokémon GO and Dragon Quest Walk, describing how such games motivated them to leave home during daily routines. Researchers noted this as worth exploring further, while cautioning that the finding remains exploratory.

What Game Designers Could Learn From Higher-Risk Players

Researchers used these findings to sketch out design ideas for developers, though they’re careful to say the study can’t determine which features actually promote healthy versus unhealthy engagement. Short play sessions ranked high on the list, since higher-risk players got frustrated with games demanding hours of uninterrupted attention. Simple mechanics, satisfying progression systems, and cooperative multiplayer modes were flagged as likely to click with this audience.

Managing player toxicity also emerged as a design priority. Researchers pointed to systems where players rate teammates’ behavior after each match, with rewards for respectful play, as one possible approach. Limiting the types of messages players can send is another.

Researchers were careful to note that these suggestions are meant to complement, not replace, traditional mental health treatment. Games alone cannot resolve hikikomori, but a well-designed one could serve as a small first step toward re-engagement with the world.

One participant described games as a way to escape the real world and relax in a fictional one. That’s the throughline: connection on their own terms, not on anyone else’s.

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Disclaimer: This study is observational and based on self-reported survey data. It does not establish that any game genre or feature treats, prevents, or reduces symptoms of hikikomori, and it should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health guidance.

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