Gaming | Mental Health | Suicide Prevention
How Smartphone (Video) Games Fed My Depression & Suicide Attempt
Why are gaming companies allowed to benefit from addictions and gambling-disguised-as-video-games without clear warnings and oversight?
I recently read an article titled “Video Games Could Hold Untapped Potential in Treatment of Mental Illness” (source Very Well Mind). From my own experience with smartphone games and depression, that statement was mind-boggling. To me, it would be similar to reading that using non-renewal fossil fuel could be the way to fix a high concentration of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere! So… I went digging.
I will share what I found on this topic and compare it to my experience with depression during which overspending on smartphone games was my main activity in the weeks leading to my suicide attempt.
The Very Well Mind article was based on a report published in June of 2021 in JMIR Serious Games. This report was not about games specifically designed to be used in mental illness treatment. It addressed the potential impact of commercially available video games.
The JMIR Report
First of all, let’s understand that this was a report, not a study. The authors looked at studies to write a report on a subject that was not directly part of the studies they reviewed. Let me explain. Because some benefits of video games appear to match issues faced by people suffering from depression, they concluded that video games had the “potential” to be used in mitigating symptoms of depression, especially because (they say) video games are much less expensive than the cost of therapy.
Let’s see how their logic went.
Step 1: Depression Symptoms
“The two core symptom criteria of depression are either chronic low mood or loss of interest and loss of pleasure. (…) Apart from physical manifestations, such as fatigue, insomnia or hypersomnia, weight loss, and digestive issues, individuals with depression can experience a diminished ability to think and concentrate, and experience greater indecisiveness, feelings of worthlessness, and excessive guilt with recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. (…) The literature shows that weak connectedness, loneliness, and social isolation; a debilitated sense of psychological belonging; and internalized stigma are associated with depressive symptoms.”
Step 2: Benefits of Video Games
“Recent evidence has shown the utility of video games to evoke positive emotions such as joy and happiness, appreciation and competence, and social connectedness in individuals. (…)
Step 3: Connecting The Dots
Because one may feel more socially connected through an online community of gamers, video games have the “potential” to help with depression. They say.
I’m simplifying the report, of course, but that’s the gist of it. It’s a short report, so feel free to read it.
Could + Potential = Hmmm
After reading the article a few times, I noticed two significant words in the title: “could” and “potential.” Right! It could have potential. Well… It could also be wishful thinking. Interestingly, the report is written by researchers at a eSport research lab.
Moderation & Price
Beyond the leap they took to connect the dot, I question two elements of their report.
Moderation vs. Addiction
The authors of the report published by JMIR stated that “distraction (ie, reading a book, playing games, or music) serves as an effective mood-regulatory strategy when used in moderation.”
OK. Let me ask you something. Are people suffering from depression likely to play in moderation?
Here is a point of view provided by a website supporting the work of Dr. Alok Kanojia, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and world expert in video game addiction: “Those who are addicted to gaming are twice as likely to be depressed as those who do not game. Excessive gaming can lead to dopamine exhaustion, emotional suppression, and lack of motivation, among other issues” (source: Healthy Gamer).
There appears to be a significant difference between occasional gamers and addicted gamers. In which category are depressed people more likely to fall?
I was depressed a while back, and once I started gaming, it sucked me in. I felt good when I was playing. My depression symptoms were gone! But it was all smoke and mirror. My life problems were still there. I was just ignoring them.
Here is how Healthy Gamer summarizes it.
Yes, video games have a positive impact, like creating a sense of community, giving us enjoyable time, and training our analytical minds. Cool!
But video games can also lead to dopamine addiction. Eventually, some gamers get all their sense of success from playing video or smartphone games. They get sucked in. And because of that, they simply cannot get motivated to take care of real-life problems that are unlikely to provide that sense of success because these are difficult (real) problems. I can relate to that!
Furthermore, as Healthy Gamer points out, video games suppress negative emotions, which is why they are used to coping with depression. But here’s the thing. Over time, usage of video games can lead to the inability to determine your internal emotional state, and that, in turn, can make mental illness worse. I can relate to that too!
From what I have read, using video games to help mental illness could make sense as long as the player doesn’t fall into addiction. Perhaps that could work under supervision. But when I was in a deep depression, I didn’t have what I needed to moderate myself. In a perfect world, there would be no addiction. To alcohol. Drugs. Or gaming. But that is not the world we live in.
For the record, I’m an engineer, and I solved numerous complicated issues in my career. In theory, I had the ability to solve my life problems and moderate my usage of video games. But I didn’t. I was in a deep hole, and gaming helped me dig a more giant one.
Today, I look at that period in my life, and I seriously wonder how I was so dumb. But I wasn’t dumb. I was depressed. And saying that video games could help… I don’t know! It sounds like saying alcohol could help. Maybe you’ll argue that these are very different addictions that cannot be compared because alcohol is a depressant and therefore not indicated to counter depression. But, to me, the similarity lies in the need for moderation. How likely are deeply depressed individuals to moderate themselves?
