Grief and gaming - The escapists playground

<p dir="ltr">What if escapism is a healthy tool for coping with grief.</p><p dir="ltr">My thesis aims to breakdown the stigma often associated with escapism and instead tie it to inner healing. I use the dual process model to create a pathway for coping with grief and show how video games play a part in the healing journey (Stroebe and Schutt, 1999).</p><p dir="ltr">Through my analysis of the film Ready Player One (2018), I demonstrate the effects of video games on the grieving person. Furthermore, I discuss the role which virtual worlds have played on Generation Z, as it is the first fully online generation. This area of study is relevant as this is the next generation to make an impact as they begin to enter the working world.</p><p dir="ltr">Seeking therapy and working towards understanding our own emotions and how to deal with them is becoming increasingly more accepted. This is why areas of study that include the understanding of emotions are important and relevant. By connecting video games, a media which is comforting to many who play them, to grief, one of the most uncertain emotions, hopefully people can begin to grow around their grief to be able to move forward. The focus of this thesis is on allowing oneself to escape to the inner worlds provided in gaming to make strides towards healing.</p>