The Media has a long track record of taking to the Gaming Industry with a baseball bat every time something happens or there is more research on the correlation of mental illness with gaming. What we firstly need to understand is these Journalists who read the research, are not experts in that field, one of the primary aspects they get wrong is Correlation and Causation are not the same word.
There is a Correlation between sales of ice cream and hot days, this does not mean that buying ice cream will cause hot days.
Although I wish it did, I would absolutely be in on that one! Such connections however are being made by mainstream media every single day. Every time the Media screams CAUSE/LINKED if you go back to the research, it doesn’t say anything of the sort, it just says they are commonly found together or there is correlation. Another myth frequently abused is that of violent behaviour amongst the mentally ill.
Mental illness does not cause violent behaviour violent people are violent people, they are just as likely as anyone else to develop a mental illness, however the illness is not the cause for their violent behaviour. Violent behaviour is found amongst the general population for the same reasons.
There are reasons these links actually exist, which are often mentioned by researchers but often ignored by the Media. An aspect of mental illness few are aware of is that the vast majority of people are not aware of the earliest symptoms. Many times we see the onset of mental illness as a sudden thing coming out of the blue, but the truth is for the majority of people they experience mild symptoms for years before recognizing that something is wrong and they need help.
In the same way that violent people are drawn and attracted to violent games due to the way it makes them feel, those who are experiencing the first symptoms of mental illness begin to self medicate. For some it is drinking alcohol, for other’s it is drugs, some even hit the Gym, become workaholics and even gravitate towards games, because it helps them feel better.
These coping mechanisms can be either healthy or unhealthy, it wont necessarily hold the illness at bay either, some bring it on faster(ex. drugs and alcohol), some can help keep symptoms at a minimum for years before it finally comes to light. Keep in mind also that ANYTHING can be used to the point of abuse.
When after being bullied at school all day a child comes home and wants to hug their teddy, it doesn’t mean the teddy did it.
My Daughter’s Step Father and Father both live with mental illness, one far excels at managing it than the other even in spite of his condition being the more acute. Over the last decade I have noticed a distinct difference, their Step Father, even at his lowest of lows remains in some way connected with a community of one form or another through gaming. We know he is at risk when even those connections aren’t being exercised and he cuts himself off entirely. While their Father’s only community connection is through Employment which he no longer has.
(Yes I somehow managed to marry into families with Bipolar twice, a disease that occurs in only 2-3% of the population. you will go into hysteric’s when you find out Both my brother’s married into bipolar families too!)
There are a number of reasons Gaming is beneficial, many of which are covered by the RPG Research Project which I am going to shamelessly steal and attach to the bottom of this post.
Researchers and Mental Health Organisations ALL know that socialisation is critical for mental health, the group they are struggling with the most to facilitate socialisation and communication are Men. It is such a crisis that internationally there are hundreds of Mental health and Community campaigns aimed at men. One of the most prominent run’s next month, it is Movember! there is Man Therapy, Men’s Shed, Living Well and that’s just what I found in a 10 second search.
This is because 80% of all Suicides in Australia are of MEN! Australia is not the only country whose men are hurting. Eighty Percent! That’s more than just Mental Illness, that is a CRISIS!
You will notice that a word I keep repeating here is Community. It really is about community, communication and connection. I highly recommend Religion for Atheists it speaks of the benefits of religion and not throwing the baby out with the bath water, rather learning from the structure of organised religion to extract the benefits. Honestly today’s Gaming Communities are a real world manifestation of the principles outlined in Alain de Botton‘s book in spite of events such as The great 1980s Dungeons & Dragons panic.
I have noticed even I have slowed down on purchasing games by retail. I am enjoying kickstarting and backing start up’s and supporting small companies. Backers genuinely have input into the product and can influence design and production. In the process of kickstarting many of these games they literally Build these communities. Watching these Men communicating and interacting while discussing the mechanics and intricacies throughout our recent backing of Cthulhu Wars is fantastic (sexy even) the Macho-ism which so often isolates them from each other is absent, even girly squeals of delight are expressed as the next stretch goal is unlocked. I find watching men simply communicating is one of the most enthralling things particularly when it is in such a Healthy way!
