Gaming Therapy
By Staff Writer
Alessandro Martinez
This past year was significantly more challenging to keep in contact with friends and family. In high school, we were always gifted with an opportunity to meet new people daily and hang out with friends. Unfortunately, this was stripped away from us because of an outrageously growing pandemic. This deadly pandemic that destroyed many people's lives has played an immense role in people's mental health.
The freshman class was unable to get the full experience of a new school with new people. Rather they were given a laptop and virtual classes to start off their new chapter. Many people felt grey on a day-to-day basis that followed with crippling effects of anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation. Kiara Fuentes stated, “Quarantine has honestly made me less social. I was a very social person before, but since quarantine, I’ve become more isolated, even towards my family.” Just as Fuentes feels, many other students feel the exact same way and some may now have social anxiety. Fuentes also says, “I’ve had anxiety attacks for the first time since quarantine started and I hate it, it’s crazy because I didn’t think it could change my social life so drastically.”
Ending your day by challenging your self and creating memories with your friends. Photo by Sigmund
Escaping your mind from your day to day problems. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters
I can also connect to these factors during quarantine. To help with the stress of what's going on in the world and family I turned to one thing that did not make me feel so stressed and overwhelmed, video games! This helped me pass time while simultaneously relieving my mind of the stress of school and other pilling problems. Video games gave me a great method to stay in contact with my friends and gave me the opportunity to have a great time, even if it was just for a little bit. Having a stressful day swamped with work and school assignments, gaming gave me something to look forward to. Jumping on a game with a friend after hours was probably the highlight of my day, given that they all feel exactly the same. It was a way to leave my stress at the door along with others, and focus on winning the game.
Gaming gives many people the opportunity to create new memories and experience a fun activity with their friends. While conversing with those closest to you, gives you the chance to discuss school, the future, the past, and anything that comes to your head. It’s a fantastic way to spill your pent-up emotions and be yourself. A form of therapy while also enjoying your time playing competitive or creative games. Video games give you the ability to live another reality, one that doesn't have any serious consequences. They also come with many other benefits, Understood.org says "Games benefit social connections, problem-solving, visual-spatial skills, reading, and more." These are just a few reasons why people should make plans to game with their friends and loved ones and explore worlds and new adventures.