The Price of Video Games
The authors of the report published by JMIR repeatedly stated that video games were inexpensive and even, free. It shocked me to read such a statement.
Of course, I can freely download video games to play on my computer or my smartphone. But that is where “free” ends!
“Video game companies use behavioral psychology to highly stimulate users before hitting them up to make in-game purchases” (source: Digital Media Treatment & Education Center).
Not only can you spend a fortune (literally) on these video games, but the game itself is designed to be a money trap. Furthermore, many of these in-game purchases are actually “gambling” activities. You buy a loot box hoping to get an item that you want–just like you do with a lottery ticket, except that lotteries are regulated while these gaming companies are pretty much enjoying the benefits of an online casino with no oversight.
“California man spent $1 million playing Game of War: Mobile game described as like gambling, but with no possibility of winning” (source: Ars Technica).
In many jurisdictions nowadays, casinos have a legal responsibility to ensure that patrons enjoy casino games as a form of entertainment, limiting credit accessibility. Similarly, bar owners have to watch for drunk patrons because they could be held responsible if an intoxicated client kills somebody on the road after leaving their establishment. I don’t know to what extent these laws and regulations work, but at least there is a government and social interest.
With online gaming, you can load your credit card for 50 thousand dollars, and the company behind the game won’t do a thing to prevent it. They will just give bigger bonuses to their staff for having designed the game in such a profitable way.
When I was at the deepest point in my depression, I started playing “Game of Thrones: Conquest” by Warner Bros (WB), and I spent thousands of dollars without even making it to the rank of being a top player in the “kingdom.” From what I could see, top players were spending north of 30 thousand dollars. In these types of games, it doesn’t feel like you are spending a lot because it is just a dollar here and $5 there. Then, $100 here and $100 there. But when you receive your credit card statement, you are in for a shock.
WB and HBO generated $750 million in revenues over the past four years with that game (source: Venture Beat). They reported 20 million downloads which would mean an average of about $37.50 per player. However, I am sure the actual average is higher than that as some people download games just to “have a look” and never get into really playing it.
Another game, Genshin Impact, “made a quarter billion dollars in its first month alone on just the mobile platform” (source: Forbes). The author of that article spent $561 on the game, and here’s the result: “$500+ isn’t even enough to guarantee me all the four star heroes, as I still don’t have a Beidou, and I am missing a ton of four star weapons.”
Either way, my concern here is about people with mental illness and, specifically, people with addiction issues.
WB knew how much I was spending, and unlike the bar owner watching for alcoholics, they didn’t seem to care that I was getting addicted. Apple is in the same boat. Apple took 30% of everything I spent in that game.
Just to be clear, I am not blaming WB, HBO, or Genshin Impact in particular. They are just examples. The app store is full. It’s big business!
I was addicted to that game for a couple of months. During that time, a friend of mine (who didn’t know I was in a depression but knew I had lost my job) lined up a high-level interview for an executive position that was right up my alley. I didn’t show up! I was so into the game that I lost track of time. Literally. I didn’t realize the weekend was over.
Once I received my second overloaded monthly credit card statement, I woke up and realized I had created new problems for myself on top of those I already had. Three days later, I attempted to commit suicide. I thought my problems were insurmountable before digging myself a gaming hole! My suicide attempts failed only because of a desperate last-minute action by a friend.
Gaming companies have the ability to help alleviate addiction issues and make a positive impact in the lives of people like me when I was suffering from a deep depression. Still, they don’t seem to care much beyond the dollar sign.
When you buy cigarettes or alcohol, there are warnings. You are told by the manufacturers to use these products in moderation. There is no warning whatsoever when you download a game in the app store.
Either way, saying that smartphone and video games are free to people with mental illnesses is a dangerous statement because these games are designed to be both addictive and money-grabbing machines.
So What?
I will most likely talk to a friend suffering from depression soon. “Mental health disorders affect more than 14% of the global population and are estimated to become 1 of the 3 major causes of morbidity and mortality by 2030” (source: JMIR).
When I do, I will not suggest they dive into smartphone and video games. I will help them find a therapist.
As for the issues with video (gambling) games, perhaps there is hope down the road. In Canada last year, Electronic Arts (EA), a video game company, faced a class-action lawsuit. Plaintiffs were seeking damages for unlicensed, illegal gambling systems in more than 60 EA games.
Perhaps these video gaming companies are getting away with it because lawmakers are too old to understand what this whole thing is!
More about my journey with depression and a suicide attempt.
In the comments below, please share with me your experience with smartphone and video games. Have a good day!
Today, let’s reach out to at least one friend to check out on them before it’s too late.
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“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” ~James Keller
I published this story in A Windy Life, a publication on Medium.
