Whispers of Wellness

In Jane McGonigal’s TED Talk, she explains that games can motivate people in ways that real-world environments often struggle to replicate. Games provide clear goals, structured challenges, and immediate feedback, which encourages players to remain engaged and continue working toward objectives. Because of this structure, players frequently develop persistence, problem-solving abilities, and a willingness to try again after failure. McGonigal argues that these qualities demonstrate how gaming environments can cultivate determination and optimism in the face of challenges (McGonigal, 2010).

As a gamer myself, I have personally experienced moments when I became completely focused on a game. When I knew I was very close to completing a difficult objective, giving up rarely felt like an option. Instead, I continued trying until I successfully completed the task. Experiences like this demonstrate how gaming can encourage perseverance and determination, even when challenges require repeated attempts before success.

For me, gaming can also involve additional challenges because of my disability. I play games using only one hand, which can make certain gameplay tasks more difficult. Despite these limitations, gaming remains something I deeply enjoy and continue to pursue. There have been occasions when I have asked my nurse for assistance. Although she is not actively playing the game herself, we work cooperatively. I provide clear instructions regarding what actions need to be performed in the game, and she assists with those actions so that we can accomplish the goal together. In this way, gaming can also become a collaborative experience that involves communication and teamwork.

Another reason I enjoy gaming is that it provides an opportunity to temporarily step away from the stresses of the real world. Some scholars have suggested that exposure to violent video games may contribute to desensitization toward violence or reduce empathy for others. For example, Bushman and Anderson (2009) found that participants who had recently played violent video games were slower to help an injured individual compared to participants who had played nonviolent games. Their findings suggest that exposure to violent media may reduce sensitivity to the suffering of others and influence helping behavior.

While I acknowledge that research, I believe the relationship between gaming and empathy is more complex. When individuals play violent video games, they generally recognize that the content is fictional and part of a structured game environment. In contrast, when people watch the news and observe violent or distressing events occurring in the real world, those events are genuine and cannot simply be disengaged from in the same way that a game can be paused or turned off. For many individuals, gaming can therefore serve as a form of emotional relief or escape from the constant exposure to real-world stressors.

Many of the games I personally enjoy playing are farming simulation games that emphasize cozy or mystical environments. These games often involve activities such as planting crops, growing plants, mining resources, and gathering materials that can later be used to build tools or structures to support future objectives. In many cases, players also help non-playable characters (NPCs) within the game world by completing requests or assisting with community tasks.

One example is the game Wylde Flowers. In this game, the player controls a young witch named Tara whose grandmother has passed away. Tara decides to remain in the small town where her grandmother lived and takes responsibility for maintaining the family farm while helping members of the local community. Throughout the game, players gather resources, repair structures such as bridges, and eventually restore a mine that allows access to additional materials. Games like this demonstrate that gaming experiences can involve planning, resource management, and helping others within the virtual environment.

I have also encountered games in which players develop land or build entire civilizations, sometimes within historical contexts. In one online game, the narrative takes place in what appears to be a Western time period, where the player travels across land and gradually develops it over time. Experiences like this are particularly fascinating because they encourage players to think strategically about development, resources, and long-term goals.

Because of these qualities, I believe that more games should incorporate real-world problem-solving and educational themes. Game-based learning could potentially be applied within academic subjects such as history, cultural studies, and psychology. By allowing students to engage with complex systems, games may help individuals better understand social, historical, and psychological dynamics.

If you have read my previous article about the game Life Is Strange: True Colors, you may recall that I discussed the main character’s ability to sense and experience the emotions of others. In that article, I explored how the character demonstrates a heightened sense of empathy, feeling emotions such as anger, sadness, and fear very intensely. At one point in the game, the character gains the ability to remove another person’s negative emotions. However, the narrative eventually highlights an important ethical issue: removing negative emotions from someone can actually be harmful. Negative emotions play a crucial role in personal growth, emotional awareness, and understanding both ourselves and the people around us.

Overall, video games are often viewed simply as a form of entertainment, but they can also provide meaningful experiences that encourage persistence, cooperation, creativity, and emotional awareness. As McGonigal (2010) suggests, if the same determination and problem-solving mindset that players demonstrate in games were applied to real-world challenges, individuals might approach those problems with greater optimism and collaboration. In this sense, gaming may serve not only as a form of escape but also as a platform for developing valuable cognitive and social skills.