TRACYKING/SCEPTICALANALYSIS
OPINION
Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence and statistics behind popular media stories surrounding tech and gaming @tkingdot
I
’ve always been interestedintherelationshipbetween
gaming and mentalhealth,buthistoricallythat’s
been very much froma‘gamesarebrilliantescapism
when you can’t cope’ perspective(I’vefrequentlycredited
Final Fantasy IX with savingmefollowinga veryseriousmental
health breakdown many yearsago).Increasingly,though,it’s
obvious that – a few corporategamifiedappsaside– games
can be used as a social goodfarbeyondescapismandfun.
The evidence for any causalrelationshipbetweengamingand
mental health problems hasbeenthoroughlyexploredinthis
column many times, and I feelsafeinsayingI’vebeenvindicated
for my warnings and criticismaround‘gamingdisorder’andthe
medicalisation of gaming behaviours.
But that’s not to say thereis nocorrelation.
Many gamers have mentalhealthproblems,
although I would argue that’swhytheyseek
out games, rather than the otherwayaround.
That doesn’t mean games can’tordon’tmake
mental health worse for a fewpeople,aswith
overconsumption of any vividmedia,such
as films or TV. Rather than studytheeffectof
existing games on mental health, though, why not design games
that help to study mental health?
It’s been tried before, and it’s usually a bit naff. That’s largely
because decent game design is about gameplay, not collecting
data about players’ emotions. Games designed specifically to
study psychology or neuroscience are often made cheaply, for a
laboratory environment, rather than for any of the usual reasons
you make a game.
But now, enter The Insight Project (theinsightproject.com).
It’s a proper academic endeavour run by Professor Paul Fletcher,
a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Cambridge University, and
Tameem Antionades who co-founded game developer Ninja
Theory.Theaimoftheprojectisto create ‘an exciting and
immersiveAAAgameexperience’that ‘will overcome the
stigmaoftreatment.’
TheInsightProjecthaspartneredwith Microsoft, and Ninja
Theoryhasalreadyproduceda high-quality game in Hellblade:
Senua’sSacrifice,whichgota 93percent score in Issue 170 of
CustomPC. Wedescribedit asa‘masterpiece of virtual empathy,
anda stunningadventure’.
Inthiscase,thedevelopersnotonly worked with scientists,
butalsopeoplewithexperienceofpsychosis, which is the gold
standardforanyentertainmentmedium aiming to depict illness
ordisability.Theythenraised£100,000 to provide training
formentalhealthprofessionals, and talked
atscienceeventsworldwide about using
gamingtohelpend mental health stigma.
Oneofthefactors that drives me to write
snarkycolumnsis when scientists study
gamesandtheirimpact without actually
beinggamersorconsulting with developers
andplayers.TheInsight Project, as far as I
cantell,is doingeverything right. Its master
plan is to use a gaming environment to help researchers and
patients better understand what’s actually going on, with a
view to maybe even being able to fix it.
It sounds like Black Mirror, but it makes a lot of sense. While
medication is one of the most important tools in mental health
treatment, therapy is also very important. I’m familiar with the
scientific evidence for both mindfulness and CBT, and it’s clear
that therapeutic interventions can be very effective in many
cases. So why not expand that into a gaming environment? If
imagining a calm, beautiful beach is useful, why not go full VR
and actually put yourself there? I’ll be first in line to try that. If
the future of therapy is gaming, I’m all for it.GAME THERAPY
Can games help to treat mental health? Tracy King
takes a look at The Insight ProjectGames designed
specifically to study
psychology or neuroscience
are often made cheaply