Could video games be the new anti-depressant?
If you don’t know who Jane McGonigal is, she’s pretty cool. She’s a world-renowned designer of alternate reality games — or, games that are designed to improve real lives and solve real problems. She has taught Game Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and UC Berkeley. She’s also a two-time New York Times bestselling author with Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World and SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully. And let’s not forget her TED talks – her thought-provoking subjects such as ‘How games can make a better world’ and ‘The game that can give you 10 extra years of life’ cast gaming in a whole new light. Cue more than 15 million views worldwide.
Photo is from her own website: https://janemcgonigal.com/meet-me/
Jane’s controversial but intriguing belief is this: that game designers are on a humanitarian mission to improve real lives and solve real problems through games. In fact, her #1 goal in life is to see a game developer win a Nobel Peace Prize.
It’s a goal that has a very personal story at its heart. After suffering a concussion that led to her feeling suicidal, Jane turned to gaming to find a solution that might help others in a similar situation. The result: a multi-player game designed to help people tackle real-life health challenges such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain and traumatic brain injury.
Originally called Jane the Concussion Slayer – the name a homage to Buffy the Vampire Slayer – and later renamed SuperBetter, players of the game set themselves a health and wellness goal. They then invite others to play with them, to help keep them on track.
SuperBetter’s effectiveness in treating depression and promoting recovery from concussion has since been validated in clinical trials and randomized controlled studies, with the game used by professional athletes, children’s hospitals, substance recovery clinics and campus health centers worldwide.
Neither is SuperBetter alone in this category: broader clinical trials conducted at East Carolina University showed that online games can outperform pharmaceuticals for treating clinical anxiety and depression.
So, what is it about gaming that has such a positive impact? Jane argues that games contribute powerfully to human happiness and motivation, a sense of meaning and the development of community. It’s not the game itself, so much as the fact that you play with family or friends. In turn, this boosts your sense of community – something that’s essential to good mental health.
It’s a compelling argument that my son will no doubt be delighted to hear – and use next time he’s told to turn the computer off!
Personally, and I’m sure Jane would agree, I wouldn’t recommend video games as your only community (sorry son). Nevertheless, I find this research fascinating, suggesting that gaming is a tool that could be harnessed by the psychology community in the future.
What do you think? Have you found multi-player games have helped your mental health or that of your kids?
I know, for my son and my daughter, playing games like Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox has really helped them connect with their friends during the pandemic. This is a genuine need that we – the older generations who didn’t grow up with this technology – may need to work harder to understand, instead of just criticizing the time spent on screens. Provided there’s a balance between real and virtual communities, I find myself increasingly appreciating the value of gaming.
