Dark Souls is a video game series often described as dark and incredibly difficult. Honestly, one of the last games I would have considered as beneficial for those dealing with depression. My first impression may very well be wrong though...
This month’s theme is about help-seeking for anxiety and depression. There are quite some people that play video games to feel better and to lower their anxiety and depressive feelings. In this blog, I would like to tell you more about Monument Valley. This game is not only one of GEMH’s favourite games, but also a game that a lot of participants in one of our studies enjoyed very much because it is so relaxing and calming.
Everyone has moments when they feel sad, lonely, numb, exhausted, depressed, nervous or anxious. This is a normal part of the ups and downs of life and most people will experience one or more periods in their lives, when they have a diagnosable depression or anxiety disorder. But even if things are not quite that bad, you may still want to do something to help yourself feel better!
No matter how natural receiving help can be, asking for help can be difficult. This month, in honour of Mental Health Awareness Month , we will focus on help-seeking for anxiety and depression and we will discuss different types of help, different ways you can find help and things you can do to help yourself.
Affective computing systems provide our machines access to our emotions. This might sound unsettling at first, but I argue that we can use affective computing in biofeedback games to gain insights about our emotions that would be hard to come by otherwise.
In this blog we explore the potential of video games that respond to signals from the player's body, i.e. biofeedback games. Specifically, we discuss whether they can help people to become more aware of their body and to effectively regulate their emotions.
The relationship between our bodies and our minds is incredibly complex, and one of the most profound examples of this interaction may very well be the phenomenon of emotions. In keeping with this month's theme - Listen to Your Body - we will take a short trip down Emotion Lane and shed a little bit of light on what emotions are and how they may arise.
Sometimes it's important to press pause, take a deep breath and relax. Here is a simple breathing exercise that you can use to calm yourself down.
The condition "Gaming Disorder" describes a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior so severe that it takes "precedence over other life interests". But is it the game design that is addicting or the emotional connections to an online social network made while playing the game?
GEMH Lab recommends games available that can have a positive impact on mental and emotional well-being (as of March 2018).