According to Statista.com 75% of parents worry about their children having negative impacts from gaming, however are they worrying for nothing and instead of being negative its having a positive impact in peoples lives?
Parents worry frequently about their children’s mental health online, however according to Young Minds “Gaming can be very good for relaxing and winding down, taking a break, socializing, and lots more, though it could start negatively effecting someone’s mental health it’s a very good escape for young people”.
Also, people often feel a connection to characters who they feel are like them, for an example Connor from Detroit Become Human is someone that autistic people often relate to because he has autistic traits. There are other games that people can see how other people have delt with their mental health problems, like Little Hope, which is a game about a man who loses his family and how he deals with his grief.
Some games often specialize in the fact of being able to help people with mental health disorders like Life is Strange which is a franchise which is about 3 kids who have powers, but they also have to overcome problems like: depression, stress, anxiety.
We talk to a student who gaming has a positive effect on her mental health, “I have been Playing video games since I was 7, My favourite games are: five nights at Freddie’s, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Roblox, among us. If my parents took away my consoles I would be really down in the dumps and I suppose it could negatively affect my mental health, I feel a sort of connection to the security guard as he has seen so much and he just wants justice and to heal, whenever I’m feeling down, I love playing the goose game it always lifts up my mood and makes me laugh”.
So though parents stress out a lot about their child being exposed to mental health disorders through gaming, 71% of people can find gaming a stress relief, a place to unwind.
By Scarlett Yr 9
Boston High School
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Thought provoking article as I imagine a lot of parents would say gaming is bad overall for young people but as a mum to a gamer, I know how important it is! I think it is good that I know what he is on and who he is with as well as limiting screen time.