By Marie Miguel
Gaming is a popular activity many have started to engage in even more. While it’s helped many people build a community in a world where it’s hard to really interact with people outside, it does have some mental health benefits and drawbacks.
It is good for your mental health, and it can be a great way to de-stress. In this, we’ll go over how gaming can help you, but also harm your mental health too.
A Way to Communicate with Friends
Let’s face it, the pandemic hasn’t made communicating any easier with others, especially friends. But, some of the best games for gamers are actually community games too.
With the holidays coming around, many may ask for gifts to help them communicate with friends more, such as a gaming headset, or even gaming PC parts. Gaming is a great way to talk to your friends, even if they’re on the other side of the world. While you may not be together in a physical sense, this is a good way to stay connected.
That way, you’re not missing out on valuable interaction.
Good way to Eliminate Stress
Gaming is a good way to reduce stress. With the pandemic not making things easy for most of us, this is a valid, easy way for you to eliminate the stress that you’re feeling.
Struggling after a long day of dealing with others? A nice shooting session in your favorite FPS may be a wonderful thing. Stress obviously won’t go away away, but if you’re able to, you should definitely consider adding gaming as a good way to eliminate stress.
Good Way to Build Coordination
Gaming is great for hand-eye coordination, and it can build confidence. It’s a good way to also help you keep your hands busy if you tend to do nervous things or habits that aren’t necessarily good for you. Coordination is definitely benefited through the use of gaming.
The Bad: It can Be Addictive
The one downside to gaming really is addiction. Gaming addiction is very real, and it can impact many parts of life. If you notice that you’re foregoing actual human relationships just to play a video game, that’s when the problems will arise.
If you’re only focusing on the game when other issues are being ignored, that’s a sign that you need to start rethinking the priorities that you might have. A lot of people struggle with this, especially since gaming addiction does happen.
Can Stress You Out and Make You Anxious
Some people do feel anxious because of gaming. The desire to always win can be a toxic mindset.
While it is a good way to escape and relax, if you regard gaming as something serious, or if you have anger issues, the stress from a game can make you upset, and it can cause issues with outbursts and anxiety.
If you do notice this though, understand that you’re not alone. If you struggle with having proper mental health when gaming, or if you notice that you are stressed out outside of gaming and there is more going on, you can go to https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/ to get the help that you need, especially if you love gaming.
Gaming is a great thing, and it can be beneficial to you, but you should also keep in mind that it can have some drawbacks as well. It can help your mental health, but if you are inclined to addiction, do be mindful of the time you spend playing games as well.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with Mind-Diagnostics.org. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
Mental health will always vary from individual to individual, and I think it’s always important to find the game that’s suitable for you (if you get easily frustrated at a game, then just find another game).
I think anxiety and depression are the biggest issues that plague many countries today, and it’s so important to find a form of escapism. It might be inconvenient to fly over to a tropical resort or go outside to a music concert, but it’s sure easy to find games that reduce stress and other mental health issues. Video games get downplayed and undervalued very often, and I think it’s important to experience the fun of video games in this day and age as a form of relief.