After a long and busy day, it is very appealing to turn on a computer to play some favorite games. Games are not in all cases bad for health as long as they are controlled and regulated.
They have been linked to people’s mental and emotional health. Games that allow people to connect as they work towards a common goal provide some relief among the players, creating a sense of positivity amid stress.
Instant gratification
Online games offer instant gratification in the sense that people need to spend minimal time to accomplish something or get a reward. This can be quite powerful in helping the participants feel good and positive. In most cases, the world beyond gaming uses the opposite principle of delayed gratification.
People are required to put in the prolonged effort at the workplace to receive a reward and their bosses need to work for years to see a company grow. Similarly, students need to work for years to be awarded a degree. As for video games, the participants only need to put in a little effort, after which they receive recognition.
For extremely busy people, games are good ways to take breaks and can offer a way of making work from home productive. This is because when people are working from home, they are recommended to manage stress by taking breaks.
According to the latest reports of AustralianWritings in the area of self-motivation and self-education, if well used and managed, online games may be an excellent way to maintain progress and provide a means of short-term rewards. When people are experiencing setbacks, games enable them to cope by offering them short and attainable goals to create a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Enjoyment and engagement
Experts mention that playing online games creates a sense of enjoyment and engagement because the participants tend to focus on the said game and not anything else. Enjoyment and engagement are excellent ways of managing stress.
People who cope well with online games can monitor their internal states and feelings. They can also make beneficial decisions to manage a situation to maintain a good balance. Most games reward participants for their ability to manage emotions and pursue solutions amid stress.
To maintain a healthy coping, players need to manage their emotional and psychological balance. By playing games, they can develop skills in a fun, engaging, and non-threatening way.
When people play online games, the “happiness hormone” called dopamine is released, thereby helping to brighten their day. When played in moderation, games can allow people to “recharge” before returning to their real world.
Online games promote creativity
The human brain has the right and the left hemispheres, and the two serve different purposes. The right hemisphere is free-thinking, intuitive, creative, and operates virtually rather than verbally. The left brain is logical, analytical, structured, fact-oriented, and uses words to think.
The left brain is more engaged than the right brain as human work may involve manipulating data, reading documents, making sales, doing calculations, and so on. People tend to focus more on their productivity, and as such, the left brain is often neglected.
A great way to activate the right brain is by participating in creative activities. If a person sits to play a game on their computer, they are motivated to do something right or to accomplish a goal. Engaging in a creative activity such as gaming can have a great impact on managing stress levels.
People who don’t have the skill or the ability to engage in art-related activities can play online games to engage their brains. Gaming provides an opportunity to relax and come up with anything that comes to the minds of the participants without worrying about the outcomes.
Action-based online games can strengthen cognitive abilities and allow gamers to think fast and be skillful in problem-solving. When they resume the real-world after gaming, they can participate in more challenging tasks such as those involving solving complex Einstein-level equations.
Flow state
The amount of engagement and immersion people feel when playing online games creates a sense of focus referred to as the flow state. This is the state players attain when their mind is engaged and focused on one activity. The flow state occurs when the human mind is extremely focused on a specific activity to the extent that the mind does not generate other thoughts.
Under normal circumstances, the human mind shifts a lot in terms of thinking, a quality called the “monkey mind.” The flow state can be equated to meditation, where the human mind gets to a state of “silence” for a while.
The human mind ceases to generate thoughts and people remain focused on a specific stimulus, either a sound or physical sensation. The flow state works like meditation by helping to relieve stress.
Self-esteem deals with stress
Overcoming stressful situations and thoughts requires people to take a break from them. Online games take the whole world away from the participants’ heads and offer opportunities for focus and enjoyment. This is the key to stress-relief value and entertainment.
Experts on the neuroscience from coursework help mention that online games have the effect of boosting self-esteem and making people feel better and happier when their control is under threat. The games counter stress by boosting the participants’ confidence. Winning games through cunning strategies is something people can be proud of.
The emotions and activities associated with games have the immersion and happiness factors in common. Other ways through which games help to build self-esteem include:
- Contributing to the community of games. Games have shifted from solely playing to playing with hundreds or thousands of people.
- The participants perfect what they are good at. Esteem is an important part of happiness. Developing self-esteem requires that players curate a specific skill.
- Dealing with fear. People with self-esteem issues can join gaming groups to help them gain confidence and courage to take up challenges.
Social connection
Online games are not limited to creativity, fun, and challenge. Games are effective in promoting the social well-being of individuals and building relationships. Playing games with friends did not start with online games. For a long time, children have come together to enjoy playing games.
The good thing about online games is that people need not be physically present to participate. Through the internet, like-minded people with shared interests can connect to take up the challenge. They have been very meaningful in managing stress and maintaining relationships during the current pandemic.
Games can connect people with a therapeutic and supportive community in these times. Playing online games with friends casually or competitively is an excellent way of managing stress.
Conclusion
Playing games is an effective way of creating positive feelings and managing stress. People who play games have gained a sense of happiness and positive feelings as a result of instant gratification, enjoyment, and creativity. The most important thing is to participate in the games well and to avoid overdoing it and participating in harmful games. As the participants play, they can assess how they feel during and after they play to identify the most enjoyable games.
Author’s bio lines:
Tiffany Harper is a training guru who’s been working in the corporate sector as the technology expert for several years now. She is a management graduate and loves to share her experience through blogs and expert articles. For her love of writing, sometimes she provides online consultations for dissertation writing services and paper review website, while working with Ninjaessay. Please do not hesitate to contact her.
