Is gaming bad for your mental health?

[Ace of Spades]

Well yes I honestly do think that they affect your mental health. Not because of what they are but because of what they're not.

People need social interaction, we're built around it and if we don't have it (sorry guys) we go very odd. Gaming isn't social, not the kind of social we need and if you spend hours at a time playing games you won't develop life skills. If you've got no friends and you game instead you're exacerbating the problem, not solving it.

I find this post exceptionally ironic considering that your name is Generic Gamer.

"Generic", not "stereotypical".

Now if you wanted ironic, consider that I don't like to be considered a gamer!

EDIT: That's my name on here and loads of other websites because I wrote my hobbies into another board's 'hobbies' section and realised my answers were superficially exactly the same as every other gamer.

I apologize. I often confuse those terms since they can be applied to similar situations.

 

[AlliedMastercomputer]

Let me selectively answer a few of your points Famine0.

Social development in primary school is both important and trivial. The paradox comes from the idea the there are pivotal lessons to be learned from interacting with little shits in high school; however, seldom do people in high school maintain those same bonds into adult hood. When it does happen, it's a rare thing and should be cherished. You can have too many of these people in your life because it takes effort to nurture these relationships. In a similar way, it takes effort and time to be "smart" and make good grades. You choose to invest your time in video games and escapism, not necessarily a bad thing.

For the social aspect, you will be better able to relate to other people who experience panic attacks and self-esteem issues brought on by their own compulsive gaming habits. Your experiences with these people can be much more intimate due to this mutual struggle than they would be if you had not experienced the social issues, compulsive behaviors, and treatment via medication. There are plenty of us out there, we usually organize through the internet. Pretty much all of my social circle today have experienced the whole high-school "too nerdy to be popular" thing.

Here are some of the potential benefits I have enjoyed through gaming:

I came from a Neo-Luddite family that felt somehow threatened by the CD-ROM. Video games were pretty much my anti-drug that kept me from being so bored out of my mind with wholesome family goodness as to do something truly detrimental like develop a serious drug addiction. Video games kept me from developing a real relationship (non-LDR) with a girl who I probably would have had kids before I was actually ready due to my psychological weakness and insecurities at the time. Video games make a great escape for potential real world violence. Video games kept me from engaging in petty crime. Those deeper titles that aspire to be, or are derived from works of literature or art (FF Tactics, Braid, Chzo series, etc.) can inspire one to develop deeper interests into other historical or literary works. Video game music can inspire one to learn an instrument an a little theory. Because I was alienated by my high school peers, I maintained my own hobbies and interests and am one of the few that hasn't failed out of college because I was too tied into the social world to get serious.

There are definite benefits to being yourself and not playing by the rules that everyone else expects of you (within a certain threshold).

I hope this speaks to the heart of your dilemma. : )

 

[Wing Dairu]

I think the whole "bad for your mental health" argument is completely invalid. They tried to do the same thing to comics in the 50's.
Gaming is different than comics, though. It encourages you to keep your mind razor-sharp.
Puzzle-solving, creative thinking, the ability to adapt and improve, hand-eye coordination, and timing comparable to that of a metronome are all traits that I thank nothing but video games for.
In addition, games are a great way to vent real-world stress, and to engage you and make you think about yourself in ways that, let's face it, the real world today just can't.

 

[Da_Vane]

Let me put it this way, gaming is really comprable to drugs in many ways (and I say this as someone who has had some drug addiction problems in the course of my life). Drugs and other addictions are rarely actually the cause of psychological problems, though they can become intricately tied to psychological problems.

The basic model of addiction states that an addiction forms when someone uses something (gaming, drugs, masturbation, food, etc...) as a way to alleviate unpleasant emotions. Because this doesn't help the person face their negative emotions, and overcome them, the underlying problem remains. Things which we consider addictive make these problems worse. Food and drug addictions have serious health implications, causing users to ultimately feel even worse about themselves. Gaming can have health risks associated with a sedentary life style, and often is not conducive to a healthy social life. And compulsive masturbation often causes the addict to feel ashamed and can cause all sorts of psychological trauma. The addict in all of these cases, instead of then trying to overcome the new negative emotions caused by their addictions as well as the underlying emotions which remain, continues further indulgence in the subject of their addiction, which continually makes the negative emtions they seek to escape even worse.

