Gaming for Good

Spotlight English

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Megan Nollet.

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And I’m Andrew Devis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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Brian is so sad that he cannot move. He has been like this for several weeks now. Each day he tries to get out of bed. But his mind tells him it is not worth it. He has school. He has classes to go to. But he is feeling so horrible that none of this matters. Some days, he feels the world would be better off if he were dead.

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Brian has depression. This mental disorder makes him feel helpless and alone. He experiences very few positive emotions. The way he separates himself from others makes it worse. But Brian does have one good thing in his life. It is called Civilization Five. It is a video game. While he plays, Brian commands a group of people. He guides them through history. These people do wonders while under his direction. They build cities and go to the moon. Brian cannot control much in his life. But he can when he plays Civilization Five. It reminds him that he is able to do things while he waits for his depression to lift.

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You may be used to hearing about the dangers of video games. They can be addictive. They can prevent the development of social skills in young children. But there is evidence that video games can help people as well. Today’s Spotlight is on video games and mental health.

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There is a name for what Brian is doing. It is called escapism. Escapism is when a person uses stories and media to forget the world around them. A child with a harmful parent might listen to a lot of music. Or she might read many books. These forms of media bring her joy. They help her see that the world can be a good place.

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Escapism can be dangerous. Sometimes people escape from situations they should address. If a man is in a bad relationship, he might need to end it. But he may avoid doing so by watching television. The television makes him feel good even though the situation is bad. He avoids what he needs to do because it is hard.

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But escapism has its positive sides. It might keep a person healthy in a situation they cannot leave. It helps people manage the difficulties in their life. Ashley Olivine is a doctor who helps people with their mental health. She wrote about escapism on verywellmind.com.

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“There are risks. But escapism is not always bad. Sometimes it can be good. For example, imaginative play is a healthy part of child growth. Reading a book can be an excellent way for readers of all ages to experience joy. It exercises the brain and reduces tension.”

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Video games offer a special form of escapism. Like other forms of media, they offer players a way to imagine they are somewhere else. But a person can act in a video game. They have some form of control. A player may identify more with the character on screen. The character’s achievements become the player’s. There is a kind of satisfaction that comes with completing goals. Johnny Chiodini is an English game’s journalist who lives with depression. Johnny said:

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“It is satisfying when you complete an activity in a video game. And you get a little bit of joy. It feels like you are getting things done in a way that you might not normally feel every day.”

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Some video games go even farther. These let people work through their problems within the game. Baldur’s Gate Three is one of the best examples of this kind of game. The game takes place in the world of Faerûn. It is a world of magic and monsters. But the people’s problems there are just like ours. Many of the game’s main characters have suffered greatly. If the player befriends them, they overcome their problems. If the player does not, their character grows worse.

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One of these main characters is called Astarion. He is a victim of slavery. He has just escaped when the player first finds him. Free for the first time, he does not know his place in the world. He sometimes acts evil or selfish. But this is because he does not feel protected or safe. The game lets the player help him feel safe. It is very effective for storytelling. But it is even more effective for people who have gone through similar things. It helps them understand their own problems. Reddit user beatuifulterribleqn is a survivor of childhood violence. She wrote:

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“I bought this game to hold Astarion’s hand. I wanted to walk out of the dark with him. I chose to be friends with him for my first play through. He was a good picture of my younger self. No one ever held my hand. It took me a long time to walk out of the dark on my own. I bought the game. I played it as myself so it would feel a little faster. I played so I would have training. It was in case I met someone who could benefit from what I went through. Just because we have survived does not mean we can talk about it. Not unless we train a bit.”

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Some video games may even help mental health issues directly. In 2017, experts at Oxford University studied Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This mental illness forms when a person experiences a difficult event, like a car crash or living through war. Afterward, the person with PTSD re-lives the event. These memories feel very real. PTSD sufferers call them flashbacks. It is like they are going back in time. They re-experience the bad things that happened to them.

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PTSD flashbacks cause a lot of problems in sufferer’s lives. But the experts at Oxford found an unlikely aid. It is a game called Tetris. Tetris is a very simple game. But it demands a lot of focus. In Tetris, players move blocks of different shapes down the screen. They try to fit these blocks together. They want to form a complete line. Researchers found that playing this game after a difficult event stopped flashbacks. The game also reduced the number of flashbacks people had. They recovered more quickly than other patients.

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Not every video game is helpful. And many people do not use video games in healthy ways. Some video games are hard to stop playing. They may portray violence and sexuality in an unhealthy way. Some may encourage unhealthy behavior like gambling. But this is true of many other forms of media. These may have negative effects on people. But it also may affect them positively. For many people with mental health problems, the latter may be more true than the former. It all depends on the person. It depends on where they are in their lives.

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Do you play video games? Do you know people who do? Does playing affect them positively or negatively? You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at [e-mail]. You can also comment on Facebook at facebook.com/spotlightradio.

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The writer and producer of this program was Dan Christmann. The voices you heard were from the United States and The United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Gaming for Good’.

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You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

Question:

Do you play video games? Do you know people who do? Does playing affect them positively or negatively?

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