Findings From Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis by Ruderman Family Foundation

Findings From Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis Information for Nongamers

December 2023

Introduction The Ruderman Family Foundation The Ruderman Family Foundation is an internationally recognized organization that works to end the stigma associated with mental health. The Foundation does this by identifying gaps in mental health resources and programs within the high school and higher education communities as well as by organizing other local and national programming and initiatives that raise greater awareness around the stigma. The Ruderman Family Foundation believes that inclusion and understanding of all people is essential to a fair and ﬂourishing community and imposes these values within its leadership and funding. For more information, please visit www.rudermanfoundation.org

The Public Good Projects PGP (The Public Good Projects) is a public health nonproﬁt specializing in large-scale media monitoring programs, social and behavior change interventions, and cross-sector initiatives. PGP applies the best evidence and practices from the public and private sectors to create bold projects for health. PGP’s programs and initiatives are evidence-based, tailored for particular populations, employ a collective impact model, and are scientiﬁcally evaluated. For more information please visit www.publicgoodprojects.org

Background In 2023, the Ruderman Family Foundation commissioned The Public Good Projects (PGP) to study the role that gaming plays in the mental health of youth and young adult gamers. We undertook a multi-phased investigation and findings were compiled in the report Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis: A Guide for Stakeholders to Support the Mental Well-Being of Youth and Young Adult Gamers. This presentation focuses on the findings specifically relevant to nongamers, including trusted peers and adults, who form a crucial support system in the lives of today's youth and young adults.

Slides will be shared with all registrants following the webinar.

To access the full report visit: https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_pap ers/harnessing-the-power-of-gaming-to-co mbat-the-youth-mental-health-crisis/

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Methods Key Informant Interviews: ●

Between June - August 2023, we conducted 22 interviews

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10 interviews were conducted with gaming professionals

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12 interviews were conducted with youth and young adult gamers (13-30 years old)

Reddit Data Analysis: ●

We analyzed 200 Reddit posts related to worsening mental health and gaming

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Posts were categorized into themes such as “The need for trigger warnings,” “Performance anxiety,” and “Effects on relationships”

Recruitment of Gaming Professionals Professionals were recruited through purposive sampling to ensure our interviewees represented a wide range of viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds.

What is gaming? The gaming world is vast and encompasses a wide array of ages, interests, and activities. Gaming is a rapidly evolving industry with opportunities for careers and community building.

GAMING The activity of playing video or electronic games using a console, phone, computer, or other device.

GAMER People who play single-player, multiplayer cooperative, or competitive games, and those who watch games.

ESPORTS A form of gaming that is competitive, has set rules, and is organized by a rule-enforcing body.

Reframing Misconceptions Understanding why gamers play

“If [gamers] were in the garage playing guitar this much, and then they got excited about something they put together in the song they're writing with their friends, and they wanted to share that with you, would you shut them down and remind them how uninteresting that is and how it's a waste of time?’”

Gaming Is Just Another Hobby

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann (@DrGameology), Associate Professor at Grand Canyon University

“There's such a double standard with gaming/gamers. It's ﬁne for a nongamer to come home from work and plop down for an evening of TV shows or movies. Gaming is my TV shows/movies. I like watching that stuff but I get bored after an hour or two and want to do something more stimulating. People view gaming as either kid stuff or lazy people stuff. Meanwhile, they'll binge watch a whole season of some show.” Reddit User

Why Gamers Play

Mood Regulation

“When we locked everybody in their houses for two years they really needed some social connection. And cohesion and playing online together became a way for a lot of people to deal with some of the loneliness, panic, and anxiety that was being caused by [COVID-19].” Dr. Andrew Phelps, Professor & Director of the American University Game Center

“Whatever it is that somebody is seeking, is the kind of game they're going to go ﬁnd. If they're bored, they're going to seek a more action and adventure type of game. If they're overwhelmed, they're going to seek more cozy games where everything's calm. If their life is chaotic, they're going to try and ﬁnd a game where they can have a lot of control. If their real life is incredibly controlling, they're probably going to go to games that have more escapist, free-form expression.” Dr. Kelli Dunlap, Community Director at Take This and a video game psychologist and game designer

Why Gamers Play

“I felt really good about completing the Pokemon game because I didn’t know I was the person who could do things. It's the same as completing a project… It's that feeling that really boosts your conﬁdence in yourself and it makes you feel good knowing you did something.” Alyssa, 15-year-old gamer

Skill Development

“You go hiking, you go climbing. Stuff is just fun to do. Now, it would not be crazy to compare that experience to gaming because you kind of do the same thing. You discover something new, you learn something, and you become more of an apt character. Collin, 29-year-old gamer

“I've never seen anything like it. Kids fail, and fail, and fail, and what do they keep doing... they keep getting up, and they keep trying again.” Dr. Kristy Custer, President of Educational Innovation for Generation Esports

Why Gamers Play

“If I didn't have video games as that outlet, I wouldn't have all of the friends or the relationships that I have today.” Max, 21-year-old gamer

Social Connection

“It's a very diverse demographic that plays video games. You got your goth kids, with your jock kids, with your popular kids, and your unpopular kids. Everybody ﬁts in when it comes to video games.” Dr. Kristy Custer, President of Educational Innovation for Generation Esports

“I had a lot of fun playing with groups I found on Reddit/Discord, though I mostly play with my irl friends. Some games have great communities, and you can actually make friends that way.” Reddit User

Supporting Healthy Gaming Habits Tips and Resources

Supporting Healthy Gaming Habits: Setting Boundaries

“I learned young. It was a big thing when my13 parents were around. They were kind of like, ‘Hey, like you've been playing for too long. You've been sitting at the screen for hours. Go walk.’” Annie, 22-year-old gamer

