‘PowerWash Simulator’ players can now help with mental health research

PowerWash Simulator players can now participate in a research project looking at the links between gaming and mental health. Developer FuturLab collaborates with independent researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute for: a “a unique anonymous research study focused on the well-being of PowerWash Simulatorplayers.”

FuturLab says it is working on in-game rewards for participants. To participate, you’ll need a copy of the game on Steam. You also need a separate version of . to download PowerWash Simulator. In the Betas menu under Properties, select “research-edition – Research Edition 2022”.

As points out that this build will provide the researchers with two types of anonymized data. They receive information about player progress, item purchases, and other activities as part of a “basic telemetry” data set.

The second type of data is obtained from questions that the researchers can ask players about their experience. It seems that players only need a few seconds to answer. Players can also give researchers feedback via the ‘Tell us how you feel’ button in the menu. FuturLab does not have access to these answers.

Your game progress will not carry over between the regular game and the Research Edition (although participating in the research will give you cosmetic rewards in the main game). This is to ensure that survey data is consistent and to avoid problems with stored data. In addition, the Research Edition will not have a multiplayer mode and will only have English language support. FuturLab added that the Research Edition will be available for a minimum of three months.

powerwash simulator, at least from my experience, is a relaxing game. It’s just you, a pressure washer, maybe a friend or two, maybe some soap and a whole lot of virtual gunk to blow away. It’s not hard to see why many people might find it soothing.

A number of studies have been conducted over the years on the benefits of gaming on mental health and well-being, with mixed results. that play Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, both of which are solid could be good for you (the study was conducted in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic). However, a who looked at the gaming habits of nearly 40,000 people found that gaming had no significant impact on well-being.