The month of May is a busy one here at Stack Up. It's Mental Health Awareness Month and Military Appreciation Month, as well as our Call to Arms push for Memorial Day.
Haven't seen a Redshirt Roundtable yet? A Redshirt Roundtable is a community blog post where we ask the community a few questions about video games, Stack Up, or anything else we want to talk about. This gives our community members a chance to get to know each other better and get themselves featured on our blog.
Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the theme for this Redshirt Roundtable is "Mental Health and Gaming." The questions we asked our community were:
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
DangerTharp - Check out his Twitch
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Metal Gear Solid series, Tetris Effect, DOOM
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
I think they're great for a lot of reasons. You can unwind after a stressful day with a relaxing game. You can get out anger/aggression in gaming form safely. Finally, my favorite, you can get into a state called "flow" and be in a meditative state. Tetris especially does this for me.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
As said above, I use gaming in a lot of different ways to support my well-being, whether it's to destress, work out anger, or get to a higher state of mind. Gaming is not only my primary form of entertainment but one of my favorite forms of relaxation. That's not even touching on the social aspect of it all, where I can hang out with friends thousands of miles away.
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
I've been a part of various gaming communities my whole life. THE number one thing I think they all gave me was opportunity. Whether it was giving back, community, collaboration, raid progression, etc., it's always been the opportunity to engage in community that I find the most important.
Gallicat
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
World of Warcraft, FFXIV, or whatever game I can play together with my husband and family.
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
They’re a great release from stress and can give you something else to focus on other than the troubles, trials, and tribulations life might be throwing at you that day/week/month/eternity.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
It’s a lot better to punch digital monsters than it is real people or walls... and a lot less expensive, too! (I laugh, but it’s also not wrong... lol)
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
Objective ears to listen, sounding boards to talk to and bounce things off of, and generally just some great friendships that go beyond just being physically nearby... including some that pretty much become family, even if you’ve only ever met in person, maybe once or twice (if even that).
Becky (Mama Bear)
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Diablo 2/3, Mass Effect, Spiritfarer.
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
They provide a distraction, an open platform where people can relax and unwind, whether alone or together. They also help people who are dealing with mental or physical health difficulties.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
They've helped me process my thoughts and deal with my mental health, provided a platform where I can remain close to my friends who I otherwise can't see physically. They've actually given me my muse back for creative writing, too!
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
It's brought me close to some incredible people and closer to wider communities. They build each other up, support each other - there is just a great sense of togetherness within communities.
HoneyHands
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Final Fantasy 14 Online, theHunter: Call of the Wild, Civilization 6
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
Games help people decompress, relax, and forget about life for a while. A healthy distraction.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
They have provided a place for me to escape to when life becomes too much. Somewhere to run to for a while to reset and gain the composure I need to face the day.
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
They have given me a place to find people like myself to be friends with and enjoy my passion of gaming.
Bearded_Bandido - Check out his Twitch
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Getting Over It, Dead By Daylight, Tom Clancy's R6
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
It helps relieve some stress and allows me to take a break from reality, like a breather.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
I started streaming so I can interact with others bc I closed myself off from everyone. By streaming, it has helped me open up to my family, friends, and members of my community. By gaming, I have met many people who are also struggling with mental health and have been able to help each other.
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
I have enjoyed some community game nights with friends. It's been a great way to connect and meet some new friends.
Knightmare - Check out his Twitch
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy XIV, SMITE, Subnautica
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
To me, gaming gives me a sense of rejuvenation and fulfillment. Getting the opportunity to accomplish goals and tasks in-game helps with your mental health because it makes you feel positive about yourself and gives you a sense of purpose and belonging. Connecting with others in multiplayer games also helps bring one another together to build cohesion and make you feel part of a team that's set on achieving a certain goal. We all want to make a difference and feel like we matter. Gaming gives this opportunity in ways we could never have imagined.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
Gaming has helped with my well-being in giving me an escape from the challenges of the day. I may have had a rough day that demoralized me, or maybe a passing in the family. Gaming gives you a way to release your emotions and channel yourself into a different time and place in order to decompress what you are feeling or what has made you suffer in real life. For me, gaming will always be a source of de-stressing and allowing me to find relaxation.
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
Gaming communities help in connecting you with other people all over the world, no matter the background. It brings you to socialize with others and connect in ways that help you belong. These communities come together to aid one another, whether it be someone to confide in that may have experienced similar issues, or just a way of allowing you to socialize for those that may be more of an introvert in public. They help you build social skills and help you network out into a much larger community. Stack Up has brought me particularly in contact with other veterans who enjoy the same pastime as myself and lets me remiss in our service and experiences that I normally can't talk with your average civilian.
What is a video game(s) that you can always fall back on during a rough day?
Titanfall 2, Doom Eternal, and the Halo games.
Why do you think video games are great for mental health and well-being?
Video games are a release from reality for myself and most people. They allow you to accomplish goals and visit worlds, times, and realities that are otherwise inaccessible to everyone. Most people have lives of constant stagnation and little-to-no forward progress. Games help combat the mental health issues this can cause by giving people a sense of purpose, community, and the ability to work toward and accomplish objectives. This can help give people a sense of self-worth and forward progress in a day and age where many people do not get that from their work or personal lives. Gaming is an escape.
What are some ways video games have helped your mental well-being?
I experienced a deterioration of my mental health throughout my three years during law school. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be successful both in my professional and personal lives. This self-inflicted pressure did not help and, while I did well, I was unhappy. I was not unhappy because I hated law school or hated that kind of work, but because of the pressure I put on myself.
Video games allowed me to relieve that pressure. I could get on my computer, open up Titanfall 2 or Halo, and just not think. I didn't have to think about work or school. I could just focus on improving at the game. Any time I ever leveled up or felt my aim getting better, I felt a sense of accomplishment. It helped me feel like I am actually good at something, even though it is just computer games.
They help me to de-stress and relax. Escape to the Halo rings or the planet Typhon or the moons of Mars to slay demons, Covenant, or the forces of the IMC. It just felt good to not have to think about the real world for a while and just enjoy my love of gaming and science fiction universes.
Stack Up has its own gaming community. What are some ways gaming communities have impacted you?
Gaming communities have given me friends that I never would have had otherwise. I have gotten to meet tons of interesting people and formed bonds and relationships over the love of gaming. It has given me a sense of belonging and community that I otherwise would not have.