Health Benefits of Gaming

Game Deep

The friends dig deep into how video games affect mental and physical well-being, checking out studies on the matter, sharing their own experiences and looking at examples of games made specifically for health purposes as well as how regular old games can tangentially contribute to fitness!

• 0:00 - Recapping the holidays and new year. Socializing, sweets, stress! Avoiding vacation obligations.
• 14:45 - How can games impact health positively psychologically and physically.
• 19:05 - "The benefits of playing video games" APA journal. The academic framework compared to our personal experience. The social benefits of games for various people.
• 30:06 - Clinical studies that use Tetris to treat mental illness like addiction and PTSD.
• 36:39 - Audio clips: news coverage of video games starting in the 80s. A variety of narratives: parental concerns around games being addictive and negatively altering kids' minds, the capacity of games to make people violent, and the more recent trend of showing games in a positive light (emerging technology, psychological benefits, etc.).
• 53:35 - Using phsyical games (Wii, PlayStation Move) to rehabilitate burn injuries through range-of-motion exercises.
• 57:00 - Gamification. Jane McGonigal's work into leveraging playtime into changing the world and also smaller-scale self improvement.
• 1:01:30 - Mobile apps that gamify health: drinking water, counting steps, running/jogging training (Zombies, Run!), building good habits (Habitica), language learning (Duolingo).
• 1:14:30 - Games designed for exercise (Yourself!Fitness, Wii Fit, Ring Fit Adventure), but also "accidental" fitness games (Dance Dance Revolution, Pokemon GO)
• 1:19:57 - Mirror neurons and learning from watching.
• 1:23:15 - Which games do we play intentionally to socialize? Mario Kart, board games, Dead by Daylight.
• 1:26:47 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a pandemic game: the perfect combination of escapism, social connection, and cozy!
• 1:31:00 - New year's resolutions for gaming and health.

Bryan - @analogdarling on Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram

Xander - @xanwithaplan on Twitch and Twitter

Zac - @zacaroniandcheez on Twitch, @GaijinWota on Twitter and Instagram

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