It always makes me feel very privileged EVERY time I am in a situation where I am allowed to witness such Male interaction without the posturing, bravado and “image” getting in the way isolating them all from each other, even professional sports doesn’t achieve this! and if you still aren’t convinced, the fella’s have gone to the effort of rounding up all the research for you over on RPGstudies.net
Kudos to Gaming you achieved what everyone is only now realising we need to do without anyone having to instruct you to do so! You Sir’s are true Men!
Stolen from RPG Research Project
POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF RPG
(varies between tabletop, LARP, & computer-based)
SocialCooperation with diverse people/cultures/backgrounds
Leadership
Walking in others shoes/experiences
Exposure to other cultures, religions, histories, belief systems, etc.
Languages/Linguistics
Multicultural mythologies
Learning/following the rules but also “thinking outside of the box when needed”Intellectual
Mathematics
Statistics
Researching
Problem solving (e.g. puzzles, riddles, mazes, etc.)
Reading/writing (technical)
History
Geography
Cartography
Geology
Economics
Government systems
Politics
Ecology
Metallurgy
Meteorology
Astronomy
Physics
Demographics
Warfare tactics and strategies
Technologies past and present
ArchitectureCreative
Theatrics/acting
Improvisation
Reading/writing (creative)
Artwork (drawing, painting lead figures, etc.)
Music
PoetryPhysical
Eye-hand coordination
General coordination (LARP)
Fine motor skills
Gross motor skills (LARP)Other Effects
Expanding interpersonal trust
Accessing playfulness
Experiencing spontaneity
Opening to creativity
Broadening sensory, emotive, and movement, expressiveness (even more so with LARP)
Co-creating new realities with others
Image supplied by Petersen Games
The Little Super Hero 
I have been strugling to respond to yhis post. I have restarted several times now.
Trying to break it down.
I dont trust most news sources to be infalable and often times my cynical nature beleive much worse of them.
I have little intrest in small scale violence by individuals as anymore than a symptom of greater issues in society. The stories are tragic but ultimatly distraction from larger issues.
Self medicating is fine, every one does it, the tricky part is knowing when to seek help. I an willing to bet the bipolar numbers are much greater from non or misdiagnosis.
Mens groups that push hobbies or hobbies with others are great. Anything that gives a sense of acomplishment will inturn increase happiness and well being.
80%. Reducing this number only increases the female side. I think the goal has to be a reduction of the total then its a win either way.
Fraternity is a tough one, as an introvert I am more comfortable in low key social settings. From time to time I do crave interaction but the moment inevitability passes. I recognize the use they have, even understand the draw of human networking and support systems but see them ultimatly as a sacrifice, at least in part, of individuality for acceptance. I am also bad at parties in general.
At is best Kickstarter is excellent, creators create, backers benifit. That said I am backing less for many reasons not least of which is exchange rate, but also unfufilled rewards or shoddy quality is components or rules. I also think Kickstarter is fairly terrible as a social network, something I appreciate.
Cthulhu Wars is, in my opinion, what kickstarter was designed for; a passionate designer with an obvious love for the product and need of community involvment to get the project complete.
Personaly I try not to back KSers that will likely be made anyway, sometimes its hard to tell them apart.
The EUs current stance that Backers are purchasing product does nothing to protect them from bad/unfufilled projects while profiting from the triumphs. I see that as detrimental to people but spot on for how politics works.
Games, of all types, have always been used for improvment. Basic childrens games like Red Light, Green light or memory. The fact that Complex games give multiple varried benefits should be a surprise to no one. If anything they should be embraced as a engaging learning device.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately while the numbers of female suicide has dropped male suicide has actually increased. There are numerous contributors to the issue a simple problem it isnt. There are both societal and cultural factors contributing to the imbalance factors which can be partly addressed through skills acquired through gaming, while it isnt the answer to everything or a cure, the most successful tactics for addressing mental health is multifaceted.
For anyone dealing with depression or anxiety interaction can be exhausting but it does come with benefits. It isnt an empty spend so to speak groups as small as 3-5 can be quite successful and meet in homes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, I was thinking differently than it is.
Of course if you target the male problem the overall numbers will drop faster as you will have a higher possible rate of prevention.
My mistake.
LikeLiked by 1 person