Can gaming be a positive thing? Part 2

 

It’s been a while since I blogged about online gaming. I promised to get back to it after I had asked some of my own online friends who game what gaming meant to them. And how it had helped them in a positive way during their lives. In a time when gaming has again been shown in a negative light due to the shootings in Norway, I would like to stress the positive sides.

Two of my friends got back to me [both want to stay anonymous]. But they did not mind if I shared what they had to say with you. So here are a few of their responses.

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Did gaming ever help you through a bad period?

Luckily, I haven't had that many really big bad times in my life. I

guess I'm still young, and perhaps haven't experienced that much. But,

I will say that gaming helps with stress, such as the stress of

school, and classes, etc.

If I weren't able to retreat into the world of games, the pressures

of being a grad student might have driven me to do other things a lot

of people my age and in my position end up doing.

You know - drugs, drinking, and that sort of thing.

Here's an example - I'm doing homework on my comp, rendering sketches

for a grade. And it takes 3 hours for the render to complete, so I do

something else in that time. And it is usually game oriented. And it helps the time slide by really smooth.

So, I think gaming is like any other hobby. It makes slow, dull,

boring, or stressful work-shiz slide by.

Has gaming made you more or less social?

I think I'm not as reserved, or

quiet as I was in high school thanks to role-playing. I still qualify

for what a lot of people call "emo". The quiet, contemplative, and

often very opinionated side of Goth culture. But, when you really

throw yourself into the role of a loud-mouthed Klingon, you begin to

learn your own range and limitations when it comes to things like

assertiveness. I think I'm more assertive than I was before I was a

gamer.

Having said all of that, all the gamers I've ever met have been happy,

well-grounded, well-adjusted individuals. And it is the non-gamers;

the jocks, and "cool kids" who put down, tease, harass, and wedgie

gamers that are usually the social misfits, miscreants, and

ner-do-wells.

Have I made friends, through gaming that I can turn to and rely on in RL ?


I think I've met more people and made more friends in SIMing, because it is on line and anyone from anywhere in the world can participate together. You're from the Netherlands, M lives in Belgium now, K is in Australia, R is in the US.

But the friends I've made in on-line gaming are, by and large, people I trust and people I'm comfortable talking to and confiding in.

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I hope that these few replies helped to show people that most gamers are very normal balanced people. 

If you want to share your story feel free to do so through comments.

Can gaming be a positive thing? Part I

When reading the latest issue of my favorite online magazine TILT  [It's free so check it out!] I came across a very interesting article about the use of gaming within phsychotherapy. When you hear about gamers in the media it is usually negative. many incidents like school shootings are linked to kids playing games and being influenced by them. Games make them loose their grip on reality and so forth. The same with roleplayers, when they are portraid in series or movies it is often to make them look like sad little geeks.


The article mentions the other side of gamers. People who play games online are part of a society, they have friends online that they can turn to in times of need. Those online friends are important to them and the article rightly states that therapists need to know about these online worlds to truely be able to understand their clients.If not they are missing a large chunk out of the life of their clients.  I strongly applaud this. Yes I will admit to being a gamer both online and offline and I am a roleplayer.

In part II of this article I will bring evidence of how the playing of games and the friends you make can have a very positive affect on people as well. I have asked gaming friends to share their stories with me. If you are a gamer reading this feel free to contact me as well on info@safehavencoaching.eu. I think it is high time that this positive side of the gaming community gets more attention.

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For now I will share my experience with you. As a teenager I was very insecure and was bullied in school because I was not interested in boys and make-up like the other girls. I was interested in learning, books and fantasy. We did not have computers in those days but when I was in my early twenties I found a roleplaying group in my hometown. For the first time in many years I was able to be myself in a group and find like minded people! 20 years on some of these people are my best friends. This shows that gaming can be a very social thing and also a means to blow off steam for those who do not always feel at home in our modern society. Being able to pretend to be somebody else for a few hours per week can be very refreshing. You might be surprised to find that many roleplayers are highly educated people who hold down good jobs and are perfectly sane.



Through sharing my own story I have hope to show that gaming is social, alleviates stress and helps you make friends. What is not to like?

Related articles

• Gamers More Social Than Non-Gamers, According to Study (webpronews.com)