According to some studies, playing video games can help people who are having mental health issues. Khaleej Times talked to young residents who said they were comfortable using video games to control their emotions. Others mentioned that incorporating video game elements would make them more open to conventional therapy.
However, where ought to the line be drawn? Could video games be utilized as a close to home outlet? A youthful gamer said playing computer games has been more successful in assisting him with exploring troublesome times in his day to day existence, than any treatment he had recently been managed. “Regardless of whether components of gaming were integrated into treatment, I wouldn’t repeat the experience.
I find the part of treatment excessively frightening. I’m very uneasy about the idea of letting a stranger take my trauma away from me. James Lee, a 20-year-old Dubai resident, told Khaleej Times, “In gaming, you have full control with no external interference.”
“Gaming was valuable when I really wanted a break from the real world,” he added, conceding he went to utilizing computer games as his principal circumvent during the troublesome times of his life. Dante Chapman, now 15, added, “When you’re playing you can just unleash your anger on the games, and have fun without being judged.” He first became interested in video games when he was just two years old. According to emotional wellbeing and transformational coach Bushra Khan at Wellth, Dubai, despite the fact that some individuals view gaming as nothing more than escapism or even “brain rot,” there is growing evidence that video games can have growing therapeutic benefits.
She continued, “Video games have shown potential in several ways to assist individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.” Studies have shown that mental preparation games can prompt upgrades in memory, as well as chief capability and everyday abilities. Bushra, notwithstanding, additionally cautioned: “While computer games can offer restorative advantages like pressure help and mental excitement, there stays various elements that clients ought to consider.”
Effects of playing too much According to Bushra, “interference with daily responsibilities, physical and mental health issues, sleep disruption, and loss of interest in other activities” are potential indicators of excessive gaming.
In order to ensure that gaming remains beneficial without becoming excessive, she emphasized that users should establish clear boundaries, encourage breaks, monitor the content of the game, participate in social gaming, and diversify their coping mechanisms. 27-year-old Conor Minton endorses the suggestion.
He stated, “The quick-releasing dopamine and the highs you get are made all the more empty when you have to come back to the reality – that at the end of the game, your life will still have the issues it had at the beginning, and shying away from them will not help you attain closure.”
He was referring to the highs and the quick-releasing dopamine. Amaan Rafiq, 27, a Dubai resident, said that playing video games makes him agitated, so he limits his time playing them to avoid harming his mental health. “I feel like I’m very cutthroat, so when my group isn’t dominating in a match, I really wind up turning out to be exceptionally unsettled with individuals I’m playing with. To avoid or talk about verbal disrespect between us, I only play with my personal friends, he continued.
“It is important to note that while some video games can be helpful for mental health, they should not be viewed as a replacement for professional therapy,” said Carolyn Yaffe, a counsellor and cognitive behavioral therapist at Medcare Camali Clinic in Dubai. She mentioned that some video games are made especially for people with mental health issues.
To help people control their thoughts and feelings, these games incorporate aspects of certain talking therapies. Rafiq, on the other hand, stated that he is open to the idea of limiting gaming time to anywhere from one to three hours. He went on to say, “It all depends on how stressed I am becoming, but I am good at being strict with myself and knowing when to withdraw and divert my free time elsewhere, like going for a walk or the gym.” However, Conor maintains his position. He stated, “I think if therapy is more inclusive of the elements combined in video games, then I’d be more open to going for one if I felt I ever needed to.” He was referring to his own experience with video games.