My point is that gaming is like anything that can be addictive, when someone who is succeptible to addiction uses it to escape their own negative emotions, it ultimately makes their problems worse. Gaming can not be directly blamed as the source of problems, as we can observe there are many people who are not addictive gamers, and for which gaming is not a self-destructive hobby. Ultimately, there are psychological traumas the addict must face underlying the original addiction, gaming is not the direct source of problems, it simply has the ability to take existing problems and make them worse.

This pretty much says it all. However, it's important to remember that it's not gaming that is the problem, but the causes of addiction - very few things are inherently addictive physically, but are easily addictive for psycho-social reasons. This covers both physical subtsances like narcotics, alcohol, tobacco, and caffine, but also experiences like adrenaline, gaming, sex, and religous fervour.

However, gaming is in a small group of experiences that can actually be considered positive to mental health. they can boost self-esteem, goals, and communities, just like any other hobby. they can also allow us to express ourselves and our creativity, and can be used to share our experiences with others. Once again, this all comes down to not what gaming inherently is, but how it is used, and as such can be either a positive and negative feature in a person's life depending upon how they use it.

I see what your trying to do but I really don't buy that games help us develop. if anything it creates a warp self esteem and the person playing usually starts to realize they will never be as great as the characters they play as because the real world is a hard place. Goals? Not everything with goals involved is positive , maybe that meant something before but games today are made so easy that a child can usually finish them. No more working towards the win, it's handed to you.
Every day i see the "hard core gaming community" acting more and more spoiled, that happens when everything you want in life is given to you.
And yeah a very few games help share creativity, but that's pretty rare. Most games are so visual that there is no need for imagination.

This is an extremely negative and limited view of gaming. Games are more than mere leisure activites designed to eat away at our spare time, but they also teach us valuable lessons in life, help us co-ordinate our minds and bodies, and provide experiences that we may otherwise be unable to be aware off in our own day-to-day routines, allowing us to empathise with the world around us. This is no less true of video games.

I agree with what you are saying about the dumbing down of video games, but this is more to do with market economy and current trends than gaming itself. These are the traits that sell, because people want easy wins, dumbed down games, and everything done for them, reduced to a few clicks or button presses, with limited experiences to reinforce our prejudices and experiences in society.

As long as such negative and cynical views in games remain in place, this will not change. But there are more to games than this limited viewpoint, and if we started learning to use games as more than just casual time wasters to escape our problems in the real world, but as a means to learn how to cope with the adversary of daily life and the challenges it presents, then games will improve and the idea that games and gaming inherently damage your mental health will gradually disappear.

 

[SimuLord]

You've got some pretty major-league issues...but it's disingenuous to say games "cause" any of it. You might just be naturally in need of a check-up from the neck up and some hard drugs.

When it comes to gaming, I have found that on balance games have been a tremendous positive boon to my mental health by giving me a valid excuse for my inherent solitude and providing a sort of virtualized version of what would otherwise be an expensive hobby like model railroading or scale-model citybuilding with HO-scale miniatures. (which, incidentally, I'll probably take up when I'm older and have more living space and money.)

If your brain gets fried by gaming, that's just...well, kind of sad.

 

[Da_Vane]

Bollicks to this rot, I say. It's the voice of an unbalanced person whose made the transition from one side of the bell curve to the other. He is the voice of failure, strident with the swollen self importance of the newly converted.

People wouldn't be playing games if life was so great that going through the motions of a 'wholesome normal life' in society was narcotic enough to captivate people's minds. People are curious and want to explore and escape and cultivate hobbies.

I, personally, look back at all the hours I've spent gaming and think, "Hot damn! I've been in the luxurious position in a industrialized country to enjoy all manner of brilliant experiences reserved to such a small portion of the earth's total population."

For what it's worth, smart money is on leading Neurologists' take that videogames ARE stimulating and improve your mind:

- Vocabulary
- Spacial Acuity
- Fine motor control
- Adaption to challenges
- Conceptual accumulation
- Lateral thinking
- Short and Long Term Memory

All things that you can take away and apply to a job, or to art, or any endeavor when you take a break and put down the controller.

yeah that's a really nice thought, too bad it's all a complete load.
They're just games, they don't improve things like vocabulary or lateral thinking. This whole debate is just silly.
You seem to imply that video games are more interesting than real life, that's the saddest thing i've ever seen.

