"The Gaming Mind seeks in part to dismantle the stigma that surrounds videogames and the archetypal ‘gamer kid.’ . . . Kriss is certainly right to highlight the emotional space that games occupy in the lives of those who play them and to take seriously the feelings that emerge there."
"This is a much-needed, nuanced, and informed analysis of gaming. We’ve gotten the public narrative on videogames all wrong, which creates a lot of undue worry about the impact they can have on us. Kriss takes us on a heartfelt personal and professional journey, showing how, with careful and empathetic thinking, we can start to get it right."
"As a physician, I have seen gaming do good for the soul and mind. The stereotypes that society holds about gamers have never been true, and they’re starting to completely change. The Gaming Mind explores this paradigm shift: clearly showing us that gaming can foster social and communication skills—as well as supportive and inclusive global communities."
"I’m a gamer and have been my whole life from my first Apple 2+ when I was six. Alexander Kriss’s work is not only a nostalgic tour de force, but it also powerfully explains the positive impact of gaming on our minds and psyches."
The Gaming Mind seeks in part to dismantle the stigma that surrounds videogames and the archetypal ‘gamer kid.’ . . . Kriss is certainly right to highlight the emotional space that games occupy in the lives of those who play them and to take seriously the feelings that emerge there.”—The Wall Street Journal “Psychotherapist Kriss debuts with an unusual case for the benefits of playing video games . . . draw[ing] on personal and patient experiences to explore the ‘nuance and complexity’ of video games. . . . A thoughtful contribution to an ongoing debate.”—Kirkus Reviews “Gaming is an undeniable growing phenomenon, and The Gaming Mind puts it under a magnifying glass. Alexander Kriss sheds light on long-overlooked deeper questions: Why do we rage quit? Why did we create videogames in the first place? And what do they trigger in us? There’s a reason videogames have had a visceral impact on our culture in recent decades—and the answer lies within our own minds.”—Naomi Kyle, actor, producer, and host of Last Week in Gaming “I’m a gamer and have been my whole life from my first Apple 2+ when I was six. Alexander Kriss’s work is not only a nostalgic tour de force, but it also powerfully explains the positive impact of gaming on our minds and psyches.”—Governor Jared Polis, Colorado “This is a much-needed, nuanced, and informed analysis of gaming. We’ve gotten the public narrative on videogames all wrong, which creates a lot of undue worry about the impact they can have on us. Kriss takes us on a heartfelt personal and professional journey, showing how, with careful and empathetic thinking, we can start to get it right.”—Dr. Pete Etchells, psychologist and author of Lost In A Good Game “As a physician, I have seen gaming do good for the soul and mind. The stereotypes that society holds about gamers have never been true, and they’re starting to completely change. The Gaming Mind explores this paradigm shift: clearly showing us that gaming can foster social and communication skills—as well as supportive and inclusive global communities.”—Dr. Levi Harrison, gaming and E-sports doctor, and founder of The Try-Angle
2020-01-12
Psychotherapist Kriss debuts with an unusual case for the benefits of playing video games.
"Games," writes the author, "are here and growing; they are a way for us to learn more about who we are or make contact with parts of ourselves we didn't know existed." A gamer from the age of 5 and now the go-to guy for colleagues who don't know how to help "gamer kids," the New York-based author draws on personal and patient experiences to explore the "nuance and complexity" of video games. "Not all games are violent, or sexualized," writes Kriss, nor is there scientific agreement about whether they are addictive, as societal stigma would have it. For many of his patients, games are a way to explore parts of themselves they "feel harder to access in the physical world." One client, an aspiring model assaulted by a photographer, turned herself into an ugly, unappealing man in the post-apocalyptic game "Fallout 4"; another, a 21-year-old man living a chaotic family life, relished the "knowable" world of "Mass Effect." Others found "new ways to connect, self-reflect, and feel known," even entering pathways to future growth. Such patients discover a "sense of safety" in games, a protected space where they can "explore unconscious fears and desires." The author's own experiences playing "Silent Hill 2," a game of psychological horror, helped him, at age 14, deal with a friend's death. He discusses conflicting research findings on games addiction. He prefers to call the latter "compulsive play," in which the individual is not "beholden to an ‘addictive' game but is in fact in control of and responsible for herself and her behavior and is therefore free to change." He stresses that "we are all entitled to play. We need to play in order to fully discover and live as ourselves."
A thoughtful contribution to an ongoing debate that would have benefited from a more thorough look at harmful effects.
