Video games are more than just a fun source of entertainment for myself. They are also forms of therapy, particularly for de-stressing. I would have a rough day, become low on patience, get super frustrated, and overly stressed about serious AND silly things. Enter: Video game therapy.
I know, there are better ways to relax…
There are so many forms of relaxation or ways to calm oneself down. Peaceful things – like yoga, meditation, prayer, taking a time out, sleeping, you name it. Someone has tried it, and offered it as a solution!
But for me, personally, I want to avoid bottling up anger or stress. My biggest mistakes are exploding on people who are otherwise innocent victims of my steadily-inclining mental pressure.
My answer: VIDEO GAMES
The best way for this angry Irish leprechaun to release stress is to turn on a video game, mentally shift to a new, fictional world, and reign fire over fictional villains in a fictional world.
MASH THE BUTTONS! DIE, VILLAINS!
First-person shooter games, or other games with a taste of destruction may sound like a terrible form of engagement, but it is therapy for this gamer. The stress slowly seeps out on the battle droids who are trying to overcome the palace on Naboo (Star Wars: Battlefront) with my blaster and rocket launcher. The rage bursts out on The Taken flooding the Nessus (Destiny 2) as I punch with my powerful fists. Or… a small sense of satisfaction is felt when I eliminate colored squares with bouncy balls on my mobile game app, Ballz.
(You can get this app for free in Google Play here or in the Apple App store here.)
See, video games, at least the ones I play, have fictional settings. With fictional characters. Fictional scenarios. Fictional gun fights. Fictional destruction. No one in real life is affected my my angry outbursts. Those drain into the fictional worlds. On the contrary, I come away from a few minutes of gameplay a much happier person. A much more approachable person.
Do I have anger issues? Not necessarily, but there are days where I need to release some tension on a rather unaffected environment or character. And video games are my form of efficient de-stressing.
How have games helped you? What games would you recommend to play in order to relieve stress?
