San Francisco, Oct 31 (IANS): If you are a Mario Kart game lover, read on carefully! According to a study by BonusFinder, Mario Kart is the most stressful game based on the heart rate increase.

The research discovered that the game can increase players' heart rate by nearly 33 per cent after just 30 minutes of playing.

"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.

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

The game's 30 per cent 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 walkA

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

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