It's high time that I confessed to you all my sordid gamer past. While I may appear to you as a woman of refinement and culture, the truth is that I spent most of my first two decades on this green earth thinking nonstop about video games. I’m not exaggerating: one of my most vivid early memories is of sitting in class as a first-grader, seething at the indignity of having to be “learning things” instead of tending to my Neopets.
Our society tends to take a pretty dim view of gaming. At best, video games are seen as a frivolous waste of time; at worst, as precursors to violent behavior. But a growing number of researchers might beg to differ. More and more, games are being embraced as supportive tools for our education, cognitive development, and overall well-being.
That last area is one that’s near and dear to TDL’s heart. Over the past couple of years, digital health & wellness has been one of our major focuses: we’ve worked on apps to help users improve their mental health, reduce their risk of a heart attack, and manage liver disease. Game thinking is a powerful behavioral lever that can help people improve their own health outcomes.
In today’s newsletter, we’re diving into the emerging literature on video games and their behavioral benefits — with a special focus on the surprising ways that gaming can support our mental health.
Have you leveraged game mechanics in your own life? Whether you're a product designer incorporating gamification into your own work
Until next time,
Katie and the gamers @ TDL
Thanks to Sarah Chudleigh for her help researching and writing this newsletter.