No matter who you are or what you do in your life day to day, you deserve to have a chance to escape it, even if it’s temporary. For a lot of people, their escape from the daily grind and routine is vacations or doing something special on weekends. But what about the weekdays? What if you’re strapped for both time and cash? What if you prefer to stay at home anyway? Well, one of the best forms of escapism isn’t just books or shows, but it’s video games.
While some critics may view gaming as a mere distraction, it's essential to recognize that escapism through video games can actually be a positive and beneficial experience. Everyone has their own ways of escaping their troubles and escaping the dullness of a day-to-day routine has. Whether it’s college stress, your work, your family, or anything else, you deserve to get that escape. So, here’s exactly why video games are a pretty healthy retreat into escapism.
It’s a Source of Major Relaxation
Every video game is different, just like every gamer is different. Some people take a lot of pleasure from just playing stress-inducing games, while others prefer something softer like a slice of life, and of course, there are those who are in the middle where they want something stimulating, exciting, but not stress inducing, kind of like Minesweeper. For the most part, games are meant to do just that: challenge you, stimulate you, and relax you. It’s a safe environment where you can go to destress for the day and have some fun. In a way, this immersive experience can help you recharge your mind.It Helps Build a Connection
Before online multiplayer games were even a thing, video games used to be solitary, but now you can talk to people from all over the world. Sure, some game communities are toxic, not all, but there are some. But taking these few toxic examples out of account, there’s an opportunity to build connections like friendship or even love with other players. A lot of video games have a tight-knit community, so during that escapism, you don’t even have to feel as if you’re alone.There’s That Feeling of Achievement
If you’re going to escape into something, doesn’t feel nice to also have that feeling that you achieved something too? Reaching milestones, completing challenges, and achieving in-game goals can boost self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. In a way, when it comes to video games, you are setting up personal achievements; maybe it’s completing a certain amount of objectives, getting a rare item, or as simple as trying to defeat an in-game boss.But that achievement you’re going to feel has such a major impact on your self-esteem, you’re going to feel productive, you’re going to feel great, and you’re going to feel positive feelings in general that escapism usually doesn’t bring.