● Enforce the amount of time spent playing ● Keep devices out of the bedroom, if possible ● Keep school and play devices separate, if possible ● Use parental controls to block certain features in the game ● Help gamers reﬂect on how a certain game makes them feel

“Parents think their kid is lonely and sad, and, ‘Oh, it must be the games he's playing 20 hours a week.’ It must be the games that you take away. What you could actually be taking away is the tool that they were using to mitigate the underlying depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and whatever else that they may struggle with.” Dr. Rachel Kowert, Research Director of Take This

“How do you have a conversation that's not ﬁghting with them? If they feel like you're coming in with an agenda, they're going to get defensive, and they're going to want to shut the door. They're going to shut down.” Dr. Hannah Dam, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Healthy Gamer

Supporting Healthy Gaming Habits: Online Safety Vet Games ● Play the game ● Use the resources on the following slide Prevent Toxicity ● Talk to gamers about the repercussions of words and actions ● Teach gamers how to report or block other accounts ● Set up private servers, if possible

“I would say what families can do is play together. I think, a lot of the issues and problems that we have are because either kids, teams, or whomever is playing games, and parents have absolutely no idea what they're doing. They don't understand the games they're playing because they've never played them.” Dr. Andrew Phelps, Professor & Director of the American University Game Center

“For me it's a positive experience. If there’s really annoying people, I usually just cut them out and like mute them.” Stanley, 22-year-old-gamer

“With my 6 year old, I can set up a private Minecraft server for him and his friends. That makes it a walled garden where there is safety, it is tended, and it is minded. And hopefully in those spaces you teach those kinds of morals and online cyber ethics.” Dr. Kelli Dunlap, Community Director at Take This and a video game psychologist and game designer

Tools and Resources to Learn More About Gaming ●

Information provided by the gaming publisher, such as the included content warning labels, advertisements, and descriptions

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Entertainment Software Rating Board ○ Family Gaming Guide: General information on how to select appropriate games, establish household rules, set up child account and parental controls, playing multiplayer games online, manage screen time, and privacy tips ○ Ratings Guide: Information on how to understand rating categories, content descriptors, interactive elements, and rating summaries of speciﬁc video games. They also have a mobile application where you can access ratings on the go.

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InternetMatters.org: A compilation of several resources including how-to guides, advice, and other helpful websites about gaming

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Common Sense Media: Guides, reviews, and analyses age-appropriateness of different media, including games, movies, TV shows, apps, etc. for parents

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Social media platforms: can help you stay up to date on current events, connect with other nongamers, and watch or read reviews

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Media outlets dedicated to gaming, such as: Destructoid, IGN, and Game Spot

Key Takeaways for Nongamers Reframe Misconceptions About Gaming

Support Healthy Gaming Habits By Setting Boundaries

Support Healthy Gaming Habits By Promoting Online Safety

Recommendations for Gaming Companies

“I'll ﬁnd accounts that have harassed us, and they've been on Discord for four years. They're saying the F. word, they're dropping explicit images, and Discord doesn't do anything about it. We make the reports. Nothing happens.”

● Acknowledge and prioritize mental health

Raymond Lancione, CEO of Qweerty Gamers

● Create and share resources

“Players are stakeholder[s] by participating in these games. Gaming companies should bring more people on board, especially people with mental health issues, to focus on the user experience and make it accommodating to everybody.”

● Create a standardized warning system ● Prevent toxicity ● Adequately address toxicity after it occurs ● Invest in strategic partnerships with researchers and mental health professionals, school and parents organizations, and gamers

Ryan, 23-year-old gamer

“The silos need to break down because right now, research is over here and game developers are over there, and mental health professionals are going, ‘Well, I can't hear either of you.’ They're very segregated spaces, and they speak really different languages.” Dr. Kelli Dunlap, Community Director at Take This and a video game psychologist and game designer

Recommendations For Gamers ● Practice healthy gaming habits ● Prevent toxicity by understanding what toxicity means and avoiding being the source of it ● Address toxicity by speaking up when something toxic is said, reporting toxic players, or by supporting the victims of toxicity

“If you played the game for 3 hours, but you didn't have fun the entire time and just came out of it angry, it wasn’t the escape it was supposed to be and that's something you need to talk about, or at least reﬂect on.” Max, 21-year-old gamer

“For esports in general, we're pushing to go outside of practice and get a lift in. Go take a walk if it's the winter time. Go study. Do anything but sit at the computer and play the game you compete in.” AJ Hammond, Head Coach of Esports at the University of Mount Union

“I started playing games when I was 6, I like to stick to single player games otherwise I will get burned out. When I do get burned out, I take a break for a few days, do other hobbies, go outside, maybe go game hunting for a while. That'll reset and refresh your brain and you'll be ready to go again.” Reddit User

Thank you!

Sierra Smith Research Associate Sierra.Smith@publicgoodprojects.org

To read the full report visit:

MaryJane (MJ) Karp, MPH Media Monitoring Analyst MJ.Karp@publicgoodprojects.org

https://rudermanfoundation.org/white_pape rs/harnessing-the-power-of-gaming-to-comb at-the-youth-mental-health-crisis/

Melissa Dunn Silesky, MPH Associate Director of Research and Evaluation Melissa.Silesky@publicgoodprojects.org

Or scan the QR code below:

Erika Bonnevie, MA Director of Research Erika.Bonnevie@publicgoodprojects.org Michelle Zeitler Program Ofﬁcer

Michelle@rudermanfoundation.org