Gaming, be it of any kind, is many things. It can be fun. It can be educational. Gaming can help you improve your hand-eye coordination and also help foster social interactions. But how do ADHD and gaming link up? Is the connection positive or negative? While there are many ways these connections can be positive such as ADHD gaming, or negative, for example, ADHD can comorbidly exist or can act as a secondary cause to video game addiction, these are the questions that we are going to find out in the words below:
ADHD
Before we dive into gaming, we are going to define what exactly ADHD is. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a type of mental condition that is characterized by symptoms like hyperactivity (as suggested by its name), inability to focus, procrastination, forgetfulness, fidgeting, and excessive talking.
All of these systems affect executive functioning, which relates to the everyday tasks that you need to do for the sustenance of life. The affected executive functioning interferes with the lives of individuals afflicted with ADHD. So what part does normal gaming or ADHD gaming play in all this? We are about to find out!
Gaming
Gaming in the modern world has changed significantly. In addition to board games, now we have the option to use our leisure time to play video games. But whatever the type of gaming it can be, is gaming good for ADHD? Yes and No. Both board games and video games, when it comes to ADHD, can have negative and positive strings attached to them. First, we’ll go with negative strings.
Read More: ADHD and Video Games: How Do They Connect?
The Negative Aspects of ADHD and Gaming
While board games that are tied to ADHD are not negatively associated, negativity does surround video games. Video games have a tendency to cause addiction, although indirectly. Video games can themselves be addictive, but due to the exaggerated symptoms, video gaming and ADHD can be exacerbated. One can say it’s the comorbidity of both conditions but behind the curtain, when it comes to video gaming with ADHD, the ADHD symptoms can worsen and can sometimes lead to situations where addiction to these games becomes a possible outcome.
ADHD and gaming can sometimes also lead to symptoms such as weakening social skills, deteriorating relationships, and reduced attention span. All of these can directly lead to addiction to video games. On top of it, ADHD and gaming do not go hand in hand due to the fact symptoms of ADHD such as the inability to focus on anything that relates to executive functioning and rather putting all that focus onto something that interests them more, especially video games, can essentially provide an opening for video game addiction.
The Positive Aspects of ADHD and Gaming
Now that we have gone through the negative aspects of ADHD and gaming, we should also go through the positive aspects. We’ll talk about them based on the types of different gaming platforms that are available.
Board Games and ADHD
There are ADHD games that exist as boards and there are also ADHD-friendly board games for individuals who are affected with the said mental condition. Let’s start with ADHD games that exist as boards. One of these is the one called ADHD bingo. It acts like a simple bingo game but instead of numbers or other expressions, the expressions in the squares of this type of bingo board game relate more to positive behaviors that can help end the triggers of ADHD-affected individuals. This type of gaming can help improve time management, significantly improve attention span, improve productivity, and also help in decreasing impulsivity, all of which go against the ADHD symptoms. In terms of ADHD and gaming, all you have to do is add behaviors or tasks in the squats that help fight the ADHD symptoms, for example adding “Wake up early tomorrow” can improve time management as mentioned before. This type of game can foster existing and new relationships and better attitudes toward social norms, which tend to be absent in ADHD-affected individuals.
Video Gaming and ADHD
When it comes to video gaming with ADHD, does gaming help with ADHD? Yes. Certain video games and gaming platforms specifically associated with ADHD can really help. How so? As mentioned before, if gaming with ADHD is supervised, hand-to-eye coordination can significantly be improved and gaming can also be used to form new and maintain social relationships. On top of it and with the help of video games that are specifically made for ADHD, the ability to disseminate one thing from another, which works slowly in ADHD people, can be taught. An ADHD gaming platform like this also focuses on improving attention span and instilling behavior that helps focus on tasks at hand with any distractions. These games directly target the part of the brain that is associated with executive functioning. So if you are asking, “Is gaming good for ADHD?” Your answer can be a resounding yes, especially considering the fact ADHD and gaming can also be positively correlated.
Read More: Calming Activities For ADHD in Children
What If Gaming And ADHD Don’t Work Out Together?
If gaming and ADHD don’t turn out some positive outcomes even if they do tend to have a positive correlation at times, all hope shouldn’t be lost. Treatment like psychotherapy and medication can help in this regard as these are adept like ADHD, for example, anxiety, OCD, or PTSD. In fact, ADHD and gaming-related stuff can complement these two treatment methods in the actual treatment.
Psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy like Exposure Behavioral Therapy, a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on removing the triggers of ADHD by exposing the patient to them gradually, so these triggers can lose power. Another one called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy focuses on mindfulness to treat ADHD symptoms.
Medication:
Medication can be separated into stimulants and non-stimulants. Stimulants target the central nervous system’s neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which can directly improve executive functioning and is the best type of medication to do so. But when the side-effects get too much then non-stimulants are used, which also target norepinephrine but without the side-effects. ADHD gaming can help complement both of these medication types.
Conclusion
ADHD and gaming of any kind are positively correlated and are also negatively correlated. Understanding that can help everyone who has to deal with gaming with ADHD can do wonders for them. If that doesn’t work out then treatments like psychotherapy or medication will always work, while ADHD gaming can help with these by complimenting them. When it comes to treatments like psychotherapy or medication are needed, then Inland Empire Behavioral Group can help!
