Gaming and Mental Health Implications
Everything can be good in moderation. While gaming is a controversial hobby, especially among parents, it can be a beneficial pastime that helps players solve problems, get creative, and more. Video games can also boost your mental wellness, no matter your age.
However, criticisms of video games aren’t totally groundless. Too much gaming can have negative implications for mental health. In this article, we’ll explore the connection between gaming and mental health, so you can reap the benefits of video games while staying aware of the warning signs of poor gaming habits.
Video Games Can Be a Tool for Stress Relief
Video games are a proven coping tool for people who are experiencing stressful situations. When you play casual video games like Animal Crossing or cooperative games that let you work together with friends, you can take your mind off of challenges in your life and brighten up your mood. Video games can even give you an outlet to express your creativity.
Of course, it’s true that some video games can be stressful to play. These aren’t necessarily bad for people who aren’t experiencing stress — in fact, they can give you a sense of accomplishment when you solve complex problems or boost your gaming skills. However, when you want to benefit from the stress-relieving power of video games, selecting games that are relatively simple and penalty-free is key.
More and more gaming companies are developing video games that are built to relieve stress, too. This is an incredibly healthy development for gamers’ mental wellness.
Understanding the Risk of Gaming Addiction
Video games can be highly addictive for gamers of any age. They stimulate your brain, often to a state of hyperarousal, which can lead you to constantly chase the “high” you feel while playing. A Norwegian study found that 1.4% of gamers display all the core signs of addiction — including relapse, withdrawal, and conflicts — while many more display at least a few symptoms. When addiction occurs, gamers may become more irritable and develop issues with work, school, or relationships.
This illustrates the importance of setting time limits for yourself when gaming. To ensure you’re not spending all day behind your screen, try implementing time management strategies. For instance, you can plan your day out in advance, prioritize your most important tasks, and set non-negotiable times for work or studying. This can help prevent video games from hindering your life.
Gaming Can Boost Social Skills
When played in healthy increments, video games can be a powerful tool for managing social anxiety. They offer a controlled, virtual environment for you to make friends and practice social interactions — one that’s focused on the game, which allows your mistakes to go largely unnoticed. As you build confidence in your ability to form friendships while gaming, your social skills can translate into real life.
Gaming can be a highly effective way for people with learning disabilities to practice social skills, too. Interacting with other players gives you a chance to practice teamwork and social cues. Even solo games can be beneficial when they immerse you in mock social situations and reward positive behavior.
Gaming Can Take a Toll on Mental Health
While video games can certainly help players manage their mental health, the positive effects of gaming aren’t universal. Video games can actually exacerbate mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, especially for streamers who spend long hours online and put themselves in the public eye.
The type of video games you play matter as well. While puzzle and strategy games are often highly beneficial, helping players build their problem-solving skills, highly violent video games are directly linked to depression in youth when played daily. For parents, this demonstrates the importance of ensuring kids are playing age-appropriate video games by understanding ESRB ratings, which can range from E for Everyone to Adults Only.
For adults, learning how to detect the signs of mental disorders is key to healthy gaming. If you feel like a video game is a stressor for your pre-existing mental illness or causing new symptoms to arise, it’s important to take a mental health break and consider speaking to a licensed professional.
Form a Healthy Relationship With Gaming
Gaming is undoubtedly a fun pastime that carries significant perks, including stress relief benefits and opportunities to develop your social skills. In this sense, it can be a positive contributor to your mental health. However, it isn’t without its risks.
Poor gaming habits can exacerbate mental illnesses and lead to disastrous gaming addiction. This makes it incredibly important for gamers to practice restraint by limiting time spent on video games and being willing to walk away from games that increase symptoms of mental illness. When you know how to create a healthy balance between life and gaming, you can reap the benefits of gaming while warding off the downsides.
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