Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Sep 16, 2025
Date Accepted: Nov 24, 2025
Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi Games’ Affordance of Childlike Wonder and Reduced Burnout Risk: In-Depth Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study With Young Adults
ABSTRACT
Background:
Unrelenting pressure and an ‘always-on’ culture can leave no time for genuine rest for a lot of young adults. Constant digital connectivity, intense academic and career demands, and soaring living costs contribute to anxiety, exhaustion, and burnout. This study aims to address the mental health crisis young adults face today. While video gameplay has been noted to afford cognitive escapism and relaxation, critical questions remain about the influence of popular video games, such as Super Mario Bros., and their potential effects on young adults’ lives.
Objective:
This study examines the extent to which, if at all, popular video games such as Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi may foster childlike wonder. Moreover, it investigates the potential of these popular video games to reduce burnout risk among young adults.
Methods:
As part of this study, we employed a mixed methods approach. First, qualitative data was collected through 41 exploratory, in-depth interviews (NFemale = 19 (46.3%), NMale = 21 (51.2%), NPrefer not to disclose gender = 1 (2.4%); MAge = 22.51 years, SDAge = 1.52 years), with university students who had experience playing Super Mario Bros. or Yoshi video games. Second, quantitative data was collected in a cross-sectional survey (N = 336) of players of popular video games such as Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi and examined the games’ affordance of childlike wonder, overall happiness in life and reduction in burnout risk.
Results:
Insights from the in-depth interviews showed that players appreciated the ability of Super Mario and Yoshi games to instill a feeling of childlike wonder, as well as enhanced happiness in life and reduction in burnout risk. Insights from the quantitative analyses showed that childlike wonder positively affected young adults’ happiness (b = .296, SE = .044, t = 6.796, p < .001, LLCI = .211, ULCI = .382). In turn, overall happiness in life significantly reduced the risk of burnout (b = -.475, SE = .049, t = -9.554, p < .001, LLCI = -.572, ULCI = -.377).
Conclusions:
The current findings show the significant positive effect of popular video games such as Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi on fostering players’ childlike wonder, and overall happiness in life as well as reduced burnout risk. This suggests that well-designed games like Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi can help function as micro-environments and resilience-building digital interventions for rekindling childlike wonder as well as reduced burnout risk.
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