Video Games and Well-being by Rachel Kowert

Video Games and Well-being by Rachel Kowert

This book examines how video game mechanics and narratives can teach players skills associated with increased psychological well-being. It integrates research from psychology, education, ludology, media studies, and communication science to demonstrate how game play can teach skills that have long been associated with increased happiness and prolonged life satisfaction, including flexible thinking, openness to experience, self-care, a growth mindset, solution-focused thinking, mindfulness, persistence, self-discovery and resilience. The chapters in this volume are written by leading voices in the field of game studies, including researchers from academia, the video gaming industry, and mental health practitioners paving the way in the field of “geek therapy.” 
This book will advance our understanding of the potential of video games to increase our psychological well-being by helping to mitigate depression, anxiety, and stress and foster persistence, self-care, and resilience.

“This is an interesting bookVideo games and well-being is an evangelistic work, defending the worth of video games in providing innocent pleasure along with educational, intellectual, and emotional value. … Whether video games will be a valuable tool in the psychological growth of 21st century youth will be determined by clinical studies and, more importantly, the test of time.” (James Van Speybroeck, Computing Reviews, February 4, 2021)

“The book is worthwhile reading as it provides you with a solid understanding how video games can help us grow, learn, thrive, and acquire new skills. It is a must-read book for parents who are perturbed with their children being confirmed gamers. … the book should be considered a good choice for game developers who want to understand how to entice people into buying a brand-new game and at the same time to push up the value of it.” (Kateryna Nykytchenko, Acta Ludologica, Vol. 3 (1), 2020)

Rachel Kowert is the Research Director of Take This, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health information and resources to gaming communities and the gaming industry. She has been studying games and gamers for more than 10 years, with a specific focus on the social impact of digital game play. She has published numerous research articles and books on the topic, including A Parent's Guide to Video Games (2016), which won an INDIES award in science. For more information on Rachel and her research, please visit rkowert.com.

Thorsten Quandt is Professor of Online Communication at the University of Mü¾˜¶˜¼nster and a distinguished scientist with extensive experience in digital games research, both nationally and internationally. He is the founding chair of the ECREA section on Digital Games Research, and the co-editor of essential books in game studies, including Multiplayer (2013), The Video Game Debate (2016), and New Perspectives on the Social Aspects of Digital Gaming (2017).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9783030327699
ISBN 10	3030327698
Title	Video Games and Well-being
Author	Rachel Kowert
Series	Palgrave Studies In Cyberpsychology
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Year published	2019-12-19
Number of pages	166
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.