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MENTAL HEALTH + GAMING

  • Writer: BEARD + CURLS GAMING
    BEARD + CURLS GAMING
  • May 17, 2023
  • 9 min read

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY...OR IS IT?

MAY 17, 2023

Mental Health and Gaming: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...Or Is It?

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and we wanted to take this opportunity to discuss how gaming, both video and tabletop, can have an impact on one’s mental health, whether it be positive or negative.


Neither of us are mental health experts. Mental health is acutely personable to each individual. We are going to be discussing our own experiences pertaining to mental health and games, but we will also be referencing outside sources from our deep dive into this topic. Note: You can find the links to the outside sources we looked into at the end of the post.


For us personally, we found many more positive impacts gaming had on mental health compared to negative. We are going to start with some of the positives before diving into any of the negative impacts.


THE POSITIVE IMPACTS OF GAMING

GAMING + SOCIALIZATION


Gaming and Socialization

  1. Gaming can bring connection. Connect with people and feel like you fit in.

  2. Promoting Social Connections Through Immersive Gameplay

  3. For some, the thought of connection and socializing can be scary, but games can help as you tackle that social barrier and ease anxiety. There is the structure, set of rules to follow, you know what to expect. It can help you be a part of social gatherings that otherwise you would avoid. Victoria really resonated with this point that was brought up in one of Watch It Played's videos discussing mental health and playing board games. For this point specifically, Victoria connected with a mix of both Rodney's and Chaz's perspectives. While Victoria is introverted (meaning she recharges by not being around a group of people), she still enjoys hanging out with people. However, she struggles with small talk. Sometimes, small talk feels forced, fake or pointless because there is no structure or clarity in where the conversation is going or the purpose of the conversation. Victoria craves genuine connection with others, by adding the a common activity such as playing a game, Victoria feels she is able to better navigate small talk and truly connect with other individuals.

  4. Need a break from technology and want something that feels more present - board games.

  5. Escape the cycle of your own thoughts and pain - reach out and play a game with someone. Ex: We had a game night planned with friends last April. My [Victoria] dad passed away on Easter weekend and our game night was planned for the following week. Our friends would have understood if we didn’t join them. There was no pressure, but I felt it would be more beneficial to my emotional and mental health to still go. I still stand by my decision for us to go. It was quite possibly one of the most beneficial things that I did within the first week of losing my dad.

  6. Multiplayer Games can provide opportunities for players to collaborate and work together towards a common goal which can foster teamwork and a sense of community and connection.

  7. Can help you be more social: Playing side by side or multiplayer games

  8. Tabletop Games and some video games can be a great family activity to build a connection with your kids. Growing up, almost all of Victoria's family get togethers involved playing tabletop games, and oftentimes when we visit with Zach's family many of us will play a game together.




REDUCE STRESS + ANXIETY

  1. Effective Stress and Anxiety Relief: Immerse yourself in another world while still exercising your brain to relieve both stress and anxiety

  2. In most scenarios, the game is a low stake activity = low stress

  3. Some therapists have included the use of certain board games in their therapy practice to help understand anxieties and trauma in their patients.

  4. Some research showed that there is mounting scientific evidence supporting the potential for video games to improve mental health outcomes, especially for people who can’t access other types of treatment due to cost or location. "In one experiment, people with anxiety played the tower defense game “Plants vs Zombies” 4x a week for at least 30 min each session experienced better mental health outcomes than those who took medication... Overall, the researchers found that commercial video games (typically intended for entertainment) are as effective at providing mental health benefits as bespoke video games designed for therapeutic effects." (APA)


Gaming Can Exercise Your Brain

EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

  1. Cognitive Enhancer that can improve Memory and Focus (with the medical community even embracing video games as a tool for those with ADHD)

  2. Playing shooter games improves cognitive functioning (Granic) - improved player’s capacity to think about objects in 3D just as well as academic courses designed to enhance these same skills

  3. Enhance Creativity and Problem Solving Skills

  4. Improve your resilience, aka how quickly you bounce back from failure (Dweck)

  5. Positive Impact on Memory

  6. Can keep your brain young


HELP WITH WELL-BEING

  1. Mental Self Awareness - times when something with a game really bothers you that normally wouldn’t can be a clue that something else is bothering you. This can help you dig deeper into the issue and measure your mental health in the moment.

  2. There is Structure + Clarity in the activity, which can be a respite from the day to day life

  3. There’s a game for the type of break you need at the time. Need to beat up some monsters? There’s a game for that. Need a cozy, chill escape from the mundane 9-5? There’s a game for that.

  4. Boosting Mood

  5. Fostering a sense of Well-being

  6. Oxford students conducted a study that showed there was a correlation between gaming and well-being

  7. Helps You Process Aggression (Sublimation)

  8. There are many people that have experienced a decrease in depression and anxiety from playing video games.

  9. Can help you relax

  10. Can be therapeutic

  11. Can help with mood regulation

  12. Can help with recovering addicts.


SO, WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS THEN?

  1. There is competition. There are clear winners and losers. Losing over and over again can lead to an inner, negative self dialogue. If you are prone to negative self talk, there is a risk that gaming can bring this up. - Ex: Zach sometimes has to combat negative self talk when learning new games. He feels like everyone else is catching on easily, and if he isn’t, it’s because something is wrong with him. Victoria experiences this when she struggles with a video game that is co-op with Zach. She feels she is holding Zach back from progressing, even though Zach has done nothing to convey that he feels that way. The inner dialogue Victoria has is negative which then leads to her messing up even more. When this happens, it’s a clear indicator that Victoria needs to take a break.

