How video games can help you avoid depression and develop useful skills

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Gamers can be proud of themselves: Science has proven that games are good for our minds and minds. It turns out that with the help of such entertainment, you can reach noticeable heights in self-development. More importantly, video games stimulate our brains and minimize the likelihood of developing depression.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the main character of The Shining was typing on a typewriter. Indeed, work is often viewed as the opposite of fun. However, recent scientific studies have proven that the opposite of play is depression.

This idea was first expressed by Brian Sutton-Smith, a scientist who dedicated his life to the study of the psychological aspect of play. He became famous in the 50s and 60s of the XX century when he studied the influence of entertainment on children and adults. Sutton-Smith learned that while playing, people become more self-confident and energetic, and experience strong positive emotions. In fact, all this is a description of a state that is exactly the opposite of depression, when a person is incredibly pessimistic, especially about his own talents, opportunities and prospects.

Sutton-Smith did most of his research long before scientists began using high-tech brain scans to monitor blood circulation and thus diagnose mental illness. He also worked without knowing that video games would take over our world.

According to statistics, more than 1.23 billion people are addicted to computer games, but the most important thing is that we now know what exactly is going on in the head of these people.

Over the past few years, there have been many studies using functional magnetic resonance therapy. The most notable of them was held by Stanford University, which "looked" into the brain of gamers.

The results showed that when we play video games, two areas of our brain are constantly stimulated: one that is responsible for motivation and one that makes us want to achieve new goals.

After all, during this kind of entertainment, we are incredibly focused on completing the task. It doesn't matter if we are solving complex problems, trying to find hidden objects, striving for the finish line or gaining maximum points. Any of these goals completely captures our attention, motivates and forces us to focus. We expect to achieve success - and the corresponding part of the brain begins to actively work, making us want to win.

Meanwhile, all games (not only educational ones) are designed for a person to learn. The first level is always simple, the player is easily drawn into the process, tests various strategies of action and his own skills. With each level, the tasks become more difficult, and most of the games are made so that the person continues to learn throughout the scenario.

It is this new experience that is the key to the growing interest of the player, and this is the secret of the pleasure of video games. When nothing happens and you are not encouraged to learn, the excitement is lost. The person stops playing.

So, few adults love the classic "tic-tac-toe" - all the strategies for winning are already learned by heart.

But as long as the game requires diligence and diligence from you, the hippocampus will be included in the process, and the player himself will enjoy the passage.

If you've ever wondered why, after failing one level 20 times in a row in Angry Birds, you try again and again, then there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. This enthusiasm is the result of a neurological activation script. For non-gamers, this behavior can seem irrational and intrusive. But this is exactly the steady state that should be expected from a person whose brain is completely focused on achieving a goal. In addition, after passing the level, the gamer becomes more confident in himself, thanks to the knowledge and experience gained.

And here's the most interesting thing: if a person is in a state of clinical depression, two areas of his brain are not sufficiently stimulated, and these are the same regions that are stimulated well when we play video games.

Neurologically, play is the exact opposite of depression.

When the area of the brain responsible for motivation is not active enough, we do not expect any rewards or success. As a result, we stop believing in our strengths, become pessimistic and lose the desire to do at least something. Low stimulation of this area of the brain means that there is no active circulation in it. Thus, a prolonged state of depression or lack of motivation can lead to the fact that we lose the ability to learn.

The most common interpretation of the research findings tells us that depression can be treated with video games. Apparently, those players who are in this clinical condition can self-medicate with games. Gamers often experience a sense of relief, relieve symptoms of depression, and have fun.

But, of course, no one suggests curing depression with video games - this is a rather dangerous path. The player may distance themselves from their own problems or engage in suppressing unpleasant emotions. Many people actually use games to escape into the world of illusion and to have as little contact with reality as possible.

The fact that video games change our mood shouldn't scare you. The fact is that you need to sit down to play for a specific purpose: for example, develop creativity (Minecraft), solve a problem (Portal), improve family relationships (Scrabble), increase stress resistance (League of Legends).

Researchers have found that if you play with purpose, you can increase your confidence and develop the skills you need in real life. By playing to get better (at anything), you lower your risk of depression and become more resilient to changing life circumstances.

In order for games to be useful, you need to constantly keep in mind the goals that you want to achieve. Then gaming as such becomes not an empty pastime, but a real training.

Well, shall we play?