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Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

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Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#81

Post by havblue »

I think one of the things that has kept me from games over the past 6 months is the progression systems that are tricking me into wanting to play more. I mean, everything in moderation, and I'd like to finish Elden Ring, but family time, chores and work don't exactly leave much for hobbies like this that require all of your attention. (Audio books and podcasts in comparison allow for partial attention)

I guess I'm wondering more how high up some of these games can be on my bucket list when my time is already booked out.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#82

Post by SammyNameTaken »

the article mentions words with friends as if those games are something to be shunned. maybe the social aspect is what improves your mood not video games, based on this it would seem that tabletop games would have the same if not better results considering real life social interactions.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#83

Post by onemoresoop »

r3trohack3r wrote: post #44

I thought this was going to be an article about optimism ("geeking out" as in getting excited about things). I acknowledge that I'm responding to the headline and not the meat of the article. I've recently (past ~5 years) stopped viewing the world pessimistically. I don't believe it's because I'm blindly optimistic, but because I didn't have the perspective to understand our ancestor's problems and how good of a life…

> Humans have done some cool things to conquer our basic nature and environment, and we continue to do cool things. Compared to other species we are absolutely killing it. Yes we suck compared to what we are going to be in the future, but that's the point!

At the same time it's important not to forget humans have done some messed up things to the environment that are not easy to clean up or undo. And they still do, all with a paltry goal to make a short term profit. This is what drives my optimism away, though I am not a pessimistic person by nature.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#84

Post by web3-is-a-scam »

After 2 years of lockdowns, playing Elden Ring basically saved my life. I had heard heard this a lot about the Souls series of games from other people, how the hardships and overcoming them in the game taught people how to overcome IRL hardshipand build character; never thought it would have happened to me though, I thought I had a pretty solid grasp of "adulting" and "real life" but being in lockdown nearly broke me.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#85

Post by r3trohack3r »

onemoresoop wrote: post #83
r3trohack3r wrote: post #44

I thought this was going to be an article about optimism ("geeking out" as in getting excited about things). I acknowledge that I'm responding to the headline and not the meat of the article. I've recently (past ~5 years) stopped viewing the world pessimistically. I don't believe it's because I'm blindly optimistic, but because I didn't have the perspective to understand our ancestor's problems and how good of a life…

> Humans have done some cool things to conquer our basic nature and environment, and we continue to do cool things. Compared to other species we are absolutely killing it. Yes we suck compared to what we are going to be in the future, but that's the point! At the same time it's important not to forget humans have done some messed up things to the environment that are not easy to clean up or undo. And they still do, a…

I have a longer response on another sibling.

But I’d say:

1) Most humans mean well and these are side effects of solutions to other problems - we can find and hold up examples of people acting poorly but to extrapolate that out I don’t think is fair. Energy abundance has done unbelievably important things for civil rights, quality of life, and the prospect of life being able to outlive Earth.

2) It’s important to remember life on earth is ~75% behind us. We’ve only got another 500m years until there is a complete extinction event with little hope of coming back. If you take humans out of the picture, you don’t save nature, you doom it to complete extinction.

Humans are awesome, all flaws considered. We are the only golden ticket our planet has printed to get life off this rock.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#86

Post by hutzlibu »

TMWNN wrote: post #73
pathartl wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a few people in my circle that are overburdened by conspiracy theories to the point where they think that humans are corrupt and everyone is out to get them. It's exhausting to live like that. My goal is to be my 13 yr old self's hero. Do cool stuff, be in a good relationship, and fix things that bother me to the best of my ability.

[flagged]

And those left people then started believing in Q and drank desinfection to cure covid?

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#87

Post by denvaar »

andrepd wrote: post #78
denvaar wrote: post #17

I've noticed when I begin to feel anxious (which for me is basically "health anxiety" that spirals) I get back into RuneScape (old school version), and it really helps get me back to a good place IRL.

It's the opposite for me lol. It's when I'm most depressed that I turn to osrs

Oh, I see how what I said can be taken both ways. I think we're on the same page actually: When I feel bad, I begin to play osrs, and then after a while I feel good again and usually stop playing. Then eventually the cycle repeats.

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#88

Post by 908B64B197 »

pathartl wrote: post #60
r3trohack3r wrote: post #44

I thought this was going to be an article about optimism ("geeking out" as in getting excited about things). I acknowledge that I'm responding to the headline and not the meat of the article. I've recently (past ~5 years) stopped viewing the world pessimistically. I don't believe it's because I'm blindly optimistic, but because I didn't have the perspective to understand our ancestor's problems and how good of a life…

There are a few people in my circle that are overburdened by conspiracy theories to the point where they think that humans are corrupt and everyone is out to get them. It's exhausting to live like that. My goal is to be my 13 yr old self's hero. Do cool stuff, be in a good relationship, and fix things that bother me to the best of my ability.

Remember how, just a few months ago, one could get banned from Social media for suggesting Covid-19 originated in a lab? "Fact Checkers" were hard at work silencing that content and attributing it to "conspiracy theorists".

Now the lab leak hypothesis is mainstream, with experts supporting investigating the labs in Wuhan and bringing in evidence that the disease indeed originated in a Chinese lab.

Sometimes, it seems the difference between facts and conspiracy is 6 months or another presidential administration, whichever comes first!

Re: Playing video games can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve mood

#90

Post by sacnoradhq »

rye-neat wrote: post #69

I'm nearing 40 and in the past few years I've tried to focus more on "real world" activities (I've never lacked them, I just felt like gaming had less value). I've done well with this by spending time with my interests/pastimes; however, my work lately has been less stimulating. As a result, something has been missing. Long story short, I realized I wasn't getting into a "flow-state" often enough and guess where you…

Try writing or coding for fun.

Caffeine, while increasing focus, ups anxiety and cardio load.

Exercise (HIIT) I find is better at increasing focus and decreasing anxiety.

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