Applying Gaming Skills to Real Life Situations – Part 3
Do you ever find yourself annoyed or upset? Maybe you just had a rough day and you’ve come home feeling on-edge?
What’s the first thing you want to do?
If your answer is ‘play some video games’ then you’re not alone.
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Case Study 3: Just What I Needed!
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So life just kicked you square in the cheeks and you need to wind down; you pick up a controller, sit at a desktop or start fiddling with your handheld. Did you ever stop to think “Why am I doing this?”
The answer: It works.
It’s been proven that video games are key tools in the psychiatric world when it comes to treating medically diagnosed conditions which affect concentration (as shown in Case Study 2), but did you know that studies have shown gaming to be a promising treatment for depression and anxiety?.
Multitasking at its finest.
A year-long study by the East Carolina University’s Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic tested the efficacy of video games for treating depression and anxiety. Almost 60 clinically diagnosed sufferers of depression took part in the testing, and the results were rather impressive.
“The hypothesis was tested using state-of-the-art technologies including psychophysiology, biochemical and psychological measurements, and found an average reduction in depression symptoms of 57% in the experimental ( “video game” ) group.” -Dr. Carmen Russoniello [Source]
Considering how hit-and-miss other forms of treatment can be; 57% is definitely a positive outcome.
“In my opinion the findings support the possibility of using prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or perhaps even a replacement for, standard therapies including medication.”
It has also been shown that the beneficial effects a gaming session has on a person’s mood can persist for the long-term.
The participants of the ECU’s test partook in casual games produced by PopCap, who are famous for Bejewelled and Peggle. The researchers are optimistic about ‘more hardcore games’ as well, so I’m looking forward to a possible future study into how more elaborate or complicated games affect moods. Personally; I like a challenge!
The fact that video games have such an influence on our state-of-mind is intriguing when you think about it, and it explains why we tend to get so frustrated when our gaming sessions are interrupted.
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There’s not much else to say that you don’t already know, so I’ll answer some questions:
“Only your first AGS article was a case study. Why did you call the second one that?” Michael, regarding the AGS series.
That’s a legitimate question Michael; a case study usually consists of analyzing a single example event, chain of events or a person. The sub-heading for this series is actually a sort of inside joke. Each article is built upon where my curiosity leads me after I make personal observations regarding differences between how I interact with my environment when compared to others and, as such, are often linked to a certain event which gives me a moment of clarity and insight.
Whew, that’s a mouthful! To finish up I’ll also answer several questions at the same time; Yes, I did spell ‘more’ as ‘moar’. No, it is not negligence or a typo; it’s gaming lingo. Yes, that was a Dragon Ball Z reference. No, the position in queue wasn’t Photoshopped.
Did you enjoy this case study? Then you might be interested in previous articles of this series:
