+ ways to balance time in-game and AFK
+ how to bounce back from tilt while gaming
+ helping a gamer who may be struggling
Play a few hours.
Get 7 hours of sleep.
Target daily physical activity.
Aim for healthful eating.
Gaming supports our wellness, social connection, and creativity.
Similarly, healthy gaming is all about maintaining balance and priorities between games and other elements of our lives.
Interested in taking action to help create supportive gaming communities? Start by building appropriate connections outside the game.
In-game or out, above all the best thing you can do for someone that is struggling is simple: be there and show them you care.
“It’s not that bad.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Move on.”
“Just uninstall.”
I believe you.
Is it just a bad day?
More than a bad day?
Is it an urgent crisis?
It may seem challenging to figure out if what a gamer is going through is more serious than a bad day. But paying attention to playing styles and watching for warning signs can give you the skills and confidence to speak up before a bad day becomes a crisis.
When I have a tough game, I like to reset by playing something silly with my friends (Ultimate Bravery, Star Guardian, KDA themed comps) or I reflect on my collection of very cute Little Legends.
Instead of jumping into another game immediately after a loss, I usually watch some streams to get inspired and maybe even cool down with a game of TFT.
I play games with my 3y/o son. His fascination and delight when discovering new things is contagious and I find myself giggling and uplifted in no time.
To recover from losses and to de-stress in general, I like to be physically active. One of my favorite things to do is rock climbing.
I take a quick break to play with my dogs to reset after a bad loss!
I make sure to prioritize myself and my needs, especially when it comes to alone time.
Grinding out the game is just what I love to do - I’m very simple and even through losses, the best way for me to recover is to order comfort food and play more solo queue.
I go for a walk or listen to music to help calm any built-up anxiety before jumping back into the game.
I recover mentally by looking at the game from a neutral point of view. If I can learn something from the loss and can prevent it from happening in the future, it doesn't feel like a total loss.
I stop playing for awhile to do something easy and mindless like doing a puzzle or diamond painting. Once I feel good about the progress I have made, I get back into the game with a refreshed mindset.
I am a huge hip hop head, so I just put on whatever album I have on repeat and just vibe out.
I like to walk to my favorite coffee shop for a drink or a snack. It's amazing what some Vitamin D and fresh air can do to reset your mental state.
Laughter is the best medicine and so I turn on a rerun of Friends and just laugh it out.
I step away from the computer to go watch a movie with my roommates. This always helps me get out of the funk of losing and gets me excited to play again.
After a loss I take a breather, rally the troops, and try again!
I try to look for key learnings, so I can focus on goals and improvement instead of the loss. Losing is natural in sports, everyone loses once in a while. The best of the best are able to recover, keep fighting and learn from the losses.
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.