Video games can be great therapy for depression

Depression makes it tough to enjoy your life. The feelings of hopelessness and despair hound you to the point of breaking down. There are no words to describe the terror that depression fills within an individual.

Let’s be frank; most of us have felt utterly depressed at some point in our life. Or, we may be in touch with someone who is going through the harrowing bouts of depression. It affects more than 15 million people in the United States. It is also a leading cause of disability among US individuals within the frame of 15 to 44 years.

The realization of growing numbers has compelled organizations to come up with counseling experts, support groups, and other resources that may help to deal with depression. But there is one more thing that you can do to steer clear of the illness. That is, play video games. Sounds absurd, right?

A recent study by Healthland.time has proven that fantasy games helped some teenagers to conquer depression in the same manner as the usual counseling.

Besides this study, there has been ample research in this dimension. Psychologist Brian Sutton-Smith found that people feel more positive, energetic, and confident when they play. There are neurological benefits of playing video games that most people fail to fathom.

Games and Depression

Nothing is as scary as your inner demons pulling you down. When a gamer discovers that the game character falls into a similar mental state as theirs, they tend to have sympathy for it. This feeling forces them to work hard for the rescue of the character from its predicament.

The new game Sea of Solitude follows the same concept. There is a woman named Kay, who navigates in a submerged city trying to save herself from red-eyed monsters. She realizes that these creatures are the humans turned into monsters when they felt extremely lonely. She has the ambition to fight off her loneliness to ensure that she doesn’t face a similar fate.

This, among many other games, is the one that tackles mental issues.

Technically, the developers aim to immerse the player within the game. They know that embodying a character who suffers from depression will leave a long-lasting impression of the challenges that tag along. They can bounce out of the negative moods, unlike the other modes of media like television.

Your Brain on Video Games

When a person plays a video game, it stimulates two parts of their brain. The first part is the one that evaluates reward pathways. These are the goals associated with the game. The other part, the hippocampus, is that which is responsible for learning and memory.

You must have noticed when playing a video game you tend to get quite agitated when you cannot achieve the objectives. Whether its Candy Crush, Angry Birds, or Clash of Clans, you want to make the scores at any cost. The closer you are to your goals, the more activated your reward pathways become. Yet when you are in the pool of depression, these two parts narrow down.

Game designer and futurist, Jane McGonigal opines that the best thing we can do is to play the right kind of video games. These games should be such that they inspire creative thinking, joyful positivity, and coordinated problem-solving. So this is one element that we should pay extra attention to. You can reap the rewards of video games if they empower your brain to improve. They provide you a healthy escape amidst the normal frenzy.

How Games Change Our Mental Wiring?

Daphne Bavelier, a brain scientist, closely studied the impact of video games on the brain. She provides that excessive gaming is dangerous for human health. Yet at reasonable levels, it is quite beneficial.

Following are some qualities integrated with video games:

• They are goal-oriented. As mentioned above, there are some games that we cannot leave playing due to intense challenges it brings out for us. So games are like learning a new skill that provides plenty of cognitive benefits.
• Games are also complex structures of cause and effect. They train the brain to have a look at the hidden logic. The player explores the web, pulling different threads to understand the connection.
• There are moments in our life that transpire out of nowhere. It brings unpredictable outcomes and unforeseen consequences. Games work on the same concept. They produce surprising situations to train the player and help them to explore the complex real world.

Pick and Choose

Selecting the right kind of game is the basic factor. Before you jump to install a game, make sure it brings a positive impact on your brain. For instance:

• Games like Backgammon and 9 Ball Pool by Unlimited Gamez Mo help players to juggle their brains and discover the ultimate solutions.
• Wiii games can help veterans in treatment. They return home with a numb emotional state and require instant treatment.
• Games like Word Puzzles improve your literary and problem-solving skills.

Final Thoughts

Mental health issues are increasing all across the globe. And depression is one of the leading illnesses that is affecting a large sector of the population. It is about time that we embrace it and work out ways to deal with it. Video games are one of the easiest solutions that you can have right now.

There is an intrinsic beauty in the optimistic gameplay that you will appreciate when you start playing them. The future of humanity is surely going to change as video games, and smart technology crawls in the community.

Make sure you are adapting to the transformations with optimism. You will find yourself at peace when you know that you stand at the edge of competitiveness and serenity. Video games will help you to feel better and live a meaningful life.

Please get back to us with your opinions, comments, and concerns. We would love to know them.

Happy Gaming!

Author Bio:
About Michelle Joe: Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs. You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

This article is originally published at gamesreviews.com