Games & Hobbies: Benefits of Taking Time to Have Fun!
“A game is a problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude.” (Jesse Schell)
We’re always looking for new and interesting ways to help manage stress, and this time, we’ve got a fun one. In previous articles, we’ve talked about the benefits of laughter and creativity, and we’re going to smash those two topics together, increase our inspiration, and have some fun. Let’s talk about how games and hobbies help our mental health!
The first purpose of a game or hobby is, of course, entertainment. We play games for the express purpose of having a good time, and that helps our brains produce the chemicals that help us fight depression and anxiety. While there are solitary games, most games require multiple players, which prevents isolation and builds communities. Games and hobbies go hand in hand; games are competitive or cooperative activities, while hobbies are usually more solitary creative pursuits. These are, of course, very broad generalizations; hobbies can be group efforts as well, but even then, such collaborations are the combination of multiple “personal” contributions. For our purposes, we’re going to use the term “Game” to mean a structured, entertaining activity, performed with other people, and “Hobby” to cover any creative endeavor specifically performed to relieve one’s own stress.
Games can have a TON of benefits, especially when undertaken with purpose and thoughtfulness. Board games, miniature games, tabletop roleplaying games, and even video games can be used as tools for us to reprogram our brains and thought processes, set new goals, and build helpful communities around something we enjoy. Some of these games have hobbies almost built into them and can encourage learning a new skill, like miniature painting or model building. Games that require more interpersonal play, such as group board games or tabletop roleplaying games, help us hone social skills and connect us to a wider community of players.
There is an increasing number of games, both online and offline, that are used to teach educational concepts to children, as well as adults. Researchers realize that learning is more effective if it is fun. Think about the tons of trivia that so many people have learned in their lifetime due to one single game! Think of the math skills that have been developed for years with games like dominoes or forty-two. Think about the friendships that have been built by ‘game nights’ at churches or community halls or in homes.
Families grow stronger when playing games together, and many families use the holidays or a ‘family night’ to encourage that investment in their family. It can be a time of relation and laughter, teaching, encouragement, and skill learning.
It motivates a person to be able to take risks they might not otherwise take. The only harm is losing the game, and if there are no financial or other risks involved, it is important to teach and understand that some risks have costs and may prove worthwhile, while others are costly. This is a valuable concept to teach children and to learn for ourselves.
Games strengthen cognitive skills, such as reasoning, memory, perception, and spatial navigation.
That’s the reason teachers often use games in their classrooms. Children who are engaged in activities they enjoy learn more and have more fun as they learn. It increases student participation and helps increase social and emotional learning. When children are engaged in learning, teachers enjoy a less chaotic classroom while a higher level of thinking skills are being developed by their students. Every school has a drama department that is actually role-playing and becoming a different character temporarily. Teachers know that specific games help children to raise math, literacy and science testing scores and boost overall academic scores. Games teach teamwork, critical thinking, and decision-making, much like sports do. Games teach children to participate with each other, learn rules of expectations, and help with literacy and language learning. Games can even teach physical skills or hand-to-eye coordination, such as learning skills like fine-tuned surgery or preventing a tower of wooden blocks from falling:)
It’s also the reason many churches and retirement centers have game nights. It builds community, increases movement and activity for those aging who may be limited in other types of physical movement, helps people laugh together, play as teams together, and have a change of pace in what might otherwise be a somewhat limited, or even boring, daily existence. Games and hobbies keep our minds alert, improve memory and critical thinking, and help us solve problems.
Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs, for short) have recently seen a huge surge in popularity. While Dungeons and Dragons is the biggest name, there are thousands of games, and some might be more suited to the experience you want than others. Parents should also research and review any game, whether TTRPGs or online, that their children express interest in playing. Some games are great; others are not, and it is important to be selective, just as we would be when making any other type of decision for ourselves or our children.
TTRPGs are a form of collaborative storytelling, rather than a competitive game with a clear winner or loser; the goal is not to “win,” but simply to have a good time creating memorable stories with the help of a group of people and some random number generators. For kids and adolescents, TTRPGs can help develop and expand social skills, introduce lateral thinking and new problem-solving skills, and increase a sense of empathy by encouraging them to step into the “role” of someone different than themselves. TTRPGs can be a healthy way to explore what makes a character tick, and, if done with cognizance and awareness, learn more about the ideals and social mores that we as people aspire to achieve.
On the therapeutic level, TTRPGs can help socially awkward or withdrawn kids flourish. The act of playing pretend with other people who want to play pretend takes away the usual social expectation of shame that comes with such a stereotypically “childish” past-time; nobody can make fun of you for being a nerd if you’re surrounded by other nerds, and TTRPG groups can become lifelong sets of friends if the relationships formed are maintained. Consider the success of Star War Conventions, and you will begin to understand how much “community” means, even if your community may be different than the bridge game group on Tuesday nights, the Bingo games at the community center, or the group that gathers for cruise ship events. In these games, the players share in successes and achievements, and if a player is emotionally invested, the rush of endorphins when a dice roll goes your way causes an entire group to stand at the table and cheer. For adults, TTRPGs encourage you to shake up the way you approach problems, and communicate with others, and allow you to create a space in which you can be a little childish and silly… and you might not even know how much you have missed playing pretend. For everyone, regardless of age or experience, TTRPGs can provide a “low-stakes” place, where failure doesn’t mean the end of the world, the loss of a job, or the breaking of a relationship. They remind us that we can always pick ourselves up and start again, even if we have to create a new character.
