Coping with anxiety via video games?

[fuzyon]

Ever since I got my first Nintendo console as a kid I fell in love with video games and the world you were transported to when you put the game cassete in, it was pretty exciting coming home from school and jumping straight into video game world. Now that I'm an adult and anxiety sometime takes over I like to take a step back and relax while playing some video games, they're therapeutic and for a brief period they kind of make me forget about all my struggles and thoughts and just focus on the game which is wonderful. I'm really calm when I play them.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I guess that there's always something for everyone, right? I'm really glad that you've found something that makes you feel better. When it comes to me, I'm not a big video game player, but I definitely still enjoy the games that I used to play when I was a little kid, Mario Kart and The Sims are my favorites. And as you've said, there's always something really relaxing while you're playing them. When it comes to me, I definitely feel that with old Disney movies, especially Alice In Wonderland, I find it so relaxing, I think that it has to do with associations, but it still helps.

 

[wecantfixthat]

I like playing too. It doesn't necessarily help me with feeling relaxed, in fact it's the complete opposite making me rage and what not, but it does normally keep me feeling normal or neutral. I do get anxious sometimes when I can hear all the other players yelling at me in Cod Search and Destroy or GTA or something when I am the last standing.

 

[Allegro]

^


That is exactly why I don't play online with others when there's a microphone option. I know I'd become too anxious about messing up and having people yell at me for it. It takes away the fun and relaxation that comes with playing. I mainly play games for fun, but it does help take away my anxiety for a while. I get to immerse myself in another world and take my mind off whatever is making me anxious.

 

[Sweetietweet]

^
That is exactly why I don't play online with others when there's a microphone option. I know I'd become too anxious about messing up and having people yell at me for it.

I get that, too. I also end up getting way too self-conscious about the way my voice sounds over chat, or that I sound like an idiot. So I end up playing games that don't have a voice option at all.


I do, however, love using video games to help control the anxiety. My favorite is Minecraft, especially in peaceful mode. It's just so soothing for me, to have my own little world and be able to control anything within it. I end up building really elaborate farms on the surface, and then digging out insane underground caverns for myself. It turns me in to a mole person.

 

[joshposh]

Everyone has their escape in life, and video games was mine. But you need to ask yourself, if there was no video games to go to, then what? Will you face your demons constructively, or will you find another activity that will numb you and take you away.


Sound harsh but I know where you're at, as I'm almost middle aged. I use to play video games back in the early 80s. It helped me escape the realities of life. As much as you love to do it, the anxiety triggers will never go away unless you face it head on, or at least slowly address it in small spurts. It won't be easy but I don't think you want to be known as the 40 year old that has no life and play video games all day long.

 

[Allegro]

I get that, too. I also end up getting way too self-conscious about the way my voice sounds over chat, or that I sound like an idiot. So I end up playing games that don't have a voice option at all.


I do, however, love using video games to help control the anxiety. My favorite is Minecraft, especially in peaceful mode. It's just so soothing for me, to have my own little world and be able to control anything within it. I end up building really elaborate farms on the surface, and then digging out insane underground caverns for myself. It turns me in to a mole person.

I'm the same way with my voice! I remember there was a assignment in school where we had record a conversation in French and play it for the whole class. I made sure to excuse myself for a long, long, long bathroom break so I wouldn't have to hear my voice, nor see other peoples faces when they heard it.


I suggest you play Animal Crossing: New Leaf ( or any in the series aside from the Wii version ) if you haven't already. It's probably the most peaceful game I've ever played. Even the music is nice, especially at night.

 

[fuzyon]

^
That is exactly why I don't play online with others when there's a microphone option. I know I'd become too anxious about messing up and having people yell at me for it. It takes away the fun and relaxation that comes with playing. I mainly play games for fun, but it does help take away my anxiety for a while. I get to immerse myself in another world and take my mind off whatever is making me anxious.

Yeah, online games that give players the option to scream and cuss in their microphones is one of the reasons I won't touch that game, I just want to relax and take my mind off of things not to hear people cursing every minute. That's one of the reasons I like playing RPGs because I'm a character in the story and I'm focused on the gameplay and making the right decisions, it's a lot of fun!

 

[Dilof]

I've always played video games and I do believe they help with anxiety. However, most of my anxiety seems to occur at night time whilst trying to sleep and obviously it's near impossible for me to play video games. Whenever Ive had anxiety during the day I have made sure to keep my mind occupied with things such as games though. My anxiety experiences first started around 14 and I'm 18 now; so it definitely was a helper in those times.

