Introduction

A lot of people with mental health can benefit from playing video games, however there are some who can have a negative experience with this as well. Video games can have a large effect on mental health both positive and negative. They can help people in a variety of ways, but they can also be the key factor for what can cause mental health a key factor in the deterioration of an individual’s mental health within some people. Video games are only getting more popular now more than ever pushing the boundaries of what each new game and or what game it can be and they are always having new challenges and tasks for their players to do. These games do not just affect mental health and can also improve focus, multitasking and peoples working memory. Games are becoming more widespread and easier to access for a wide range of people, however, are all these games having a negative or pressuring effect on people or a positive impact on people. How bad could this be for people’s mental health exactly, and how can these games be positive for people’s mental health?

Video games and mental health positivity

Video games are only getting ever more popular as time goes on. From the original games back as early as 1958 in the form of pong, to modern titles now. But are they good for people to play? Several studies show benefit to video games in moderation and have become a very easy and good get away for people struggling in times of need or with mental health. There has been a strong correlation with several mental health illnesses to have taken keen interest into social media or playing a variety of

Figure 1 (3 Charts | Video Games vs Social Media in Teens | Visualized Science, 2019)

video games. One of the most common and growing illnesses being depression.

This example shows the tendencies to turning to being online for those suffering with depression. This can be used as an escape if they feel trapped or in need of time alone. This correlation does not mean that games and social media cause depression in people. A study in 2020 Kabir Lal (2020) has shown that gaming can suppress the negative emotions that people might have and this is why younger people in particular take to gaming, as it will help shut off their negative and down beat emotions ,which can vary from suicidal tendencies or feeling sad and lonely.

This can be done with several games. It can help bring friends closer together who might live further away, as they can interact and enjoy the same space together in the virtual world. This is perfect for friends or families who are separated for a variety of reasons and can help bring the loneliness together. But multiplayer games are not the only things that can help people. Game developers have invested a lot of time and work in to making games with new stories and worlds for people to explore. Each game offering something new or different to the last. It could be a new story, new characters or personalities. These new environments can be a great distraction for people using games as a breath of fresh air if they are struggling with a form of mental illness or are overly anxious.

A research team have investigated depression among teenage boys and have found a positive correlation between those who play video games and those who do not. (UCL, 2021) Of those boys who are not as physically active and are experiencing symptoms of depression; those symptoms are lower by 24%. This could be due to those suffering the symptoms are experiencing a bigger benefit to playing in a virtual environment. However, the study cannot confirm this entirely.

Effects on mental health for ADHD and Tourette’s .

Other signs of positive interaction between mental health and games can be found in much simpler and wider available games such as mobile games on your phone. They can be used to promote relaxation and ward off other ill feelings such as anxiety and even help other illnesses such as Tourette’s or ADHD as it gives the player something to focus on.

Myself having been diagnosed with ADHD, had a few challenges growing up, focus and social interaction being some main factors. I started experiencing some of the benefits within video games first-hand that can link to ADHD. Research suggests that people with ADHD can struggle with stimulation towards things at times; video games can help benefit this as the “fast paced and visually exciting“ (ADHD and Video Games: Is There a Link?, 2020) gameplay and environments can help bring some focus and deeper interaction for a prolonged period of time, which can help calm the mind of someone who might have ADHD struggling to focus and keep their mind on one thing.

Negative side to video games on mental health

On the other hand, games and the hobby of gaming can have an adverse effect on mental health within some individuals. Gaming can have some serious and harmful effects for some people such as addiction, gambling and other difficulties such as Alexithymia.
A blog of mental health studies and effects of gaming has suggested that if a player supresses emotional feelings, they can develop alexithymia; The inability to determine one’s inner emotional state. (Healthy Gamer( 2020) As suggested by the blog, this is often developed from a younger age, as the lack of an emotional role model in which emotions can be expressed and learnt from so the younger population do not feel emotion within the same way.

An increasing problem among video games was the introduction of microtransactions and loot boxes, where a player can spend some real-life money in exchange for a virtual crate with a random generated chance of a range of items. These often have a rare chance for something good or of high value.
This type of payment or as it is referred to of, Microtransaction was introduced in 2006 by the company behind the game The Elder scrolls IV: Oblivion and their introduction to an in game buyable item. Since this happened, Microtransactions have only gotten more widespread from this one game and are now used across thousands of games varying from first person shooters to mobile games.
Since microtransactions are so widespread they have appeared in different ways however the most common is the loot box. This small chance at something good has had a knock-on effect to players in a negative way especially if they cost real world money for example as in world of tanks Christmas loot boxes. They cost £17 for 11 loot boxes and you are not guaranteed to get good value out of them as they are pure chance of what you get. This drives people to spend more on those loot boxes to try and get the exact item they want, spending more money and in some cases money they might not have. This has been the downfall of quite a few people’s enjoyment in gaming by overspending money and neglecting their physical health.

Gambling microtransactions and risks with mental health over time.

