So many parents and adults think that video games, more specifically violent games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, are bad for young kids and teenagers. Not a lot of people think of what video games do to veterans who have served and fought in similar environments to those in the games. As we get further into the 2000’s the soldiers who are coming back home are starting to be the ones who grew up on video games. Whether it was a Nintendo console, an Xbox, Playstation, or PC, a lot of the more recent generations of people in the age range of service in the military have played video games. So, what happens when one of these veterans, most likely with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder starts to play video games once they get back home? Personally, I know two veterans who served in a combat environment who play the same games that I play, who have PTSD. They feel that it is actually therapeutic, because they are doing what they know and what they are used to. Unless we were to be inside their head, we do not understand their thought process. It also can vary depending on the person. There are two sides to this argument: gaming is therapeutic and helps veterans with ptsd, and that the sounds and visuals in games can trigger PTSD.
From Smith Bhandari’s article on WebMD, What are PTSD Triggers, it is argued that medically, when your body is faced with a situation where it is put in danger, your body goes into a state of what a lot of people call “fight-or-flight”. Basically, your brain stops what it is doing and focuses on the bodily functions required to get through the situation it is put in. Your senses are more focused, your heart beat is increased, and adrenaline is high. One side effect according to Bhandari is that your short term memory is essentially temporarily turned off. So, what the body does is it hides that memory and doesn’t fully process it. What it does instead is it attaches those enhanced senses like sight, smell, sounds, and thoughts to those memories. So, those sights, smells, etc. become triggers for flashbacks. In these flashbacks, your memories come back and your body reverts to the state it was in during those events. So, medically, the argument of video games should be a no brainer right?
If a veteran with PTSD were to be playing a game such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, or Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, hearing a gunshot, especially in a game where the sound of the guns being used could be the exact same caliber and sound exactly like that situation should trigger their PTSD. According to Bhandari’s article, anything from seeing a person similar to the people in the combat situation, having thoughts or emotions similar to those of that situation, seeing an object or a substance related to it, places and environments, sounds and voices, there are plenty of possible triggers. Bhandari does state that triggers are usually unknown, and can come out of the blue. But, medically, based off of Bhandari’s lists of possible triggers, violent games, especially ones like Call of Duty or Battlefield could have a plethora of possible triggers for any veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However this brings me to the next argument, which is that video games are therapeutic for veterans with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
From “Gaming for Veterans: Why the VA Uses Video Games to Help Deal With Disabilities” by Tara M. Clapper, the argument is that video games are being used to help veterans with both physical and mental traumas due to their service and involvement in war and other conflicts. She uses the example of a veteran Mike Monthervil, who has limited hand movement and also cannot use his leg. she uses Mike as an example of what video games can do positively in a veteran’s recovery from their prior service. Clapper’s argument is that video games are a way for veterans to accomplish something, while either playing in an online setting with teams of other people, or even just playing solo like a campaign or something. It also gives vets a way to experience player progression in game, along with progressing themselves as they recover. It also allows for an escape from what is going on in the world or in your life in general. Next, she talks about what video games can help veterans to avoid. She uses the statistic that up to eighty percent of veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to their service. This can lead to substance abuse issues and other mental health issues. Video games “provide a routine, an escape and an activity to look forward to each day. In this fashion, video games can aid recovery and even prevent homelessness in veteran populations.” One of the next things
Clapper goes on to talk about is actually a really good point that a lot of people do not consider. She talks about how most veterans who suffered traumas were forced to leave the military before they were actually ready to leave. Where most people would not support playing violent video games after experiencing a trauma related to that kind of violence, the VA supports vets playing games like Call of Duty. In the article, it states “Under the guidance of a therapist, Call of Duty and similar games can provide veterans with a means to sustain a civilian lifestyle, confronting fears and safely experiencing the military life they still long for.” That brings us to the next big point that Clapper uses to sum up the argument. Having veterans play these video games as both a mentally therapeutic getaway and tool for recovery introduces them to new goals. A huge part of being in the military is setting goals, and meeting the standards. With the persistence and competitiveness that comes along with being a part of the military, Clapper says that “military veterans often make phenomenal competitive gamers”. These new opportunities for veterans to excel also give them a community. It gives them a way to get involved with people and be social in a society that a lot of times dismisses them. She closes talking about the essential parts of recovery that video games introduce for veterans, which are healing and talking about their experiences at their own pace and comfort.
Overall, I think that medically, though everyone’s trauma is different, the evidence that games, especially violent ones could very well trigger flashbacks for veterans suffering from PTSD. However, I think that the use for video games as an avenue of therapy is a much more compelling argument, especially in the case of the use of gaming for therapy under a therapist. That way, if something does happen, the therapist can counsel and advise said person on what to do going forward. The gaming community, though full of a lot of trash talk and toxicity, also has a lot of friendly and genuine people who can aid these veterans in their recovery and healing from their trauma.
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