For those of you not paying attention or who just don’t care, both the PlayStation 4 as well as the misleadingly named Xbox One have been announced within the past week. Not only does that mean new-generation technology and gaming, but apparently they can also help kids deal with anti-LGBT bullying at school.
While it’s not uncommon to find homophobic bullying in online gaming forums too, studies have proven that video games actually help kids alleviate stress. And considering that a growing number of gamers have begun self-identifying as LGBT, it’s safe to say that kids who experience anti-LGBT bullying are among those using games as a way to cope.
“I have been bullied quite a bit up until I reached the end of high school,” says Matt Conn, co-founder of Gaymer X, an LGBT gaming conference happening this August in San Francisco. “I wished I could have just been myself and honest about being a queer geek… Games were my only escape for me. They allowed me to live in another world… having a team with me as we stormed Booster’s Castle in Super Mario RPG or defeating the evil Porky in Earthbound… really was magical.” [SOURCE]
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Of course video games help kids deal with bullying; it’s a lot easier to let go of the petty, vindictive bullshit people throw at you when you have something more important to hold on to. If kids can find solace in playing Bioshock Infinite or playing against friends on Mario Kart, it’ll do a lot more to help their psyche than it would for them to dwell on it.
[Image via Gamespot]
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