Towards the end of 2020, I shared a post over on my previous blog about mental health and video games. Specifically, an insight into how video games have helped me and my mental health at that time. This was initially brought on by articles at the time discussing how video games were detrimental to a person’s overall well-being.
As I’m writing this post it is currently Mental Health Awareness Week, and it encouraged me to take a moment to reflect on my own journey, but at the same time, I wanted to revisit and reflect on this post.
To read the original post in full, you can check it out here.
The Beginning
I wanted to focus on the original post’s standout aspects and reflect on them. My journey with my mental health started in 2018, while I won’t be going into specific details I wanted to keep this as a positive reflection of my journey and how video games have helped me during this journey.
Towards the end of 2018, I was diagnosed with anxiety.
In those first few weeks, I felt like the world around me stopped and I felt incredibly lost. Every day was difficult and challenging. I was trying to understand everything related to my anxiety while trying to get to a point where I could then return to work. There was one thing that helped me feel a little bit normal during this time, and this was video games.
I had recently begun playing Final Fantasy XIV Online properly again, I was playing a handful of games on my Nintendo Switch followed by The Sims 4 and the then-new expansion pack, The Sims 4 Get Famous. Playing these games helped me escape reality for a little while and almost forget about everything else that was going on. I was happy when I was gaming. Yes, there were still moments where I would feel anxious, I knew it wasn’t something that was going to magically vanish, but it helped me at that time.
To think that in a mere small period of time, I had been able to start understanding what I had been experiencing at that time. I was given some tools and resources initially but also encouraged to find things I would normally enjoy to help me. Hence video games seemed a logical choice.
Then we hit 2020.
The Pandemic Era
I think we can all agree that the first lockdown during COVID-19 was somewhat scary and uncertain. Again, as my mental health was declining, I found comfort in video games once again. Specifically, Animal Crossing New Horizons, which launched mere days before the first lockdown.
While the first couple of months were relatively okay, we then hit March. I think we can almost all say it felt very surreal considering the circumstances. I took some time off of work due to struggling with my mental health and while I didn’t feel as lost or alone as I had done previously due to having built up a good support network, there was still a lot of uncertainty ahead.
I didn’t really know what else to do due to the UK being in lockdown for the first time but, I just knew I needed that escape for a few hours. I pretty much threw myself into playing Animal Crossing New Horizons every day. The game made me happy, it gave me something to focus on with designing my island and trying to get the villagers that I wanted, I would harvest everything I could to save up as many Bells as possible and a number of my friends were playing the game too so it gave me something to talk about. There was just so much I could do to keep myself busy and distracted from the real world. To be honest, I think many of us are grateful for Animal Crossing New Horizons keeping us busy back in March & April.
Looking back, it seems so surreal that this was four years ago. Playing Animal Crossing New Horizons and even Final Fantasy VII Remake during this time was definitely something that helped me escape reality for some time and made me feel better.
Looking Back
I can’t say I’ve experienced many negatives when it comes to playing video games. The ones that I have had have been more technical issues rather than anything else. I’ve just always been mindful of the types of games I’ve been playing.
Another thing I made sure of was to not necessarily limit how long I played for, but more to be more conscious of how long I was playing. It helped me not feel burned out by playing too much or by letting myself get easily overwhelmed.
I was and still am a part of several communities on Discord that are full of wonderful people who have helped and supported me along the way, I’ve made new friends on X (Twitter) and through content creation, some of whom are my closest friends now. It wasn’t just playing video games on their own that had a positive impact on my own mental health, it was playing the games and the bigger picture of video games that had a positive impact on myself.
While this was a bit of a rambly reflection of my journey so far, what worked for me won’t necessarily work for everyone. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in my own journey with my mental health. I still have moments where it is challenging but I’m slowly getting better at dealing with those days. I’m honestly so thankful for all of my friends and all the support I’ve had along the way too.
It’s been three and a half years since this was originally posted to the internet, and a hell of a lot has happened in that time. I still have a mixture of good days and bad days with my mental health but it’s improving slowly but surely. I always know that particular games will help me and my mental health if I’ve been going through a more difficult time.
Everyone is different and what helps for me may not be the same for someone else. The same with games, I naturally tend to gravitate towards easy-going cosy games and simulation games when my mental health is not good more than action-adventure, role-playing games.
In a way, it’s been nice reflecting on the original post, not only because of Mental Health Awareness Week but also my own journey as a whole.
If you wish to find more information or advice about mental health, the UK-based charity MIND has a very informative website.
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