I have lately been thinking lately about how games are like therapy. I think it has a lot to do with the power of suggestion, when all your attention is closely fixed on the game, the game is able to get you to agree with its suggestions in a really profound way.

In this case, if it's a cute and pretty relaxing snowball chucking game, the implicit messages are that it's okay to relax, let your guard down, and to feel positive and maybe even happy.

To be fair about video games generally, a lot of games, while getting you to focus and sit still for a while, can have an opposite effect on our brains. For example, some really freaky thriller games totally trigger the fight-or-flight response, and while this is really good fun, it is worth pointing out the physiological toll of feeling this response throughout the day (although the youngsters who are targeted by such games can probably take it just fine).

Anyways, thanks for the article!!!

I wonder what the mediator might be. As they suggest, it could be simple distraction due to immersion in the game. Such a loss of self-awareness would decrease attendance to pain stimuli.

My own recent research shows that self-reported frequency of exposure to violent games (and although a bit muted, this could be considered a violent game) actually decreases an individuals responsiveness on a pain measure (the algometer). This, I think, is due to desensitization, rather than a lack of self-awareness as we did not expose them to a violent game, but rather measured exposure. I would think it unlikely that the game is having a continued affect on attentional resources.

We plan to follow-up with a manipulation of exposure to violent vs. nonviolent game on a different measure of pain. Perhaps I'll have to throw a mirror in front of some of the subjects as well to rule out self-awareness as a mediator.