Video games reduce depression in boys. For girls, it's the opposite, experts say

For instance, gender plays a crucial role when it comes to video games.

We studied children's gaming habits over a period of two years. Regarding gender, the result was completely opposite. When boys play more online games, their loneliness decreases; it helps them,

stated psychologist and researcher David Lacko.

With girls, it is completely the opposite. When they play more, their depressiveness increases, which then leads to an even greater increase in gaming. It is necessary to distinguish this.

To which designer and producer in the gaming industry Zdeněk Kvasnica spontaneously reacted during the panel:

We have to admit that boys are a bit more simple-minded within the video world than girls. Girls go deeper, they try to explore the world, they are creative. Boys are like monkeys, trying to smash everything,

Kvasnica described, which was humorously lightened by his colleague Pavel Bartošík.

The community of people working on them is also significantly male, so one wonders if it isn't because men make games for men. I would love to play games from a female studio; those might increase stress levels in boys in the exact same way.

And other findings are as follows. Girls play less than boys, although the differences are slowly beginning to blur. However, the motivations differ. Girls often escape from the mainstream into safety. They look for a 'safe place'. They are attracted to girls' servers where they design clothes—rather than, for example, Nintendo, which is said to be the least harmful console.

At the same time, video games also function as excellent therapy, emphasized Iveta Fajnerová, head of the Center for Research, Implementation, Education and Clinical Care in Mental Health at the National Institute of Mental Health.

For example, there are relaxation apps that guide people with psychological problems on how to breathe deeply. Using visual effects in nature or an underwater world, the effects change on the display, and this is a very effective technique for learning it,

she mentioned.

Bohemia Interactive is currently working on a video game that could specifically detect mental health issues in children aged 10 to 15. It should fully immerse the player into a sort of safe space, help them open up, and directly advise them on how to resolve the given situation.

Even when you want to educate or find out if a teenager has a mental health problem, the game still has to be fun. And combining this with education is a difficult discipline,

explained Kvasnica, adding that the studio is betting on creativity.

Everyone agrees that a ten-year-old boy should not have the opportunity to buy an 18+ game, which is happening in reality. A crucial role is also played by the parent, who should take an interest in what their child plays, how long they play, and talk to them about it. However, streaming represents a special chapter, where any form of mediation is, according to the experts, dismal. Aside from video games, it is also still necessary to build children's relationships with other media, specifically reading.

The 'Gaming and Mental Health' panel was preceded by a professional block on 'The Power of Video Games in Supporting the Mental Well-being of Young People', where we heard practical experiences from Poland. Ewa Maria Szczepanowska, co-founder of the Kultura Interaktywna Foundation and organizer of the Student Games Festival and the “Games in Education” program, along with Paweł Miechowski, game developer, screenwriter, marketer, and co-founder of the Kultura Interaktywna Foundation, came to Zlín to share them.

The ZLINFEST PRO professional program continues at the 66th Zlín Film Festival in the following days.