Home Article Pokemon GO helps people with mental health issues

Pokemon GO helps people with mental health issues

0
Pokemon GO helps people with mental health issues
Pokemon GO Mental Health Improvement

It’s not very often that a game has the potential or ability to help people in the real sense of that word. According to ASMinor, a mental health blog, Pokemon GO is one of those games, with numerous players reporting improvements in mental health after a few months of playing Pokemon GO.

An important note about the A.S.Minor author before you continue reading: his youngest son has Asperger’s Syndrome, and his wife and him deal with their own mental issues. This article comes straight from the heart.

Pokemon GO helps deal with depression, autism, fears

One out of every four people in US deals with varying degrees of mental issues. A number of them told stories on reddit highlighting improvements in dealing with depression, issues on the autism spectrum, fears and phobias.

The A.S. Minors youngest son experienced notable improvement over the past three months in terms of exercise and social interaction. A quote from the article:

On one of our many outings specifically to catch Pokémon, my son said a phrase that I’ve never heard come out of his mouth, “Let’s go over there; we might meet some people!”

But it doesn’t stop there: more players reported improvements on reddit. A lot more. Their stories are heartwarming, honest and intimate, so please, read the following quote on your own discretion, and you can read the rest of the stories in this thread.

It has helped me with my depression of being paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Sure the game is extremely hard for me to play, and is frustrating at times to not be able to reach a pokemon cause I cant go over a curb. But it has helped me out so much, and is my main new hobby. It is something I can do!! 🙂

Many readers are surely not aware that Pokémon was original created by Satoshi Tajiri, who is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a condition on the Autism Spectrum. Tajiri has confirmed this information, but does not speak publicly about it.

Like many with autism, Tajiri has also been a bit of a recluse and considered eccentric by some. He’s known for working at 24-hour intervals, and created Pokémon based on his love for catching and studying insects. He is quoted as saying that he “wanted to reawaken an awareness of nature in urbanized youth.”

Pokemon Go is the continuation of that dream. To everyone who has experienced improvement in their life as a result of the game, speak out. We want to hear you.