Online Gaming Communities Could Provide A Lifeline For Isolated Young Men
Online Gaming Communities Could Provide A Lifeline For Isolated Young Men
Online Gaming Communities Could Provide A Lifeline For Isolated Young Men
By Tyler Prochnow
August 23, 2023
Summary
Online gaming communities could be a vital lifeline for young men struggling silently with mental health issues, according to new research.
My colleagues and I analyzed an all-male online football gaming community over the course of a year.
This finding suggests the chat and community features of online games might provide isolated young men an anonymous "Third place" - or space where people can congregate other than work or home - to open up, find empathy and build crucial social connections they may lack in real life.
Online social spaces, like gaming communities, may offer an alternative avenue to find connection and discuss serious personal problems without the barriers of formal mental health services.
More comprehensive research is still needed, but the social features of online games may literally provide young men a lifeline when they have nowhere else to turn.
We asked members of a small online gaming community to tell us specifically who in the community they talked to about important life matters.
A key question is whether online social support directly improves depression - or are depressed individuals simply more inclined to seek connections virtually? Despite a massive industry and audience for online gaming, its mental health impacts remain murky.
Reference
Prochnow , T. (2023, August 23). Online gaming communities could provide a lifeline for isolated young men. Texas A&MToday. https://today.tamu.edu/2023/08/23/online-gaming-communities-could-provide-a-lifeline-for-isolated-young-men/