Mental Health in Gaming... A Clubhouse Conversation

One of the joys of Clubhouse is the ability to create impactful moments instantaneously, which in delving into a topic like mental health does carry an element of risk. When I first approached the MTV Entertainment Group regarding their #MentalHealthAction initiative, we found that Connected Realm Entertainment and MTV shared a number of common objectives… engage, educate, and enthuse people to take action.  And while there will be a multitude of mental health initiatives driven by over 1,300 other partnering organizations in 32 countries over the next few days, we felt that the relationship between mental health and gaming in particular was one of the more misunderstood topics, and one we knew was important to be addressed.

In tackling the topic, we knew we had to do so in an informed and responsible way… and that we did. 

Since its inception last year, The Esports Club has amassed the largest Clubhouse membership supporting the esports & gaming industries, with the Esports 101 room assembling moderators each week from many facets of the esports community, all driven by the unifying goal of educating people new to, or curious about, the gaming world. We felt the nature of the room and its audience leant itself well to the topic.

Joined by MTV’s Jay Osterman and Erika Soto Lamb, and with the assistance of Sarah Hill of Healium, Christie St. Martin of Queens Gaming Collective (QGC), and Dr. Raffael Boccamazzo ("Dr. B") of Take This, we started our discussion with a basic and long-debated question:

Does gaming help or hurt mental health?

The answer is complex and far from clean-cut. Over the ensuing two and a half hours, our panel of moderators, special guests, and audience members shared anecdotes, references and perspectives. The personal experiences shared were powerful, and in typical Clubhouse fashion, special appearances enriched the stage. FaZe Clan’s CEO Lee Trink and entrepreneurs Jin Yu (aka WolfxLion) and Kim Dotcom were among the many to provide heartfelt insight on the topic and its relevance to themselves as well as their organizations.

In outlining QGC’s Mental Health Action Day program, Christie drew some key distinctions between internal and external factors influencing mental health for gamers, the importance of being a better ally, and maintaining awareness of the symptoms of burnout and the effects of microaggressions. Dr. B’s EVOO framework (Empathize, Validate, Offer and Options, not extra-virgin olive oil) provided an effective framework to discuss detection, support, and courses of action. And at a time when “self-awareness” and “self-medication” are often tied together, Sarah not only drew some clear distinctions, but introduced existing and emerging non-medical treatment alternatives such as digiceuticals.

We discussed studies tying mental well-being to physical nutrition and digital nutrition, and how gaming has not only changed, but in many cases saved people’s lives.

Throughout the evening, our panel referenced a multitude of resources available to learn more, and rather than have that knowledge lost as an afterthought from an unrecorded Clubhouse room, here are just some of the major ones discussed: 

• MentalHealthisHealth.us  (tools from Active Minds, The Trevor Project, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, NAMI and Headspace, among others)
• Center for Suicide Awareness (helpful resources and specialists)
• Take This' community resources (a wealth of resources from an organization which specializes in gaming and digital-based mental well-being)
• Understanding Digiceuticals (some resources on VRceuticals and ARceuticals and immersive media research through Healium’s science page)
• Psycheist (Dr. Rachel Kowert's YouTube channel)
• Getting Gamers (a book addressing the psychology of video games)
• The Video Game Debate  (unravelling the physical, social, and psychological effects of video games)
• The Video Game Debate 2  (overview of the primary debates about the effects of video games expanding from the original book)
• Moral Combat (a look at the war on violent video games and why the concern may be misplaced)
• Meet The Creators (a Mental Health Action Discord event sponsored by thegameHers
• Nutritional Psychiatry (a Medical News Today discussion of the ties between nutrition and mental health)
• Mind Games  (a Microsoft feature by medical professionals looking at the positive role gaming can play in addressing mental health)
• Managing Gamer Health  (a study into esports athletes’ physical and mental health)
• Mental Strength in Esports  (discussion of gaming addition as well as the mental benefits from video games)
• Oxford Academics Study (research based on playing time data correlating to improved well-being)
• Video Games and Mental Health  (a debate based on research studies over the positive and negative effects of gaming)
• Mental Health and Education in Esports  (industry experts look at both mental health and education benefits through gaming)
• Video Games Lower Depression Risk  (a study linking gaming to lowering the likelihood of depression among boys)

We would like to thank the MTV Entertainment Group (and in particular, Erika and Jay for joining us) for their support of The Esports Club and our discussion of Mental Health in Gaming. To learn more about Mental Health Action Day and the additional resources available from participating organizations, click on the banner below or go to www.MentalHealthActionDay.org

In addition to our guest moderators, I would also like to thank my Esports Club co-moderators Matt Gunnin, Jonah Blake, Felix LaHaye, Rebecca Longawa, Rebecca Dixon, Ira Rothken, Tatiana Tacca, and Neal Tilley, as well as the many other members of the Esports 101 “mod squad” for their continued time and support each week. We all have busy lives, but there is nothing more rewarding than helping people to learn and move forward. 

Most of all, I’d like to thank everyone who joined the room, shared their stories, asked questions, and/or filled my IG and inboxes with feedback, follow-up, and support. We look forward to doing many more rooms in the future.

Stay aware, stay active, and keep gaming!