 

[JCP]

Yeah I find im really shy when talking into the headset, and chatting to be people over Xbox Live, especially when there loud-mouths and trash talkers in the lobby ...


Not just that though, and this might sound weird but I tend to be extra conservative when playing as well, like when I play Call of Duty/Battlefield online, I tend to focus more on trying not to die and surviving lol. Instead of actually trying to get kills and have fun.

 

[gracer]

I think video games and other kinds of games are very effective in relieving anxiety because of their ability to get a person engaged with them and eventually forgets his/her anxiety even just for a time. Games also tend to bring out one's logical skills while a person is so into them. I also play video games during times when I'm very stressed and somehow they do help me forget for awhile.

 

[shcoo]

Video games have always given me a great sense of personal accomplishment. Leveling up or beating a game makes me feel like I'm good at something, even if I'm "bad" at so many other things in my life due to my anxiety. They can be a great distraction and there's a lot of admirable artistry involved in game design. Of course, some games can be very stressful and I have to be careful that I don't spend all my free time on them. They can also get very expensive. I only play XBox 360 and Nintendo DS games right now because I cannot afford the new consoles and new games.


I've also found that games can be a great way to bond with others. For example, I don't play online but I go to meetups in stores where people arrange Pokemon battles or tournaments for fighting games on all consoles. This can form some good real-world connections and help you make new friends.

 

[pwarbi]

I've always been a gamer since an early age, and while I wouldn't say that I turn to video games to ease my anxiety, I do feel sometimes that when I put a game on and concentrate on that, any other issues or concerns I have seem less of a problem. It's easy to see why people play video games to try and get away from their problems, as you can disappear from the real world, and the problems that the real world often brings, but it's important to remember that while you are engrossed in your game, the real world doesn't go away.


Playing video games to avoid an issue is just another way of burying your head in the sand, and when your game is over, the problems that your trying to hide away from will still be there, and sometimes even worse because of the fact you've tried to ignore them for so long.

 

[Krnasmommy]

I like to play video games too. I usually play games like call of duty. I'll only play offline though just because I don't like hearing what all the little kids on there like to say. It really does help keep my anxiety down though and it helps me mellow out.

 

[rootle]

I think it really depends on the game. Multiplayer online games probably just stress you out even more. I know League of Legends for sure isn't going to help. I think games that are somewhat relaxing RPGs would help. I know that just running around and exploring in Skyrim is something that I definitely find to be very relaxing and might help some of you guys.

 

[cecejailer]

I think this works a lot, but not if you like playing action/terror/shooting games. The best games for me, and the ones that have helped me cope with anxiety are probably sandbox and open world games, like Starbound, Terraria, Minecraft, etc. Games that are calm help me meditate (like Starbound, the game with the best soundtrack I've ever heard.) You have to be really picky about games, as it's still a growing industry that's pretty flawed, so most games are still terrible, and I really have to dig deep to find something worth it (just spend 20 minutos scrolling down through Steam and you'll see haha)

 

[amy88]

I definitely do this from time to time - and I have also known other anxiety sufferers in the same boat. For me it has something to do with being able to fully focus on something else. There's levels to beat, or things I need to achieve in a game - and just focusing on that makes me forget/stop worrying about the anxieties in the real world that I'm facing.

 

[Robilas]

I do that a lot! I used to play a lot of single player video game when I was kid and it was a pretty chilling and relaxing experience, escpecially when I was playing Pokemon games, my favourite as a kid. Growing up I stopped playing for a while because I didn't want to look like a "nerd", since there was a lot of that kind of social pressure in my high school.


Nowadays I started playing again, but mostly online interactive games. I'm mostly focusing on MOBAs since playing different games with different people helps me with my anxiety.

 

[Bea]

Oh yeah - games where you have to interact with people in any capacity probably aren't very good ways of coping. I play a game called Animal Crossing where you just take care of your town through watering flowers, picking up weeds, that sort of thing, and it's very slow-paced so it helps a lot with my anxiety. It's not gonna solve all my problems, and it's not a magic wand that will instantly get rid of what caused my anxiety in the first place, but it's an easy way for me to ground myself and keep myself steady on my feet once I start to feel the anxiety act up again.

 

[justsayyes]

We all have different ways of coping with our anxieties and depression, it's really subjective. As long as you are having fun and enjoying what you're doing, you should stick to that but also try to maintain balance in life, do everything in moderation.