In the ZDF report, host Lisa Budzinski talks to different people about personal experiences and research – including Annika from GamePro. (Image copyright: ZDF / Screenshot: ZDF Mediathek Terra Xplore – How important is gaming for your psyche?)
Fortunately, the public discourse about video games has changed in recent years. Instead of generally classifying gaming as harmful to young people or an “unhealthy alternative” to exercise in the fresh air, the positive aspects of gaming are now also highlighted and valued.
This is also the case in a current episode of ZDF's Terra Xplore format. The article asks the question “How important is gaming for your psyche?” Not only people from research answer this, but also our GamePro colleague Annika. She shares her very personal experiences from her everyday life.
GamePro guest post
This article originally appeared on our website Sister site GamePro on November 18, 2024. We publish it with the kind permission of colleagues.
ZDF contribution on the topic of “Gaming and Psyche”
- Format and episode: Terra Xplore: How important is gaming for your psyche?
- Where can you see the post? Right in the ZDF media library or on that Terra Xplore YouTube-Channel
- Long: 26 minutes
Link to YouTube content
In the article, host Lisa Budzinski talks to different people, including colleague Annika, who reveals what games mean to her.
She lives with dermatillomania (also called skin picking disorder), an impulse control disorder in which those affected feel the constant urge to manipulate their skin: for example by scratching, picking or squeezing – possibly also with tools such as needles and tweezers – which affects the skin and consequently also not good for the psyche.
Video games have helped Annika significantly in her everyday life with skin picking. In the article she explains why she would no longer be able to imagine life without her consoles and why she finds gaming to be a healing tool.
Would you like to read more about the topic of video games and their effect on the psyche? Then we recommend you the article by psychologist Jolina Bering.
Playing can not only have a positive impact on our mental health, but also completely other health aspects. Here you will find a whole series of exciting articles from our health theme week:
Further topics in the ZDF contribution
In addition to our colleague Annika, other experts have their say in the Terra Xplore article. Professor Jens Junge heads the Institute for Ludology in Berlin and reports on what he learned from his scientific study of games.
Lisa Budzinski also talks to Prof. Karin Falkenberg, director of the Nuremberg Toy Museum, about how important playing, or rather the choice of toys, is for the development of children.
