ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Digital Mental Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1608322
"It's a good distraction from the mayhem of reality": A reflexive thematic analysis on the role of video games to support coping during a crisis
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom
- 2University of Bath, Bath, England, United Kingdom
- 3Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Video games have been shown to o er psychological benefits to gamers during times of stress. One recent, salient example of a stress-inducing event was the COVID-19 pandemic, which created periods of social isolation and uncertainty on a global scale. The current study o ers a glimpse into the lives of video gamers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of video games in navigating day-to-day stresses during a crisis. Reflexive thematic analysis of 13 interviews generated three themes that focus on video games, coping, and well-being. For many participants, video games provided what the lockdown took away: permitting the restoration of agency, community, and a sense of purpose. Immersing oneself in video games was a proactive coping mechanism for some but protective for others, suggesting a range of strategies that likely di ered in e ectiveness. Finally, gamers discussed the tension between viewing gaming as a beneficial and valuable activity versus unproductive time-wasting. Findings are evaluated through the lens of self-determination theory. The use of video games to deal with the day-today stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates teachable moments that speak to video gaming as a compensatory activity during times of crisis, which applies to future global health events beyond COVID-19.
Keywords: video gaming, coping, psychological well-being, stress, Crisis
Received: 08 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Farmer, Higson-Sweeney and Fullwood. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: George Farmer, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom
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