Can Video Games Be a Healthy Outlet for Stress Relief?
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Can Video Games Be a Healthy Outlet for Stress Relief?
C. THI NGYUEN: What I ended up thinking is that what makes games special is not just that they create a world or an environment, but that the game designer tells you what abilities you have and what obstacles you’ll face, but most importantly, what goals you’ll have. What the game designer is doing is creating an alternate self for you,... See more
New York Times • Are We Measuring Our Lives in All the Wrong Ways?
games, with their simple rules, are like Charlie Brown — they are pre-digested models that we can easily absorb and manipulate. This is why they are relaxing to play — they are less work for our brain than the real world, because so much of the complexity has been stripped away.
Schell • The Art of Game Design: A book of lenses
I can go on a hike to clear my head, and put my reasons for doing so out of mind. My ability to do this isn’t perfect; sometimes, the larger world of reasons breaks through. But often, I can get most of the way there. I can throw myself into the sheer physical effort of getting to the top and let all my other practical worries fall away. And that s
... See moreC. Thi Nguyen • Games: Agency As Art (Thinking Art)
At their best, “video games are controlled training regimens delivered in highly motivating” ways that result in “enduring physical and functional neurological remodeling,” says Michael Merzenich, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, who has led the design of games meant to retrain the brains of older people with neurolo
... See moreDaniel Goleman • Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
“I saw people in states of shock over the last eighteen months. But for me, the future simulations were a bit like martial arts training—you’re practicing skills and techniques in a safe environment so that you can be quicker and more effective whilst remaining calm.”