Over the years video games have transformed from a child’s pastime you played with two buttons to a sprawling, narrative-rich world-building experience. As the medium has evolved so has the audience, which now reaches adults providing them with a break from their daily lives. Video games are a pastime that has grown into a worldwide phenomenon over the years and can be highly therapeutic.
Not every game may be therapeutic and some may be triggering depending on your experience. However, when you do find the right one, studies have proven by Mol Psychiatry during their 2017 study of trauma they help ease depression, anxiety, and PTSD among other things. For example, puzzle games such as Tetris and Bejeweled are known to reduce depression and stress and even prevent flashbacks after a traumatic event as proven. However, games such as Call of Duty and Mass Effect, which mimic the tumultuous battlefield lifestyle that many veterans have grown accustomed to, can be therapeutic for them instead. Not every game may be therapeutic for you, it’s up to you to make an informed decision.
A major demographic for multiplayer games are veterans overseas, veterans use multiplayer games to connect with multiple friends and come together to enjoy an activity outside of staring at each other’s foreheads on a Zoom call. Especially for disabled veterans, it gives them a world to indulge in where it’s a level playing field and they don’t feel disadvantaged because of their disabilities. Furthermore, not only are video games good things to help cope with reality for people in need of a getaway, but it’s also a portal to a space that you can share regardless of distance and impairment.
Even for civilians, the Pandemic has been a major source of stress. With the pandemic lasting over 2 years, it’s needless to say that communication and connection have been strained lately. Quarantining has become a wall that divides us socially for the sake of safety with no solution in sight. Video games have provided a lot of entertainment, and one of its biggest features is the online experience you get to share with your friends and family. From Call of Duty to Among Us to Streetfighter, each game is like another activity you can pick out of the roulette wheel of how you want to spend your time.
For a long time, video games had a negative reputation; children were exposed to gore, violence, and potentially sexual content due to the lack of restrictions on game purchases as well as the wide array of topics covered by popular games on the market. However, when you look a little deeper you’ll see a welcoming community of interconnected and familial player groups enjoying these mediums. Speaking for myself, I’ve met some of my closest friends in my life through video games. What started as something to hold my attention has become my haven from depression, anxiety, and negativity when I need a place to focus outside of the melancholy days that life throws at us all.
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