Healthy Gaming

Many young people enjoy playing games online. Online gaming can have many benefits.

It is:

A fun activity which helps you to relax and recharge
A way to develop new skills, such as problem solving, working as a team, goal-setting, and creativity.
A social opportunity. Some people find it a more comfortable way to interact with other people. Many games allow you to choose how much or little you want to talk to others and give the option to speak or type. The game also provides a focus for the social interaction. Through games, you can meet likeminded people with similar interests and difficulties.

Because gaming is so much fun and because it grabs our attention, it can be easy to fall into habits that are not good for us mentally and physically. These are some things to be aware of:

If you are struggling with our mental health or have had difficult experiences, then gaming can be a welcome distraction. If this becomes a habit and you start to use gaming as a way to avoid difficult feelings then this can mean that we don't work on the cause of the difficult feelings and they stay with us.
It can be easy for gaming to affect your sleep. Not getting enough sleep, or sleeping at the wrong time, can lead to tiredness and negatively impact on physical and mental health.
If you spend a lot of time gaming, it may mean that your activity level is low. This can affect your mood and your health.
Disagreements about gaming can lead to conflict between you and your family members. You may also find you are spending less time with family and friends outside of games.
Being preoccupied with gaming can make you distracted from work/school. Feeling tired from lack of sleep can also cause you to be less productive with your work.
You may start to feel sad, irritable, anxious, frustrated or angry when not gaming. You might also notice that you are finding it more difficult when experiencing losses within the game. These are signs that gaming might be affecting your mood.
Your posture when gaming and repetitive movements can lead to pain in your neck, wrists, hands or back, as well as dry or red eyes, or headaches/migraines.
You might find that you have spent more money than you can afford to on new games or in-game purchases.

Tips for gaming in a healthy way:

Check your mood before gaming - if you are already feeling upset or frustrated, will playing this game make you feel better or worse?
Limit the amount of time you spend gaming - try to limit to a few hours a day. Decide in advance how much time you want to spend gaming and set an alarm. Maybe try a gaming-free day once a week to do offline activities.
Make time for other activities - make sure to plan in time for hobbies and interests that don't involve being online, maybe try something that you used to enjoy doing.
Healthy times for gaming - Avoid gaming as soon as you wake up and leave gaming until after jobs or other more important activities are done.
Avoid having gaming devices in bedrooms - this reduces the temptation to play when you should be sleeping.
Take regular breaks - ideally you should take a 5-10 minute break every hour, to stand, move around, drink water or eat a meal/snack.
Ask for help - if you are worried about how much time you spend gaming or are finding it difficult to stop, talk to someone.