In several different countries within the European union, loot boxes have seen a lot of dislike and hatred even by governments. They have been identified as a strong link to gambling; governments have gone as far to ban sales of loot boxes and other restrictions on them. (Straub, N. 2020) A recent study within the United Kingdom has also identified loot boxes to have a link with gambling with some rather shocking numbers. “93% Of children who have played video games %40 have opened loot boxes” This effect of children opening loot boxes at such an early age could have negative effects later in life with buying more and potentially wasting money on something they will not be guaranteed a positive value from.

With children being exposed to loot boxes and microtransactions at such an early age doesn’t just affect their future income or parental issues, It can also lead to addiction. Microtransaction addiction is becoming more widely viewed as a serious risk for younger gamers as the years pass by. Mobile games are often harassed by a large number of ads which try to drive people in to buying a microtransaction just so they can play their game in peace however on consoles and PC gaming the idea of microtransactions are very different. These concepts of getting people to pay for items in games is a very profitable market however the effect it can have on peoples mental and overall physical health can be detrimental. The encouragement of loot boxes in some games will show the idea of paying more can get you better items or cosmetic pieces within games and once you start getting some you will only want more, this could lead to depression symptoms and development as they get drawn into these small payments which can soon build up. This was also used to give players advantages in games causing controversy for if they paid to get these items. This was seen in several companies; EA Games had some issues in 2018 regarding their usage and view of loot boxes for this very reason regarding the game Star Wars Battlefront 2. “It all started a month ago, when EA showcased that “Battlefront II” would have a “loot box” system in place for players. On top of the $60-$80 retail price.” (Park, 2017) The urge for players to want to be better than others is something everyone strives for as a part of competition however once it becomes an option to spend money to do so this can get people addicted to spending their money to want to be the best.

As well as microtransactions, there are other negative views on videogaming; video game addiction is something being viewed more serious and now seen as an official disorder by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2018) This addiction can be described as a compulsive desire to play said video games or “Constantly thinking about or wanting to play the game” (NHS, 2021) This can have detrimental effects on a person no matter their age. Within younger people this addiction can be very easily developed as games might offer them an easy sense of enjoyment, this time on games might draw them in to much not wanting to go to school or for older people, go to work. This over time can lead to complications for physical health such as carpal tunnel from excessive gaming, increased risk of obesity and high blood pressure; mental health effects being, neglected social skills, anxiety and overall low self-esteem and confidence. This lack of communication with other people during playing video games can develop a variety of issues despite also being able to help mental health. This excessive usage is the key reason there has been a lot of controversy regarding video games and should they be restricted.

Video games on treating mental health and awareness of it.

Despite this mixed view on video games there have been several games that have been beneficial to help rehabilitate mental health issues as well as raise awareness towards mental health. Tetris has been around since 1984 and since its release has been used for rehabilitation for addiction (Sison, 2016) It has helped provide a focus and “helps reduce cravings” (Sison, 2016) according to the study by Dr Sison focusing on Tetris can utilize the part of the brain that creates cravings. But not only can games help treat mental health illnesses or struggles they can raise awareness, by developing a player’s character or the playable environment in such a way it can have elements of different mental health aspects in it such as the game, “Night in the Woods” (Wikipedia Contributors, 2019) This game raises awareness by using the different characters throughout the game to represent different mental health disorders, the main character suffering with depression and anxiety. Portraying characters like this in such a way can be beneficial for people playing who suffer with these mental health issues as it can allow them to see what types of support, they need but don’t know. By having c characters that were rather relatable in a game this is a keyway to communicate with players and can have emotional attachments by the players too as they see similarities within themselves. There have been several games that have helped mental health awareness and have had very positive reviews and overall outtakes for their views on mental health.

Conclusion

Within the long term of video games over the years, there is a strong connection with video games and mental health whether it is good or bad depends on the person and amount of time playing and experiencing these video games. In moderation video games can be very beneficial for those who are suffering mental health issues and might help them gain more confidence within themselves by finding new coping mechanisms to overcome certain anxieties. However, if they spend to much time to time with these video games over time negative experiences can come around such as video game addiction.

References

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Straub, N. (2020) Every Country With Laws Against Loot Boxes (& What The Rules Are). ScreenRant. Available online: https://screenrant.com/lootbox-gambling-microtransactions-illegal-japan-china-belgium-netherlands/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2021].

Smitha Bhandari, MD (2020) ADHD and Video Games: Is There a Link? (2020) WebMD. Available online: https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/adhd-and-video-games-is-there-a-link

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Latvala, T. (2019) Elements of gambling in video game microtransactions : loot boxes. Figure 6. Available online: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Elements-of-gambling-in-video-game-%3A-loot-boxes-Latvala/261b0bfea355c3c423b11544d1f41f97d78440a4 [Accessed 29 Apr. 2021].

Park, G. (2017) How a Star Wars video game faced charges that it was promoting gambling. The Washington Post. [online] 18 Nov. Available online: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/11/18/how-a-star-wars-video-game-faced-charges-that-it-was-promoting-gambling/. [Accessed 30 Apr. 2021].

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