Creative Play As Therapy
When parents and loved ones express concern about a client’s video game playing, I start by asking a few basic questions.
Firstly, does the concerned parent or loved one play video games themselves? Do they ever play video games with the client?
Secondly, what does the concerned parent or loved one think about video games generally? If they don’t also play video games, oftentimes their view of video games as a whole is skewed. It’s common for those who don’t play video games to assume that all videogames are violent, without artistic merit, and don’t offer any benefits to players.
The fact is, not all video games are violent, many have artistic merit, and there are clear benefits to playing. I’ll get into the benefits of video games in a later post, but suffice it say, video games improve hand-eye coordination, processing speed, task-switching, and certain types of executive functioning. Also, when played in moderation, they offer an on-demand style of escapism that can be hugely beneficial with regards to depression and anxiety.
Last week, Nintendo’s eagerly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) was released. It’s shattering sales records already. Video games like this make me optimistic about the future of the medium as a whole. Why? Games like TotK give players access to a plethora of creative tools that allows them to play their own way, and come up with unique solutions to intricate problems.
TotK lets players combine discreet items to create functional constructs. Need to cross a river in the game? If it’s too far to swim across, why not chop some trees down, and combine the logs with a makeshift sail to effortlessly glide to your destination. This type of problem-solving challenges players without overwhelming or frustrating them. And the possibilities seem endless.
Games like Roblox and Minecraft offer a similar degree of freedom, but not with a compelling story like TotK.
I look forward to hearing how my patients, young and old alike, surmount the challenges that await them in TotK!
By Dr. Sherer
