Mental Health A Topic of Focus at TwitchCon Las Vegas

Mental health emerged as a much needed topic of conversation at TwitchCon Las Vegas this past weekend for the first time at the gaming sector’s largest annual event. A panel conversation with the likes of Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, Emmalee “EMUHLEET” Garrido, Joey “Keeoh” Winkler, Erin Ashley Simon and Grant "Your Narrator" Etzler, covered a range of topics centered around mental health and gaming. The conversation was hosted by the Ruderman Family Foundation and New Meta Entertainment, Inc. (NME). In addition, NME and the Foundation created an event space at TwitchCon where talent and fans connected with mental health resources.

In regard to his meet and greet and interaction with his fans, Bugha stated, “It’s always good to give back to the youth gaming community and this panel and booth do just that. Through my previous initiatives with Five Below where we provided more access to gaming by offering more affordable gaming equipment; to something as simple as not drinking soda on stream to set positive examples for the kids in my community, I am always actively thinking about youth initiatives and how I can be a positive impact in the gaming community.”

During the panel, a new report was unveiled which analyzes the potential role of gaming as an innovative solution to the escalating youth mental health crisis in America, released by the Ruderman Family Foundation and The Public Good Projects (PGP).

According to the white paper, titled “Harnessing the Power of Gaming to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis,” the popularity of gaming — which is enjoyed by 71% of U.S. youth and over 215 million active gamers in the U.S. alone — makes it a creative avenue for reaching youths who are struggling with mental health challenges. At the same time, there is a need for more information on how to use gaming to support the mental health of youth and young adults in a culturally competent way.

The Foundation commissioned the white paper study with PGP to help the public better understand the mental health implications of gaming. The report identifies the role that gaming companies, mental health professionals, researchers, trusted adults in young gamers' lives, and even gamers themselves can play in making the gaming space a more supportive environment for youth and young adult gamers’ mental health. It also offers recommendations for gaming companies, including in the realm of acknowledging and prioritizing mental health, creating and sharing resources, creating a standardized warning system for troubling content, preventing toxicity, and addressing toxicity after it occurs.

When discussing the impact of Twitch Chat as it relates to his own mental health, Keeoh shared, “Chat and the social interactions you get to have with so many people you wouldn’t ever run into on a daily basis are incredibly beautiful in some ways. However, it has its downsides with people also being able to be completely anonymous, allowing them to say some pretty egregious things without repercussions. Bringing light to the solutions, tools and resources creators and streamers can use to deal with this polarization is exactly the intent of the report.”

Over the years, the Ruderman Family Foundation has become synonymous for its work to end the stigma associated with mental health across a myriad of different sectors, including education, sports and entertainment. Bringing this expertise to the world of gaming, the Foundation seeks to respond to the escalating youth mental health crisis — which sees an alarming 42% of U.S. high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — by seeing an opportunity to reach an unprecedented number of today’s youth. It represents a key step in the Foundation’s expansion of its extensive work within the mental health space.

“Given the severity of today’s mental health crisis, we cannot ignore the immense potential of gaming in our pursuit of helping Americans and especially the country’s youth gain greater access to indispensable mental health support,” said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation. “Gaming offers a unique platform for fostering social connections, honing valuable life skills, and imparting essential life lessons. That is why initiatives such as our new study as well as the panel at TwitchCon are poised to make a tremendous impact by raising much-needed awareness around gaming’s role in solving mental health challenges.”

Now, as the Official Mental Health Partner of NME, the Foundation is partnering with NME’s Dignitas esports organization to enhance an inclusive and supportive environment for gaming fans and esports professionals everywhere.