Videogames may be the answer to your current anxiety
Across geospatial distance, while people are sitting alone in their houses, a powerful tool for social connectedness rises: videogames. Over ethernet cables and optic fibres, people isolated from one another physically are meeting, connecting and collaborating in virtual spaces.
Rhetoric among older generations over the last two decades has lamented the social disconnectedness that videogames will bring. One fear is that young people will become cut off from their peers as they immerse themselves in a virtual world. Others wring their hands over the perceived frivolity of games — players are wasting their time with video games while they could be out building, creating and contributing in the actual world.
Yet research has consistently shown that videogames — and the diverse, supportive communities that they can foster — provide a deep sense of social connectedness to players who engage in those communities.
Professor Daniel Johnson, lead researcher at QUT’s Games Research and Interaction Design Lab has observed these positive effects of gaming and its surrounding culture over years of academic study.
Community and connectedness
Right now, the world is experiencing unprecedented levels of social disconnection and isolation. While the answer isn’t to eschew modern society and live entirely within a virtual world, joining a shared cultural experience can bring people together over large distances.
Different games have options that provide pathways to shared experience. The dichotomy of play experience tends towards two scenarios: sharing a virtual space with other players in a multiplayer game, or storytelling grown from individual experience in single-player games. Both forms of gaming create shared narratives that players can contribute to, either first-hand or through narrative-building.
In terms of opportunities to connect with other people, there is a similar joy to be found in running alongside your best friend in the open world of Elder Scrolls Online as there is to swapping stories of individual frontier adventures in single-player Red Dead Redemption.
“Our work has consistently shown that videogames provide players with diverse opportunities for connecting with one another,” Johnson explained.
“More specifically, we were able to show that videogames were an effective means of building social capital, or the social ties that people have with one another.”
Research shows that it’s not just staying in touch with your friends online that videogames can bring.
“Shared gaming experiences create both bridging and bonding social capital,” Johnson said.
“This means that videogame players are meeting new people as well as strengthening their existing relationships.
“All this contributes to an environment of social inclusion, connectedness and overall improved mental health.”
Better mental health
Videogames, in short allow a player’s mental wellbeing to flourish. Johnson’s research has demonstrated that games improve feelings of self-efficacy, emotional control and happiness, while reducing anxiety — particularly during or after stressful situations.
“Broadly speaking, videogames have been shown to be an excellent means of satisfying one’s needs for self-determination,” Johnson explained.
“They provide players with feelings of competence, autonomy and relatedness. That means players feel that they’re good at a task, acting with a sense of freedom, and experiencing a sense of connection.
“When a person is having these needs satisfied, a whole range of mental health and wellbeing benefits follow.”
What does this mean for you?
The key message from this research is clear: playing videogames is an exceptional way to reduce stress and anxiety, release creative energy, and build community with peers based on shared experience.
That doesn’t mean you should shirk all your responsibilities immediately and dive head-first into the latest Animal Crossing game, but it does mean that playing games can help you preserve your mental wellness during turbulent times.
“Of course, all good things in moderation,” Johnson said.
“As much as possible people should aim to draw benefit from a variety of activities like reading or exercising.
“But as we face increasing levels of physical isolation, videogames offer a uniquely accessible way to maintain wellbeing.”
More information
Explore research at QUT’s Science and Engineering Faculty
Find out more about Professor Daniel Johnson