They do, significantly. The video itself is missing the point of games - you don't learn to swing a sword or kung-fu mastery from button mashing. You learn those practical skills by studying kung-fu or sword fighting techniques and practice. Playing video games and expecting these miracles to happen will waste your life.

But the key phrase that comes up, near the end of the video, is that the video maker played games AT THE EXPENSE of the rest of his life. No matter what he did, if he did AT THE EXPENSE of the rest of his life, his mental health will suffer.

Everyone seems to miss the biggest value of games though - they are a form of media, like movies, books, television, newspapers, or music. These can also be considered entertainment purposes, but they also provide a key means to distribute ideas and communicate experiences with their audiences. It's up to the audience if they wish to learn from such media.

A famous quote - "Experience is learning from your own mistakes. Intelligence is learning from the mistakes of others."

There is a range of media to express such experiences, including these mistakes. This video is just one of them, expressing how video games can be addictive when used AT THE EXPENSE of the rest of his life, like alcohol or drugs. But anything can be addictive when used AT THE EXPENSE of the rest of your life, even something seemingly healthy like going to the gym.

 

[The Arc of Eden]

Mentally, I think video games have actually stimulated me in way the Real world can't and probably never will. I do however feel that video games more or less have an effect on social development which is a better description of what you're going through.

Being a misanthrope and having no desires in life were not brought on by gaming but by the world around me. Games have merely provided an escape from these obviously depressing circumstances so that I may get some sort enjoyment from my time here. Without games, I'd have killed myself before puberty.

Now if i had picked up another hobby, like playing guitar (Which I do anyway but I mean picking it up at an early age and had formal training) my social life would be flourishing about now and I'd probably have a successful band with at least moderate renown. I can't vouch for the quality of my life though. I'd still hate the world, and without music, kill myself.

Simply put, i could be in a thousand different places in my life and still be the same person.
I call it my "Same Shit Different Day" Syndrome.

 

[Famine0]

This thread is getting good replies! I see that I was overgeneralising and should not compare others to myself...Thank you for all the kind replies too

id say it hasnt effected me
ive been gaming since i was around 8, and i mean like staying up til 4am to finish that last level on Goldeneye, gaming
and i have never had issues like you describe
i have decently high self-esteem
i have a rather large group of friends i routinely hang out with
i dont have any mental, or social problems
i bathe at least once a day
i just think these issues are more personal than gaming caused
also i am desensitized so ill give you that one, though that was /b/, not video games

Well OP, you have my sympathies. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling with a panic disorder, and it's even tougher to battle that while you're already navigating the perils of school. A lot of what you experience is very common among all sorts of people. A large slice of any given populace will have been bullied relentlessly, have difficulty navigating the social waters and self-image issues. If this was an outdoorsman forum, I'd venture there would still be people with similar experiences. Chin up, be strong: these years will not last forever. I won't be the first nor the last to tell you this, but as much as it might feel you're in the depths of hell now, this too shall pass. Think of whatever stresses are in your everyday life in the long term: will this matter to me a year from now? two years? ten years? I promise you, once you graduate, the faces that seem to be everywhere now will fade away and you will never, ever hear from them again. I mean, ever. This life is long and hard, but you will pull through and be the man you want to be. Think of these years as a trial, the social experiences you have now will be like hurdles and tests to help you cope with college and a job. With every day you'll get a little better and a lot stronger. Have faith in yourself and everything else will fall into place.

what i think you should do is learn how to play the guitar,bass or drums(if you haven't already)get into music and you'll have something to relate to other people with
maybe start a band, and make sure you really like your friends (or if not like trust and rely on)
i think its better to have very good small amount of friends(and maybe to be on good terms with everyone else) than to have a bunch of friends you only like.

