The good in games

GAMING is addictive but in moderation, it can help students cope with stress from school and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Playing video games, UOW Malaysia KDU University College students share, has helped improve their mental health.

Chan Zhe, 22, said he enjoys puzzle solving – a key element of the fantasy action-adventure games he favours.

“Games become fun when you master and understand them. The enjoyment stems from the act of solving puzzles.

Chan: Solving puzzles to overcome challenges in games involves knowing how to apply knowledge.

“With games, learning is the addiction, ” he said, adding that solving puzzles also involve applying knowledge to overcome challenges.

Nowadays, the game development student said his routine of alternating between playing and working on his assignments have made him more focused when doing his coursework.

“I find myself entering “the zone” more often and I am able to work for six to eight hours straight, sometimes even more than 10 hours, regularly, ” said the student.

Crediting video games for keeping him “sane” during the multiple movement control orders, Jaime Lau Aik Seng, 21, said being stuck at home meant that there was no line between his work and home life.

Lau: Video games have helped me deal with stress, especially around tight deadlines.

“The boundary disappeared. I was constantly thinking about what needed to be done.

“Even when I’m resting at home I’m thinking about it so I get anxious and irritable easily. I was more prone to breakdowns.

“Video games helped me alleviate a lot of that stress, especially when there are tight submission deadlines, ” added Lau.

Sharing Lau’s sentiments, Crystal Quah Yeng Mei, 21, said video games has had a positive effect on her mental health.

Quah: Video games have had a positive effect on my mental health.

“I’m the kind of person who uses games to pass time with friends and I get instant gratification when I do well in them, ” she added.

Azman Hezry Akbarudin, 21, said he enjoys the escapism that gaming provides.

Azman Hezry: I wholeheartedly believe playing these games has affected my studies positively

“Games present endless possible scenarios depending on the decisions you make as a player. Playing games has had a positive impact on my studies.

“Creativity and quick thinking are crucial when playing video games – the same can be said for my coursework.

“Many of my ideas for my coursework come from my gaming experiences. And for the most part, the gaming experience has helped me come up with solutions for problems I face in my assignments, ” the student who enjoys racing, rhythm-based, fighting and horror games, enthused.

Jareth Rajan, 23, said when he was still in school, he could only play computer games during the weekends.

“That was how I relaxed and had fun with friends and family.

“Unwinding is important so that I don’t feel a sense of dread when Monday comes around, ” he said.

Playing video games can be beneficial for social interaction especially with the movement restrictions currently in place, said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre Psychiatry Department head of child and adolescent psychiatry unit Assoc Prof Dr Fairuz Nazri Abd Rahman.

Dr Fairuz Nazri: A little gaming is enjoyable but a lot is detrimental especially to those under the age of 18.

Including gaming elements or gamification in school lessons is a good move as this helps students retain the lessons learnt, she added.

“As a study aid, it can help improve grades but a balance must be struck between gaming and other recreational activities.

“A little time spent gaming is enjoyable but doing it excessively is detrimental especially for those under the age of 18, ” she said, noting that the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry guidelines state that for children between the ages of two to five, about one hour per weekday and three hours on the weekends is enough non-educational screen time.

She cautioned against spending too much time playing games as it can lead to sleep, weight and mood problems, affect academic performance and reduce time spent with family and friends.

“Gaming can also expose children to violence and sexual content. There are also videos of stunts or challenges that may lead to unsafe behavior, ” she added.

Taylor’s University Department of Social Sciences lecturer and cyberpsychology expert Dr Edison Lee Soon Li said those who are affected by the movement control and physical distancing measures may use video games to alleviate the stress they are experiencing.

Lee: Those who are affected by the movement control orders may use video games to alleviate stress.

“These preventive measures can be stressful as it involves the limiting of their freedom, ” he said, adding that individuals with certain characteristics are more prone to excessive gaming such as those with high levels of impulsivity.

“Prolonged gaming is detrimental to brain regions that are responsible for impulse control. With excessive gaming, these regions are suppressed, thus reducing the gamers’ capacity to inhibit impulse, ” he said.

Lee also cautioned that gaming can be addictive.

“Games are designed to meet players’ needs and requirements.

“Based on the uses and gratification theory, consumers with certain motivations select certain media or content to gratify these innate motivations.

“Upon achieving satisfaction, it is likely for them to prolong the engagement with the game in order to elicit the sense of pleasure achieved by gratifying their innate needs, ” he explained.

Lee said highly addictive games often involve rewards to ensure continuation. This, he said, is based on the reinforcement theory which states that a behavior is more likely to be repeated when it has been associated with reward.

“Therefore, when a game is paired with either a rewarding experience or a tangible reward, it tends to induce excessive involvement from gamers. In order to elicit these rewards, gamers tend to play more, ” he said.

Lee added that as long as the outcomes are desirable, gamers will be conditioned to play excessively to redeem the reward.

Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Medical Sciences Department of Paediatrics Assoc Prof Dr Azizah Othman said gaming can have adverse effects on a person, if done excessively.

“Most of the time, gaming has adverse effects.”

Being a registered clinical psychologist, Dr Azizah has treated many patients who have had difficulty with this type of addiction. It has affected their abilities to carry out normal day-to-day tasks.

Dr Azizah: I have seen many patients who have difficulty pausing from playing.

She said games can dominate a person’s daily life when one spends a lot of time on it.

“The problem is not the tool (video games or online platforms). It becomes a problem when one loses control and spends the entire day playing, ” she added.

Dr Azizah also said that video games and mental health issues need to be looked at comprehensively.

It is not only the individual that is affected, but also the people around him or her and society as well, she pointed out.

While acknowledging that games requiring teamwork can encourage collaborations, Dr Azizah said the interaction in multiplayer games is limited.

It is not the same as most real life situations that require us to work with others.

“We need to experience real life events and problems, face conflicts and learn to manage them, ” she said.

“If we ask whether gamers feel good when playing, of course the answer is yes.

“But does it mean his mental health is good? To a certain extent, yes, as he feels good during and possibly after playing. Brain studies also prove this.

“The question should be whether it is healthy to spend most of our time doing this one activity.

“For a small group of people, gaming can be good for their mental health but most of the time, it is bad for social interaction, ” she said.