Video Games and Mental Health

 Hello everyone and welcome back to a fresh new month!

Video Games and Mental Health - Are They Related?

Perhaps every teen's obsession at some point of their lives was playing these games. 
Be it Fortnite, PubG or Minecraft, no one has ever given it a thought if in reality it has any links to your mental health.

I was acquainted with this topic during my time at Harvard and thought it would be a great idea to throw some limelight on this topic :)

So without further ado, let's get to it!

While most parents might argue that the influence of video games has been negative, recent studies show that playing video games in fact has also had a positive impact on a person's mind.

A lot of us must be familiar with the fact that it improves hand and eye coordination, helps you focus better and even learn better.
But did you know, it also simultaneously increases as well as decreases your social resilience? 
There has been a steep rise in the level of social anxiety sufferers ever since the introduction of virtual games.

The effect of Video Games is analogous. 

It is both the cause as well as the relief for many mental health disorders.
Studies also show that video games can be classified as a coping mechanism for self confidence issues as well as Anxiety and sleeping disorders.

Like a lot of 'addiction illnesses', most gamers play video games to escape something from real life.
Be it a case of bullying or abuse, they try to find a 'safe space' of sorts in a world behind the screen. 

Addiction of any kind kind be harmful and measures should be taken with a conscious mind to not have it spiral into one. 

Though internet gaming disorder is not classified as a unique mental disorder due to lack of research in the field, debates are still arising regarding the recognition of behavioral addiction and the aftermath of the same.

It is rightly said that "Negative emotions are one of the strongest teachers for the human brain."
Therefore, since video games suppress our negative emotions, it also make it harder to learn from our mistakes.

Playing video games can provide high levels of satisfaction, community, and stress relief in daily life. It can also improve certain skills such as communication, cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination, quick decision-making, and teamwork skills.

In short, its both a boon as well as a bane.

Check out this article if you want to read a more detailed study from a scientific point of view: Here!

That was it for today's post! Hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
Stay tuned and don't forget to share and comment for more <3

Signing off,

Kuhu :)