I really think that the ability for games to relax and de-stress is clear (at least from my anecdotal standpoint). This get bonus points for gamifying some meditative and deep breathing techniques.
On the other hand, I always worry about the "escapism" of video games in the way they might provide a safer and more comforting activity than tackling the real problems that lead to the stress and anxiety.
That being said, all this looks great! You should get a video of gameplay (or at least provide some sort of "what games are these" information so that people can explore them without having to download another app. I simply don't know enough about the game to download another app without more information!
> On the other hand, I always worry about the "escapism" of video games in the way they might provide a safer and more comforting activity than tackling the real problems that lead to the stress and anxiety.
Let people escape, dude. I'm not gonna tell a guy who works several shitty jobs to barely make rent that he's not allowed to de-stress via his method of choice because he should just be "tackling the real problems". It's not your place to impose a value judgment about how people deal with stress.
I'm not sure that's what they were doing. I had the same concern, that using video games to address these concerns ultimately doesn't address issues like loneliness, lack of community, unresolved trauma, relationship and substance issues etc.
There's nothing wrong with escaping or short term fixes though. Often these can be the things that are needed to help people into the position where they can even care enough about themselves and their feelings to do the other work.
The danger just comes when these are used as the only tool. Ultimately the benefits wear off and the user is back at square one.
It's no one's place to make value judgements on how others spend their time but issues like depression and anxiety are social issues at the end of the day and it's good to have open discussions about these things. Unaddressed mental health issues can often lead to people acting out and hurting others, and in that sense we're all responsible for voicing our concerns and trying to help one another get onto healthy paths forwards.
thank you! i know what you mean, at the same time there are not so many tools that work offline and interactive that can help to destress or deal with a panic or anxiety. I think a few games without a score keeping is a good option.
On the other hand, I always worry about the "escapism" of video games in the way they might provide a safer and more comforting activity than tackling the real problems that lead to the stress and anxiety.
That being said, all this looks great! You should get a video of gameplay (or at least provide some sort of "what games are these" information so that people can explore them without having to download another app. I simply don't know enough about the game to download another app without more information!