How Video Games Help Me Through a Flare

Between my recent flare and the pandemic, my world has mostly become confined to my own apartment. While I’ve become more comfortable with the occasional eating outside at a restaurant and having vaccinated friends over, I don’t see myself going on a long trip — especially not an international one — soon. But I’ve found a substitute that may not be quite the same but does help: my PlayStation video games.

Video games can transport me

Since I was a kid I’ve liked video games, so using them as a foray into another world is familiar to me. It’s exciting to see some of my old favorites again, like Kingdom Hearts or even The Sims. They give me a pleasant nostalgic feel that stops my days from all feeling the same.

But what strikes me as more important for my mental health are games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or Valhalla. The former takes place in Ancient Greece and the latter takes place during the Viking expansions into the British Isles. They’ve both got gorgeous scenery that takes me out of my apartment into a whole new continent — and age.

No IBD limitations when gaming

When I’m playing one of these games, I feel the part of me that wants to get and go places get a little more nourished. On top of that, I’m playing a character who can run around at godspeed, ride horses, and jump impossible heights. I’m grateful for what my body can do despite being sick, but sometimes it’s nice to imagine a world where there are no physical limits at all.

Playing video games has also helped fortify the connection between me and my partner. We can play couch co-op style (both of us playing at the same time from the same couch) on games like Divinity: Original Sin I and II, which are both fantasy roleplay games a la Dungeons and Dragons.

Connecting during an isolating flare

Since we can’t go on traditional dates as often because my flare has been so bad, we create video game date nights where we must solve puzzles together, match our skills, and collaborate on moving the story forward. Strange as it may sound, it can feel exceptionally romantic when my partner gives me the cool weapon instead of keeping it for himself.

Overall, we’re still able to set aside time for each other where we’re communicating and focusing in on each other. And while I don’t tend to use the social aspects of the PlayStation games, they’re also an option for people who might be looking to make some new connections and friends outside of their own family.

Such a great distraction from being sick

I’ve been told by some people not to get too lost in video games, especially because they’ll rot my brain. That misconception always shocks me because video games can be far more than just violence in a loop. Depending on the game, there may be a story to engage with, emotional choices to make through the narrative, or riddles to decipher.

Still, I agree that video games can’t be all my life (the real world still has value too!). But in a time where I have limited options, they’ve become a vital coping mechanism and I’ll always be thankful for how this hobby has made a life that could feel boring and stagnant into something exciting.