Mental Games: Gaming’s Positive Role in Metal Health

Mental Health is an important issue. In an article called, Mind games: How positive role in mental health gaming can play a positive role in metal health. “But even before the pandemic, researchers have cited the benefits of gaming on mental health, and game creators have in recent years begun portraying mental illness in games in more thoughtful and less stigmatizing ways than in the past.

Those include Hellblade: Senua’s Journey, whose main character struggles with psychosis; Celeste, about the quest of a girl who has anxiety about climbing a mountain; and Psychonauts, about a boy who projects himself into other people’s mental worlds and helps them fight their demons.”

There is a new Non-Profit called the Nine2 Ninety2 Foundation lead by Rob “StreetTacoEater” Davis. It’s an organization dedicated to using gaming, professional help, and a supportive community to help people with mental health issues.

Rob said, “The Nine2 Ninety2 Foundation is a Non-Profit organization set up to forge mental health fitness. To provide a safe environment through gaming to help people with mental health issues to find health. To provide skills that will help their mental health, and to find help with professionals and a supportive community.”

When asked about why he started the Project Nine2 Ninety2 Foundation, he responded with a personal story about his son.

Rob said, “Back in December 2021, my son, after years of fighting severe mental health issues. Going from one metal health professional and other programs. He gave up and committed suicide. I started this organization to provide support for others with mental health issues in honor of his memory I named the Foudation after his birthday September 9th, 1992.” Here is a recent tweet from SteetTacoEater.

We also sat down with Katelyn Mills, “Nylatek.” She has suffered mental health issues all her life because of having a chronic condition called Cystic Fibrosis. It would put her in the hospital at least four times or more a year because of her lung function or getting any lung affecting bacteria or viruses. At least until the last two years because of a new medicine that helped improve her health and lung function.

Because of her mental health, she may have not made it to the point two years ago to get this new medicine, if it wasn't for an intervention.

Nylatek said, “I almost didn’t make to the point of getting better. I had a plan to end my life. I knew how I was going to end it. God put gaming into my life. Gaming saved my life because of the intervention of my future husband and God.”

Here is the story of the intervention.

Nylatek said, “I remember a time when I was in the hospital, and I had my laptop and my future husband put War of WarCraft onto my laptop. I couldn’t believe how that changed my mentality. I was sick Katelyn in a hospital in a bed, doing IVs a third of the day, treatments another third of the day, and the rest doing nothing. I was just get really bored. I’m able to run again like in my youth.”

Nylatek added, “I remember one moment Geek, I’m stuck in this little room, and I’m by myself since Jeremy is unable to visit me because he is at work. My character in WOW is an Elf and is in FPV, and I zoomed back, and she is running to get somewhere. I remember thinking I was a runner and I’m able to run again as her in the game. It is like my brain transported from sick Katelyn in a hospital bed to being Nylatek in the game, and I was running through these fields of golden wheat with a setting sun. I remember then that gaming was going to be apart my life.”

Nylatek wasn’t alone anymore in her struggle after finding gaming. She found support group of people who she played with. She was able to be healthy in a world outside her own.

Nylatek said, “The support of guild members and random people I’ve meet in the game that helped, checked on me, and cared for me. The mentality I was able to escape the twelve-by-twelve hospital room, and I was transported to a world I could run. I had magic powers and I was able to rescue and save people. The most important thing to me I was able to be healthy, and it was magical, and it still is.”

Mental health and gaming can be a two-edge sword. Mainly people see it as a curse when you have addiction. It can also be a positive and helped those who are suffering from depression, anxiety, introverts trying to get out of the box, and many other health benefits. Gaming is still being steady today for its mental health effects, but it looks very bright do you helping people and mini situations.

Below are the full interviews of Nylatek and StreetTacoEater.