There are several ways to ease stress and that includes playing games as a cheap form of entertainment at home. If you enjoy playing games, then you are allowing yourself to have an effective stress reliever that provides immediate comfort.
Truly, what works for one person might not work for another. Some may consider meditation, sports or exercise rather than playing games. But whatever way it might be, you are doing yourself a huge favor for prioritizing your well being.
This pandemic takes toll in our emotional and mental health, and had devastating impact even for young children. As we all have limited activities, kids nowadays turn to playing computer games or keeping it busy with their gadgets. Similar to a lot of aspects, the key is moderation. Parents should place limits of time spent on screen. We also need to constantly remind them (including ourselves!) to take a break and follow the 20-20-20 rule, that is, “rest your eyes for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away” to avoid eye strain”.
Surprisingly, there are known benefits of playing games which includes:
- Healthy brain stimulation
- Development of problem-solving skills
- Stress relief
Again, stress relief! At this time, due to changes and restricted activities, let us allow ourselves to off load those negative emotions and fatigue by playing games. Our whole family actually, are into gaming as our way to de-stress. A few rounds of our favorite games can make us feel competence and relaxed, yet everything must be done in moderation. Playing games shouldn’t interfere with academics, work, household chores and physical activities.
When it comes to game type, I like simple ones like mind and word games. I also like similar to Bomber Man and Super Mario which takes me back to childhood and provides a nostalgic vibe while husband likes playing “Mobile Legends” with his friends. My 3rd grader loves playing war games, the likes of Kingdom Defense game, and yes, Plants vs. Zombies and works really hard to pass the levels.
On the other hand, my 8th grader prefers challenging and relaxing game. It’s different with my growing teen, he stayed on his own room and spend time alone enjoying his privacy.
When asked to describe what’s his kind of game, he then enumerated and described the following games that he’s playing for FREE at plays.org:
(NOTE: game review on his own words, unedited)
1. Minigolf World Mini Golf Game has very straightforward and easy controls and beautiful graphics and animation. It is unique because it has expansive course and you get to experience the terrain like nearby woods, lakes, and trees. It sets the mood for relaxation. and the back ground music is helping make things more relaxing.
You must exert a lot of force while figuring out the best angle. If you want to make a shot again, you can press the redo circle button on the upper right of the screen. This game is challenging but relaxing. One of the most challenging aspects of the game is getting your ball on higher ground. It needs a lot of trials and error and patience.
2. 2 Minutes to Escape Game. This is timed Scrolling platform. The game has a nice Retro Pixels vibe and the controls are pretty easy. The tutorial does a pretty nice way of explaining and gives you all the things you need to know to finish a level. The game is very difficult and challenging and it needs a lot of focus, timing and patience. It is fun because of that and I’ll definitely replay this game if I have some extra levels i need to perfect. The game is original and the design is pleasing to the eyes and very basic and you need to escape the ship in 120 as the name says it. It’s very important to define your strategy to get your character to the exits on the dot. Expect to play through the entire course several times before you clear the base in two minutes.
3. 8 Bit Dungeon Knight Game. While this game resembles classic role-playing games (RPGs), it is actually a puzzle game. Adding to the RPG flavor of this puzzle game is the presence of power-ups. You need this power-ups to defeat powerful enemies the hero needs to take these power ups to bolster their attack. The game is not that difficult it just needs patience and thinking and strategy which makes the game really fun. The layout of the level and the design is nice and basic the background music really gives out the dungeon vibe and the sound effects feels really satisfying. But playing the game too much and speed running it can really make you tired because when you try to walk you can’t hold the move button and you have to press it multiple times and since the layout is kinda big it can really be tiring sometimes. You just need a couple of breaks while playing the game.
That goes our conversation now, it’s mostly about games as he spent most of his time on it. I can tell that those games can inspire the kids to be more persistent and to keep on trying. Playing games can teach them to learn from their mistakes as they make progress to reach their goal. Those missteps was somehow considered a learning opportunity to work towards their goal and be more confident in achieving it.
Studies have shown that playing games regularly may boost brain connectivity, memory, perception, and spatial navigation. Gamers are more likely to have good social skills and can build better relationships with others due to social and collaborative fundamentals to some types of games.
So yeah, playing games can truly provide concrete benefits in real life. 🙂
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