Video Games and Virtual Reality for your Mental Health

My journey and why video games help

My name is Michael. I am no stranger to adversity in life, as I suffer from mental illness. I have almost died from mental illness and addiction. Depression, anxiety, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder have occupied big parts of my life for decades now.

There are many ways, both good and bad, that I have found to cope with my illness. After decades of struggle and through trial and error, I am continuing to seek new ways to cope with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction.  I have attended three years of college in psychology (but alas, did not graduate). I have a very “been there, done that” approach to mental illness. My lived-experience insights have helped me through bad times, and helped me to see the good in the bad.  

I humbly admit I have made lots of mistakes involving self-medication, denial, self-sabotage, and addiction. These mistakes, however, led me to cut out and eliminate life strategies that are not good for my mental health. While I once resisted medication and a few other different treatment, I now use every available tool at my disposal to treat my mental health with a combination of medications, talk-therapy, and play therapy.

All the therapists and healthcare providers I have had the pleasure to work with have played a very critical part in my mental health journey, but it was on the advice of one of my favourite therapists, Austin, that I began to use video games to cope with life challenges. He started off by suggesting that I might enjoying playing chess because of my competitive mind fit with the strategic nature of the game. He then shared his own passion for video games, encouraged me to use them as a tool to manage the high-functioning traits that I often neglected.

This advice opened up a whole new world to me, by allowing me to see my gaming hobby to be more than just some frivolous waste of time. It allowed me to see gaming as a healthy and useful tool for healing. Video games, and now more recently, virtual reality, continue to be a helpful treatment for my mental illness and my addictive tendencies, as they allow me to use virtual environments and adventure gaming to heal and cope with my mental health challenges, without losing control of my habits. 

That being said, this reflects my personal experience; while others may also benefit from gaming, it is equally important to acknowledge that it can also have negative effects and, for some, may contribute to unhealthy patterns or even addiction.

How does play therapy help your mental health?

Screenshot taken from: Symphony (PC Version) [Video Game]. (2012) Empty Clip Studios. 

Ask anyone who has suffered from a mental illness what helps bring the most relief, and they will say most often that they need something to distract them from their bad thoughts and something to ground their inner child in play. The enormous digital landscapes afforded by modern entertainment fit this profile in a way that is both engaging and distracting. 

Feeling the Beat

As an example, one of my favourite virtual reality games is called “Beat Saber”. This is a rhythm and reaction game set to music, which has you swinging two light sabers at various shapes in rhythm to music. Picture yourself holding two lightsabers at a music festival. Then, holographic squares start flying toward you with arrows on them. As you slash the squares in the right direction, the beat of the music festival is blasting around you in perfect timing. The musical aspects of this game are grounding and harmonising, while the immersive nature of a virtual reality headset allows one to block out the noise of the world to truly feel the beat. This is all played in an environment that is entirely within the user's control to enter and exit as one sees fit.  

This convenient flexibility makes virtual reality an exciting and controllable escape. This doesn’t require the twelve-hour commitment of a night of drinking. Some studies, in fact, suggest that video game therapy can lead to faster symptom reduction. Being able to turn on and off a video game allows me to balance my recreational time with my responsibilities. Video game therapy also does not require a month or more to begin to help depression (as in the case of most antidepressants). 

On becoming my own hero: 

Screenshot taken from: Devil May Cry 5 (PC version)[Video Game]. Capcom Co., Ltd. 

Another aspect of therapeutic value in video games involves the mastery and strategy required to excel at them. I first encountered the confidence-building effects of solving complex problems in video games when I was around ten. Ever since then, I still feel just... that much... more capable of solving my real-world problems when I can successfully navigate a digital storyline full of puzzles to solve. This is a known boost to one’s self-efficacy that comes with accomplishing something that one sees as challenging. 

I also find some of the roles and scenarios one finds themselves in when playing a superhero to be able to personally empower other aspects of my life. This is not to say I become a superhero just by mashing buttons, but it is helpful to try to see myself as a protagonist in my own story, overcoming my own challenges. When I am in the deep and dark throes of a major depression, the sense of disempowerment and victimhood is often unbearable. When I am battling these states, it is of great benefit to imagine a stronger state of being. 

How stigma gets in the way of wider acceptance

During highly stressful periods of my life when my anxiety becomes intense,  grounding my thoughts is what is usually most necessary in counteracting the anxiety without heavier medications. I have been able to avoid the risk of benzodiazepines and other medications with habit-forming potential through the use of rhythm-based games like “Symphony”, “Beat Saber”, and “Ragnarock”. These digital experiences allow my thoughts to slow and my focus to return when I am suffering from the racing thoughts that accompany anxiety. 

Video games have been getting a bad rap from non-gamers ever since their inception. They are often demonised as a catalyst for violence or become targets of generational politics. This has gotten worse the more commonplace they have become in our society. 

Another thing that is now different from when video games first began is that there is no longer any doubt about the fact that they are here to stay. I personally have observed a rather glaring lack of study devoted to the more therapeutic and positive effects of digital entertainment, as it applies to mental health. However, while consistent findings on video game therapy are still limited, there is a growing interest in exploring the potential of game-based digital interventions to support mental well-being. 

There seems to be a lingering stereotype of poor health associated with abuse and a sense of laziness tied to video games. While gaming carries potential risks of overuse and addiction for some, research confirms that there is no direct link between video games and poor health, classifying it as a healthy leisure activity for adolescents.

This bias around video games is similar to the stigma of laziness or weakness associated with mental illnesses like depression or addiction. These stereotypes, however, couldn’t be farther from the truth in countless cases like mine. The cardiovascular workout I get from “Beat Saber” alone clearly contradicts the laziness bias... without a doubt. Likewise, the benefits of moderate levels of digital child’s play have an underestimated therapeutic power. 

My message to those who suffer from mental health concerns: 

I recommend that those who suffer from mental illness be open to exploring video games as a helpful addition to other conventional treatments. I advise everyone to always be honest and clear with their doctor and follow their directions first and foremost before making any changes to their routine. This is so that the best outcome possible can be achieved. I hope no one becomes discouraged by any criticism of their chosen video game preferences and platforms. Everyone has the right to their preferences, which can range from “Pokémon: Sapphire” to “Doom: The Dark Ages”. Nobody’s chosen gaming genre is superior to anybody else’s. 

The world of adulting and adult responsibility can get overwhelming for the best of us. I recommend that this not be an excuse to throw healthy play out the window. Your mental health may very well find a pleasant and manageable boost in the wake of daily responsibilities from a quick gaming session. Your inner child just might thank you!