Role-playing games (RPGs) are often used in psychotherapy, offering a new approach that meets the needs of patients who may have been resistant to therapy previously. Psychodrama, Group Dynamic Therapeutic Groups, and TRPG (Tabletop Role-playing Game Therapy) have grown in popularity. These therapeutic methods were used more frequently during the pandemic period but proved so effective that they have continued to increase as a resource for effective therapy. Author, Daniel Hand, in the book “Role-Playing Games in Psychotherapy: A Practitioner’s Guide,” gives therapists ideas and insights into incorporating role-playing into sessions and to meet the needs of specific ages and groups of clients.
TTRPGs are also one of the “hobby-adjacent” sets of games mentioned above. It’s common for players in a captivating TTRPG group to make art of their individual characters, or paint miniature figures to represent them. Recently widespread technologies, such as 3D printing, mean that there are few limits to the amount of artistic creativity that can be invested into the game. The cost of entry is typically low to start TTRPGs, as little as the cost of a piece of paper and a pencil, but if you want to invest more time and money into them, they will gladly allow you to do so. Like most other artistic endeavors, supplies can get pricey, so be careful not to overextend, but adding regimented, practiced activities, such as miniature painting or digital art, can bring a whole new set of rewards. All choices have pros and cons, and in games or hobbies, as well as life, we must weigh them.
Playing games or having a hobby can be challenging to the mind, fun, artistic, family-building, stress-reducing, and inspiring, but some can also be detrimental, and it’s wise to set some limits, such as:
Time resources: Does the game or hobby steal time needed for work responsibilities or care of family or home? Are we enjoying games while the laundry is piling up in the foyer, the grass has grown three feet tall in the front yard, or we’re shipping an important parent-teacher conference to finish a video game?
Financial: Does the game or hobby require financial resources to be spent that are needed for self or family care? If so, don’t play that game; choose another one that doesn’t negatively impact you or your family. If a hobby you have has overtaken the garage, causes you to binge-buy calico fabric or paint, or means you store tons of supplies in the space where your daughter used to have a room, it may be time to rethink your involvement with that game or hobby.
Is the game addictive or leading to compulsive issues or depression? If so, avoid those games completely. Some people can play poker and never become addicted, may even play with toothpicks or plastic poker chips that have no actual monetary value, while others go heavily into debt, gambling away hard-earned money that they or their family need to survive. Gambling addictions become compulsive disorders and require counseling and long-term mental health support. That makes the game no longer one of fun. Instead of producing endorphins, it creates stress and anxiety. Some argue that video games isolate people who already have a tendency toward isolation. (See Psych Central article below) while others argue video games create a support community for those otherwise disenfranchised. You decide.
Does the game, hobby, or sport increase anger or agitation? Does the game inspire competition and winning at all costs, even if it means cheating, violence, expressions of hatred, or other dangerous outcomes? Avoid these games, hobbies, or activities immediately, as they impact mental health and are harmful.
There is always a game going on, somewhere. Online spaces for TTRPGs and other games are more prevalent than ever before, so even if there isn’t a community local to you (yet… you can always start one), there is still a community. Be careful, be safe, and do a little bit of googling, ask friends and family about games and hobbies they enjoy, and you’ll be able to find a group for beginners that can teach you the ropes of whatever game you want to play. Same for hobbies; there are thousands of hours of tutorials online, and a community ready to provide advice and assistance.
Play games and have hobbies that are fun and enjoyable to you, with fun people you would enjoy knowing or who you already know and enjoy being around. Play games that enrich your life and watch your mood improve!
For further reading, check out these articles and blogs!
Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy Research: Use of TTRPS in Therapy
WIRED Magazine: Therapists Using TTRPS
Harrisburg University Study: Tabletop games reduce anxiety
National Library of Medicine: Role-playing Games for Mental Health
Adventures to Authenticity: Rethinking Games
Psyche Central: Video Games and Behaviors
”Just play. Enjoy the game. Have fun.” (Michael Jordan)
“Our whole life is solving problems” (Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubix Cube)
“Life is like a video game. You never know what exciting things are on the next level, hidden in the pathway waiting to be picked up, or the superpowers you can collect to become stronger.” (Unknown)
“I counsel those addressing mental health or family issues, which carry a diagnosis, and insurance covers, as a Texas licensed counselor (LPC), social worker (LCSW), and a marriage and family therapist (LMFT).
I am also a certified Life Coach and work with clients worldwide to attain personal or work-related goals. For Counseling, click here. For coaching, contact my offices at 210-970-1511 for information or for scheduling Life Coaching appointments.” -Clifton Fuller
Read: “The Difference between Counseling and Life Coaching” Here.
Order “The Marriage Vampire” (from Amazon. Re: Narcissistic personalities.)
For more information about Clifton Fuller’s experience, click here.
For more information about services provided, click here.
Clifton Fuller
LCSW, LPC, LMFT
