Anxiety and depression are hindrances that disable many people from living full and complete lifestyles. Whether they are just mild cases or cases that require clinical treatment, they are problematic issues to discuss, let alone seek help for. The good news is technological advancements are now providing people affected by these illnesses with many ways out that weren’t available before. Believe it or not, one of them are video games, which were found to hold several benefits for people struggling with these problems.
MMORPGs
Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games are very good for breaking the anxiety that comes from social contact. Children, teenagers, and adults alike can use the safe environment to initiate and practice social relationships, including cooperation, teamwork, and social hints.
PUZZLES
One of the main causes of anxiety can be the immense number of stimuli from the modern-day environment that cause distractions. Casual puzzle games can help an individual suffering from anxiety focus on a single action for a while, reducing outside distractions, and consequently lowering the level of the affliction. They work best if you feel your anxiety rising – playing a game or two of Jewel Quest or Candy Crush can help you focus and forget the onset of an anxiety attack.
OCULUS RIFT
Virtual reality can literally transport you from your own surroundings into another, safer world, and help you alleviate your troubles. There are games designed specifically for people suffering from these illnesses that combine a relaxing environment with instructions for breathing exercises, greatly helping with anxiety onslaughts. One of such games is Deep for Oculus Rift, which is set in a calming underwater world that reacts to the way you breathe.
RAISING AWARENESS
One of the greatest problems with anxiety and depressions is that people often don’t understand what the person affected is going through. Video games can help there, too. Depression Quest, a text adventure designed by Zoë Quinn, faces the player with different choices from everyday life in scenarios like parties or supermarkets. It was written to help everybody realize how depression looks like from the perspective of the sufferer and serves as a unique eye-opener.
Even though games are not a universal solution for these very serious problems, they can certainly be steps in the right direction.