Game Designer Jane McGonigal Explains How Gaming Can Help Your Mental Health

The idea that playing video games is a waste of time is a pervasive one. It’s also one that game designer Jane McGonigal is working hard to fight against. She came up for the idea for the healing game SuperBetter while bedridden and suicidal following a severe concussion. Now, she’s bringing her love of games to the world as a tool to start talking about resilience. For instance, did you know that there have been clinical studies that showed that online games can outperform pharmaceuticals for treating clinical anxiety and depression? She also promises to add seven minutes to your life. Her entire talk is pretty darn interesting. Give it a watch.

(via Real Girls Gaming)

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Alanna Bennett

Alanna is a pop culture writer who works as the Weekend Editor for The Mary Sue, an entertainment writer for Bustle, and a freelancer for everywhere. She has a lot of opinions about Harry Potter and will 100% bully you into watching the shows that she loves. Don't worry, it's a sign of friendship.

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