What did Saintvicious say about depression?
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In this post, we will be answering the question, “What did Saintvicious say about depression?” We will also be discussing the impact of games like League of Legends on mental health, both the positive as well as the negative ones.
What did Saintvicious say about depression?
Saintvicious said that depression is not real and many mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are actually made up. Brandon ‘Saintvicious’ DiMarco is a Twitch streamer and also a very popular League of Legends coach.
Due to his controversial statements, thousands of users raised their voices up against Saintvicious and this has led to the streamer resigning from FlyQuest. FlyQuest is an esports team which mainly takes part in games like League of Legends and frequently live-streams the contests.
The controversial statements by the coach were made during late December 2018 during a Twitch chat. In the chat, when SaintVicious was quizzed about his own mental health, the gamer called it a made-up condition.
He also mentioned that he personally went through such situations but did not seek help and instead decided to ‘fight through it’. Because of this, many users took to social media to call out the streamer for his undesirable comments.
Following this, SaintVicious took to Facebook to issue an official apology. In the apology, he mentioned that he merely intended to say that mental health conditions like depression are often over-exaggerated and not anything else.
However, the apology was not considered enough and the coach had to soon resign from the team as complaints from users continued to pour in. FlyQuest also officially clarified the comments and consoled the users with an immediate replacement for SaintVicious.
Negative impact of League of Legends on mental health
League of Legends is a very popular video game that rose to fame because of its easy accessibility. This video game can be played by anyone without purchase. Games like League of Legends have been known to negatively impact mental health through the following ways.
Through an increase in playing time
The main attractive point of games like League of Legends is that the game is very long and intended to be played for months and years together. Because of this and its attractive activities, the user is easily sucked into elongating their playing time, eventually taking over their schedule.
Through discrimination and oppression in the game
Another factor that has been widely researched about League of Legends is the discrimination that many players have faced. This is not only mostly by women but even by those men who have soft personalities. This can also severely affect the mental health of the user.
Through a decrease in Quality of Life
The problem with gaming addictions to even seemingly harmless games like League of Legends is that the person’s overall quality of life can be widely affected. This is because the person tends to base their entire day to day schedule on this one particular activity.
Therefore, their other activities of daily life like their household chores and even their professional tasks may be affected due to this addiction. Some users can also feel that their quality of work in other tasks may start to diminish through such an experience.
As an unhealthy coping mechanism
While many users pick up League of Legends in order to simply pass their time, others pick this game up as a coping mechanism. While it can seem harmless enough, such a choice may encourage the person to distract themselves rather than facing their problems head-on.
Others may see an improvement in their mental health temporarily and this can encourage them to use this game as medication for their emotional troubles. Whatever the reason may be, using a video game as a coping mechanism is definitely not advisable.
Through addiction symptoms
In serious cases, the person may develop a full-on addiction to the game. In this case, they may even present solid addiction symptoms such as withdrawal signs. They may also start behaviors like lying to get more access to their gaming.
Positive impact of League of Legends on mental health
While many do complain about the severe negative impacts of League of Legends and other similar games on the mental health of the person, this popular video game can also bring more positive impacts. Some of the most common positive impacts of LOL are discussed here.
It can help in healthy coping
While in the previous section we have discussed how League of Legends and other similar games may encourage unhealthy coping, when practiced in a balanced manner, games like these can be great for healthy coping as well.
Through video games like League of Legends, users can find ways to healthily channelize their aggression and frustration without harming anyone else. Furthermore, the game can also be used as a distraction during difficult times.
It can bring a sense of community
League of Legends can also develop a sense of community among the players. This is not only through the game, but even through the fandoms. It can also be a great talking point to bring people together in spaces like parties and other functions.
It can teach valuable life lessons
Many people love League of Legends and other similar games for the amazing life lessons which are taught through the game. In this game, the user can find more will to live and also learn how important it is to keep improving oneself and one’s abilities throughout the life-span.
It can develop problem-solving skills
Since most of the activities and tasks involved in League of Legends involve a certain problem, the user gets to develop their problem solving skills as well here. This is another attractive factor about League of Legends and similar games.
Creativity levels can also improve
Creativity requires the person to be open-minded to imagine anything and everything. League of Legends with its fantasy tropes and such brings a new world to the user. Therefore, you can easily find your imagination also improving.
The activity can be great for introverts
Introverts who find it difficult to communicate with people in real life will find great comfort in games like League of Legends. Not only is the communication pretty straight-forward here, but since everything is online, it is more of a comforting space to practice social skills.
Riot Games and mental health
In mid-2020, Riot Games, which is the developer of League of Legends, announced a tie-up with Crisis Text Line to help the mental health of gamers. Gamers, who felt that they need some help and support for their mental health, can easily seek confidential support here.
Crisis Text Line is completely text-based and here, the user can seek counseling which is fully confidential. This service is available in the US, the UK, Canada and Ireland as well. The initiative was launched by Riot Games to help anyone suffering from a variety of mental issues.
Apart from the collaboration with Crisis Text Line, Riot Games has also collaborated with Active Space for the reason of mental health awareness. Active Space is a non-profit organization which aims at mental health education among groups such as gamers.
Conclusion
In this post, we have answered the question, “What did Saintvicious say about depression?” We have also discussed the impact of games like League of Legends on mental health, both the positive as well as the negative ones.
If you like this post, please leave your comments and questions in the space below.
Citations
https://www.riftherald.com/2018/12/10/18134589/saintvicious-flyquest-coach-mental-health
https://www.wepc.com/wellbeing/gaming-and-mental-health/positive-effects-of-gaming/
Internet gaming disorder: A real mental health issue on the rise in adolescents and young adults
https://www.engadget.com/riot-games-mental-health-support-players-crisis-via-text-182056577.html
https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/providing-mental-health-support-with-crisis-text-line
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