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By Olivia Zarboni with Chaos Creative
As a media student in college, I attended a class where one of my professors opened a
dialogue about the effects of gaming on boys and men. We discussed how gaming
contributes to an increase in violent thinking patterns, which may, in turn, translate into
violent behaviors. There was this inherent assumption of the causality between gaming as a
whole and aggressive behavior.
Now that I am out of school, the more I learn about gaming and esports, the more I realize
that this assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
In 2020, The American Psychology Association reaffirmed its stance that there
is not enough scientific evidence to demonstrate a causal relationship between violent
video games and violent behavior.
A Fortune article published in 2023 summarizing the research of Stanford’s Brainstorm
LabStanford outlines that there is no evidence of a correlation between playing video
games and actual gun violence in real life. It goes further to say, “Clinical medicine
must view the video game industry as an ally and a source of effective activism and novel
treatments. ... The public needs to understand that video games do not cause violence, can
substantially lower stigma and barriers to access, and hold the potential to inject wellness
into our everyday lives.”
Jamie Kaplan has been a Recreation Therapist for 26 years and currently works at the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital (VA) in Tampa, Florida. Kaplan completed his Masters in Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering and is a subject matter expert on virtual reality and adaptive gaming. He and his colleagues at the VA hospital aim to make gaming for veterans more accessible and progressive.
We know that some games can be incredibly violent, from realistic First Person Shooters to
the gratuitous fatalities of Mortal Kombat. Indeed, it could be harmful to veterans with
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to play these games. However, Kaplan explained that
instances where gaming negatively affected his patients were few and far between. “Many
veterans will not participate in games they know will be triggering,” said Kaplan.
Gaming For Veterans Saves Lives
He and his colleagues introduced family-friendly games to their patients, which Kaplan
defines as games without apparent violence (the kind you would let a 10-year-old play) or
those with a stylized animation rather than being hyper-realistic in an attempt to study the
general barriers, potential triggering effects, as well as the potential for positive outcomes
of gaming.
(Ret.) Technical Sergeant Douglas Jones describes gaming as something that “literally saved
his life.” Enlisting in the U.S. Military in July 2001, he spent most of his career supporting
the Army as a meteorologist for the Air Force before retiring in 2022. He started gaming in
his early teens and is now the League Coordinator for the Armed Forces Dungeon League
(AFDL) – a cross-community esports program for international military community
members. TSgt Jones is open about his PTSD and has first-hand experience of how gaming
has benefited his life after returning from war.
Essentially, gaming “helps you survive,” said Jones. He has made lifelong friends through
gaming tournaments and challenges, including his best friend. He describes gaming as a
form of stress relief through escapism, immersion into a different world, and a distraction
from the stressors of everyday life. Online gaming provides a non-judgmental space where
veterans can return to being a part of a team. Through multiplayer games, they can build
new friendships, foster camaraderie, and combat feelings of isolation. The friendships built
through this shared gaming experience create a sense of trust and, in some cases, can
mean life or death. “[Gaming] has been a huge part that pushed me back from the edge of
that cliff,” said Jones.
Mental health benefits aren't the only ones that come from exposure to gaming. I asked
Kaplan if his team had noticed any specific cognitive improvements in his patients due to
gaming, and he shared a story worth retelling. “I once worked with a patient suffering from
a traumatic brain injury who couldn't even remember the day before; he had
problem-solving issues and memory issues caused by PTSD. When he started gaming, he
told me how his memories slowly started to return,” told Kaplan. Memorizing the game
patterns helped Kaplan’s patient build his memory back over time in a comfortable,
low-pressure way supported by those around him.
With these potential benefits, it’s no wonder VSOs like the VA, Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW), and American Legion are all building gaming programs. Most gaming communities
catered to veterans offer support groups, forums, and events tailored to their needs. The
VA is ramping up outreach to gaming-focused military communities, like the AFDL, Warrior
GMR, and Regiment Gaming. Kaplan works to place suicide prevention counselors in these
community discords (a social networking app for gamers, where every community has its
own hub) for extra support. The key to making gaming for veterans as beneficial as
possible, Kaplan said, is to have resources readily available and to never put a veteran in a
position that is out of their comfort zone.
Kaplan and Jones have first-hand knowledge and experience of how gaming has transformed the lives of veterans who have returned home from war feeling aimless, lonely, and defeated. I hope you, like me, can now see the benefits of gaming and gain a new
appreciation and perspective on why gaming is growing in the military community.
“Veterans out there, don’t be afraid to try it out, join these growing organizations, and find
those new friends and people to interact with. We’ll all be able to help in one way or
another.” – Tsgt Jones.
Thanks for reading.
Chaos Creative is an esports event management agency working with international military
organizations to develop programs and drive awareness of the benefits gaming can provide to the military community.
Learn more about the Armed Forces Dungeon League and the different military organizations that participate here.
APA Reference: The American Psychology Association
Fortune Reference: A Fortune article
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