Mental health is a fickle thing and that much has become extremely apparent over the past few years. We’ve seen the literal epidemic of depression and burnout especially amongst younger people of university age. While a lot of things exist to help them out there are a few things that we might not expect that can help people prevent their downfall into mental illness but also help those who have already found prey to this invisible threat. One such thing is video games believe it or not. But video games and mental health how do they correlate and how can gaming make things better for people? Dive into it and take a look at the effects it has on people’s lives and how we can have a positive impact on many gamers.
One of the first things that’s important to realize is that video games like any other hobby help many people get away from difficult situations and transports their thought to something more constructive or at least more positive. This is better known as escapism. While for a long time escapism was considered a bad thing the reality is that sometimes the best way to confront bad situations is to take yourself out of them and give yourself time to breathe and analyze these things would have a cooler head. Whether you are dealing with a sad thing or a difficult situation that puts a lot of stress on you being able to exterior eyes those feelings to gaming is a healthy way to navigate those things. But concretely how do you even do that? Let’s take a deeper look at video games themselves.
Many people use video games such as Call of Duty or Halo as their go-to video games the idea is mostly to have fun, yes, but also simply be able to shoot at something without having to worry too much. We can see that competitive video games are a great wait for people to get out frustration that they gathered throughout the day and that much is true even for children as you can see from the popularity of Fortnite and similar games. Being able to compete with others and make a place for yourself amongst the winners is a great way for gamers to not only feel like they’re achieving something but also feel some pride in their achievements. But you might have noticed that one of the key things when it comes to video games is the competitive aspect of him. And no one says competitive video games without other players.
The social aspect of video games is one of the most important when it comes to the link between gaming and mental health. Whether you found your friends by perusing a list of Minecraft SMP servers or simply by joining a random Call of Duty lobby the reality is that you are in contact with people. If you are feeling depressed feelings being able to talk with other people and connect with people with similar interests is a big bonus if you are looking to cheer yourself up even if you don’t know about it. The great thing about being able to meet players on video games is that not only do you find like-minded people but you can share time on something that you both enjoy. This not only helps gamers feel less alone but also allows them to build communities which can in turn become good support circles. So let’s talk a little bit more about gaming communities.
Nowadays gaming communities are more than simply a group of people who like to play video games. While discord servers have replaced the forums of yesterday they serve a similar purpose. They become nerve centers for gaming communities to not only talk about video games but also to share about their lives or talk about anything they want with people whom they have become friendly with. Having a vast and diverse circle of people you know is a great tool when it comes to dealing with mental health. The concept of support circles is of course the idea of having many people you can discuss with no matter what subject it is. Being able to voice your concern and be heard by somebody who cares for you is very important and this is a way for gamers to get that if they’re not able to get it in their own lives.
When it comes to the prevention of suicide, support circles are extremely important. The feeling that you matter to no one and that nobody hears you is a big part of why many people commit suicide. If you are somebody who’s isolated in real life being isolated online is making things worse for you. So what’s essential in this situation is to be able to connect with others or if you find yourself on the other side it would mean reaching out to people who you might worry about. You can never go wrong about checking in on a friend and making sure that they’re doing OK or that they feel heard. Sometimes all it takes is a little message to make the difference in somebody’s day if they’re doing poorly.
As you can see gaming is not only a hobby but it is also a massive tool to allow people to connect with others all around the world and create massive communities that can give them a sense of purpose and belonging. These gaming circles might seem trivial to many but they are essential to many people who thrive in them. It doesn’t matter how or where you meet friends the most important thing is to be able to connect with people and make those human connections that are so important to the human experience. Whether you are a gamer or not you can see that gaming is a positive for many people and giving the gaming sphere resources to help those in need of mental health help is essential.
