There's an enemy millions of gamers across the world face that isn't found in any cartridge, disc, or DLC. It's not at the top of the tower in level 30. It doesn't have flashy weak spots to inflict massive damage, nor is it defeated by mere strategy and button-pressing. The affliction known as depression is no light matter in the gaming world, and for many it's a difficult topic to speak about. Gaming has expanded to include different types of people and ages--the stigma for basement-dwelling, nose-sniffling, Dorito-diet individuals has disappeared and been replaced with a much more diverse population of people.
However, that's not to say people within it aren't affected by mental health. Depression is just one facet of the mental health disorder spectrum that can affect us, and it's important that this topic isn't stored away in the back of our minds as if it's a taboo subject. We need to speak up about these health matters to qualified people. A fellow gamer that we'll call "Mary" agrees: "Depression and anxiety, even in this day and age, still have a stigma that a lot of people just can't wrap their heads around. They don't understand that they are real afflictions that need actual medical help to improve." Thankfully, there's a group dedicated to fighting depression with the power of entertainment.
Anxiety Gaming was started five years ago by Jason Docton, a resident of Orange County, California, USA. "I was struggling with a really bad case of anxiety which developed into a really bad case of agoraphobia," Jason said between sips of Soylent. "I lived like that for two, maybe three years. I didn't think that I was going to get out of that situation. I told myself that I would warn other gamers about how serious anxiety issues are." Through talking about mental health concerns with multiple gamers and sharing experiences, Jason was able to research recovery methods and learned a lot about mental health disorders.
Thus was born Anxiety Gaming, a non-profit organization that is designed to focus on three things: educating patients on mental health issues, what to do to improve mental health, and matching patients with the assistance they need based on their financial capabilities. Jason's goal is to build a close community where people can talk openly about their health and focus on getting better, while keeping frag counts and APM high.
Jason and his team put together Game Against Depression, an all-day charity event funded by Discord and held at the eSports Arena (first ever!) in Santa Ana, California. It featured the ever-smiling gaming celebrity Erika Ishii (who never runs out of energy), eSports champions, musicians, and BMX bikers.
Minecraft, Heathstone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, and other games were featured on stage and on the Anxiety Gaming Twitch channel. The true celebrities of the day, however, were short, four-legged beasts of a fuzzy nature.
Yes, a small army of corgis appeared to swoon the audience and steal the hearts of gamers. Pardon, I need a moment to reflect on the skyrocketing cuteness.
We asked Jason about how Anxiety Gaming got involved in putting on such an event and what's on the horizon. "Events like this are things we put on by ourselves quickly so we get as many people as we can together and celebrate as a community. Our next step is to get some of the bigger names in the community to take a positive stance on mental health issues. Our big dream goal is to open up a hospital where people can go and get treated for free by therapists that volunteer. There's no cost, they see a therapist, and maybe play video games."
Gamers agree that this form of entertainment can combat anxiety and depression. "Gaming helps me to escape the real life stressors that exacerbate my depression/anxiety symptoms," Mary commented. "I can be whoever I want to be in a game and I don't need to worry about anything that would cause my negative feelings to grow. It almost acts as a therapy of sorts for me and helps me to feel better."
We've come a long way from Pong, and it's apparent we're branching into a field where gaming can heal instead of harm. While not the sole facet involved in bringing light where there is none, gaming is definitely a powerful tool we can use to bring people together and fight the mental boss upstairs.
If you feel you're the victim of a mental disorder such as anxiety or depression, or if you'd just like to be a part of their wonderful community, seek out Anxiety Gaming at their website. There's someone there who understands.