Thank you But in my defense I too shower once a day now, I'm not fat anymore and my social skills have improved (to 'mediocre'). I've been playing bass for 2 years, and have been playing in a band for half a year now. As you can see in my main post everyting is written in the past tense . I changed schools last year and I'm studying something a bit easier now (animal care). I met the 'bandleader' there, he's someone I went to primary school with. He doesn't judge anybody and is very friendly (he's the only person I've told about this panic disorder). Anyway things are better now except for the disorder and my social skills. Again as I said I changed schools last year and I'm now in a class with 18 girls and just 2 other boys (one of them being gay)... I maybe said 5 sentences to them over the entire year though . I wanted them to like me and didn't want to push myself into their group, I wanted to know them completely before I said something (and still I never did). They don't judge me however and are still friendly to me and keep trying to talk to me, they're all great persons and I wish I could tell them without sounding corny.
This was completely off topic but thank you for letting me vent in this thread!
And Ava Elzbieta, yes this has made me a better person. I don't judge other people nearly as fast as some do and I know how to deal with shy people better.

*little slap*
OK first of I feel sorry for you and the slap is for your questions.
yes I would be a different person if I didn't take up gaming as a hobby would I want to be that person... NO!!! I always say what I think I am weak, I have a EXTREMELY low pain threshold, I am easily scared and I'm crap at art. If I wasn't a gamer I would be a lone shut in that only put his head out of the window for hair and studies the day away that would make me depressed and shy. I first played video games when I was about 8 then I moved country I didn't start playing games till I was about 11 and that entire time I had no friends then when I started playing games I heard people talking about games that I have played for me gaming and it's culture was the culture I was looking for with people like me in it gaming didn't make me an anti-social shout in it stop me from being an anti-social shut in it made me happy and confident. I will say like anything it can cause problems for people also depending where you live and what people you know depends whether it can help you or cause problems. when you are a kid the gamers are the losers and the sporty kids are cool it will joust stay like that. my friends respect me and I respect them I and I help the 'cool' kids if they have a problem they talk to me about it because people know I keep secrets so i to feel respected and that I help the community but a hobby doesn't affect that how those gaming help the community less then reading a book, watching a movie, or going swimming helping the community has more to do with what you do when someone needs your help or what your job is. I think the meaning of life is do have fun and help other people to have fun.
P.S. please reply to this.

Thats really the opposite of what it has done for me though. I feel as though you've been extremely to find like-minded people. Good to know things are good for you (I know this sounds sarcastic but it's not)

 

[Terminate421]

No, Im not going out with the nearest assault rifle possible and shooting up a mall because "Call of duty: Modern Warfare 2" inspired me to do so.

And another spoiled, overly sensitive kid who thinks the evil government is trying to take is video games.
Your lucky OP, you only got a few of these. When I saw the title I expected a sea of angry kid gamers calling you jack thompson.

Wow, Thank you for not only the random insult and the wrong age (Im 18). But also thanks for getting the wrong message.

And as for the OP's opinion, I was out the door in a hurry so it was a "TLDR" situation.

 

[RobCoxxy]

It's always good to blame something, isn't it?

 

[jhaughton]

games can give you "food for thought" take games like bioshock (1 not 2)
games can also have piss nothing to say andjust be their to play
no matter which one it is i dont see how games could be bad for your mental health
if a game is realy that bad you would not of bought it in the first place
if you did you would just stop playing it

 

[ALuckyChance]

No, Im not going out with the nearest assault rifle possible and shooting up a mall because "Call of duty: Modern Warfare 2" inspired me to do so.

And another spoiled, overly sensitive kid who thinks the evil government is trying to take is video games.
Your lucky OP, you only got a few of these. When I saw the title I expected a sea of angry kid gamers calling you jack thompson.

Wow, Thank you for not only the random insult and the wrong age (Im 18). But also thanks for getting the wrong message.

And as for the OP's opinion, I was out the door in a hurry so it was a "TLDR" situation.

I got the message, you didn't read anything except the title and assumed somebody was saying that video games make you Dylan and Eric. Your still a kid btw, anyone who jumps to defensive conclusions like that is still a kid.

And you're being childish for randomly insulting someone, then jumping the gun on his views of the matter based on a common generalization. At least wait for him to explain first.

It's always good to blame something, isn't it?

I would say it is considering the fact that everything has a cause.
If your house is filling up with gas, would you rather be told by a rabid "gas fan" that no death has been conclusively linked to gas, or would you like somebody to find the real answer?

Are you implying video games really DO cause mental problems?
If so, I would like you to find one piece of scientific evidence that supports you.