Online gaming can be good for your mental health - here’s how

Yoga, meditation, jogging… there are many ways to address conditions such as stress, but some mental health professionals are turning to online gaming to help patients cope.

It’s a technique that has flourished as lockdowns and social isolation during the pandemic caused a spike in some mental health problems, and therapists were forced to transition from in-person therapy sessions to interacting online.

While some video games have come under fire for their addictive nature, gaming can provide an immersive retreat from real-world stresses and strains, research shows. Blending traditional talk therapy with gaming can help encourage patients with mental health conditions to open up and engage more fully with their treatment.

Practitioners either encourage patients to play alone or join them on multiplayer online gaming platforms, such as Roblox or Minecraft.

Almost half of US adults reported higher stress levels in April 2020 compared with the previous month, as the spread of COVID-19 accelerated.

By January the following year, the impact of health concerns and economic disruption resulted in 23% of US adults experiencing more mental stress, increasing demand for professional help to tackle these conditions.

While online gaming as a therapy has come to the fore during the pandemic, it is not a new idea. Organizations such as not-for-profit Geek Therapy have advocated using video gaming in therapeutic, educational and community practice for more than a decade.

Referred to as 'flow' by psychologists, the feeling of being totally immersed in a game can help players block out feelings, problems and worries they are experiencing in real life.

Studies show playing video games can help you relax, concentrate better and improve mindfulness. As players complete simple tasks or levels within a game, a mood-enhancing happiness hormone called dopamine is released, while interacting with others online can boost confidence and help develop social skills.

That’s not to say patients are exposed to unlimited screen time or play simply for distraction.

Online gaming sessions should have specific treatment goals, such as honing social skills or building distress tolerance, according to clinical psychologist and author Aimee Daramus.

While online gaming is no replacement for traditional methods of treating mental health, it’s an additional tool therapists can use to tackle the growing mental health challenge caused by the pandemic.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Future on Mental Health is helping to address the current situation by promoting public-private initiatives, which increase treatment options for patients and bring about a shift in how mental health treatment is delivered to better prepare for the future.