Video Games That Saved My Life

Video games have saved my life.

Levelling up is hard. Every day presents a new challenge, and if you’re not in the right frame of mind for whatever reason, it’s less of a challenge and more of an intensive slog. The most difficult thing in the world could be something as mundane as getting out of bed in the morning. Showing up to work can be an obstacle course, and social interactions can be so exhausting that they warrant a short nap immediately afterwards – preferably away from said interaction. We don’t want people thinking we are weird. Sometimes, solace can be found in unreal places. Places like films, comics, books – or the wild and wonderful lands which open up when pressing the “on” button on an SNES.

They can give a normal person a way to be a hero. They can give someone who is struggling to cope with work the chance to save the world. They can provide a roller-coaster of emotions when you’re feeling numb. A goal when your life feels like it has no aim, and exhilaration when the most dizzying part of real life is standing up too quickly.

This book aims to be a relatable story of struggling through the barriers that poor mental health can place on anyone, regardless of their age, background or circumstance. But it won’t all be doom and gloom – famous and obscure video games will be covered too, from some of the most jaw- dropping experiences on recent consoles way back to the pixel-perfect world of 1980s gaming.

Using a gaming-based approach, we’ll talk about:

• The importance of defining goals
• Anxiety management
• Levelling up in real life
• Avoiding becoming a “game zombie”
• Learning to fail

If life is a video game, it’s the best one you will ever play. This book is for anyone who has dark days, anyone who feels lost, and anyone who loves to pick up a controller (not a rubbish, knock-off one, though). Packed with gaming facts and relatable experiences, this is the story of how the Konami code unlocked the biggest secret of all – staying alive.