Studies have found that despite the negative impression video games have on most people, they can actually help improve the conditions of individuals who have depression, anxiety, and even autism.
Game developer Zoe Quinn, who has been suffering from anxiety, developed ‘Depression Quest‘ after realizing that playing online video games has actually helped her deal with her own panic attacks.
In an interview with the BBC, Quinn talked about how ‘Depression Quest‘ helped many individuals suffering from similar conditions. She told:
“We have one player who said they backed off suicide having played the game, which I can’t even wrap my head around.”
Another online video game, ‘Minecraft‘ — a digital phenomenon all over the world— has also become an instrument for people with conditions such as autism to improve in areas such as socialization. A server for the game named ‘Autocraft‘ caters to up to 5,000 of Minecraft users daily. A myriad of testimonials about how the game server has helped individuals on the server reflects how much impact the server and the game has on many users. Autism Daily Newscast last report on Autocraft, last summer when their server needed upgrading.
“Autcraft has done things that years of therapy has not; in a few short weeks playing Autcraft, tarebear8805 has finally began asking for help, truly telling us what she needs, and, most of all, is finally recognizing that her actions do affect others.”
Contributed by Althea Estrella Violeta
Source: The Daily Record website: Video Games can help improve lives of those suffering form depression, anxiety and even autism