  2. Video Games and Tabletop Games tend to be more sedentary. This is something to be mindful of as it is important to maintain healthy habits so that you can receive the benefits of gaming and reduce the risks. Manage your play time, take breaks, prioritize physical activities and social interactions along with eating a balanced diet to take care of your physical and mental well being.

  3. There are individuals who may use gaming as a way to avoid social and life responsibilities. Isolation has a negative impact on not only our mood but also our mental state of health.

  4. Too much screen time in regards to video games.

  5. Too much gaming can potentially lead to one not getting enough sleep. If done consistently, this will not only affect one’s physical well-being, but also their mental well-being.

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS TOO MUCH GAMING?

In short, yes. There is such a thing as too much gaming. In 2019, the World Health Organization officially added “gaming disorder” as a behavioral addiction to its International Classification of Diseases. “Gaming Disorder” is an extreme case where an individual is putting gaming above everything else in life - neglecting showering, neglecting school/work, neglecting social activities, barely taking time to eat, etc.. Currently, Gaming Disorder only pertains to “digital gaming” or, in essence, video games.


Too Much Gaming? Gaming Disorder.

WHAT IS EXCESSIVE GAMING OR GAMING DISORDER LINKED TO?

  • Increased Aggression

  • Substance Abuse

  • Decreased Self-Control

  • Can lead to difficulties forming meaningful relationships with others

  • Overstimulation of the brain receptors can reduce empathy

  • Excessive gaming can lead to a lack of sleep which can then impact one’s mental health such as anxiety and depression


HAS GAMING HELPED OR HINDERED OUR MENTAL HEALTH FOR EITHER OF US?


We are going to be a little vulnerable here with you. There has been a time in our lives where gaming has had a negative impact on Zach’s mental well-being and alternatively where gaming has had a huge positive impact on Victoria’s mental well-being.


Cozy Gaming

In 2015, when we were barely 6 months into our marriage, we hit a patch of black ice while driving and slid off the road into a telephone pole. While we weren’t going fast at about 35-40 mph, it was fast enough that the car was totaled and miraculously, Zach walked away physically with only a fractured pelvis and Victoria with only some soreness. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done for a fractured pelvis aside from bedrest. Zach spent so much time in bed unable to get up and move around, which alone has a negative impact on mental well-being. Zach is an extravert who loves to keep busy with tasks, so not being able to have social connection with others on top of not being able to move around had a huge negative impact on him. I had to return to work the same week the accident happened, and work was about a 45 minute drive away. Zach was alone for a good 9-10 hours a day. Gaming was something he did to keep his mind off the pain and distract from the feeling of isolation. During a gaming session that he was online, another player also happened to be on and looking for a fellow gamer to play with. It was like a life-line had been tossed to Zach - the connection with another human while I was at work. He could chip away at that feeling of isolation that kept creeping back and attempting to overwhelm him. But, as time slowly passed, Zach struggled with feeling like he was wasting time playing games and should be doing something more “productive” with his time. While having that human connection by playing online with others was helping Zach not feel alone, gaming was simultaneously causing him to have negative self-talk about not being productive enough. Where gaming was once a respite during his recovery, it became a negative reminder that he couldn’t do many of the other activities he enjoyed because he was confined to bed.


Now on the flip side, in January 2019 when Victoria slipped on ice and broke her ankle, gaming had a huge positive impact as Victoria started to experience “situational depression”. (Are you noticing the trend here? We apparently have terrible luck when it comes to ice.) Victoria’s road to recovery looked a lot different than Zach’s. She wasn’t confined to bed rest like Zach. While the break was bad enough to warrant a surgery where a plate and screws were put in, with the assistance of crutches she was allowed to get up. Also, with the job Zach had at the time, he was off for a good portion of the first 3-4 weeks of Victoria’s recovery. Victoria had Zach and the pets to keep her company throughout the day, but she still struggled with the fact that she wasn’t able to help Zach with much of anything around the house and that she needed his help with multiple things during the first couple weeks. On top of that we had some people in our lives that we lost connection with during this time which had a huge negative impact on Victoria. Zach had received Horizon Zero Dawn for Christmas just prior to Victoria breaking her ankle, so about a month into her recovery, she turned to Horizon. Horizon provided the escape she needed to not dwell on the negative thoughts about not being able to help Zach around the house as much, about how when he was recovering from his injury she wasn’t able to be there for him as much as he was there for her, or all the possible reasons as to why those connections were lost. Horizon was the much needed distraction that helped Victoria prevent her situational depression from worsening. Victoria earned the platinum trophy for the game, and it remains one of her favorites. She will always be thankful for the positive effect it had on her well-being along with the constant, positive source of comfort and aid Zach provided.


Horizon Zero Dawn

FINAL THOUGHTS

We believe in moderation. Too much of a good thing can oftentimes turn it into a bad thing, which is why we also pursue other hobbies and activities outside of gaming - we like to call these “side quests”. Let us know what gaming means to you and how it has positively impacted your life!


DISCLAIMER: This blog is purely informational and educational and does not constitute medical advice and/or recommendations. Use of information is at your own risk, and expresses our own personal views and opinions, not those of any of my employers.


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