It was stress-induced insomnia. I had the twitches real bad. Beyond "can't fall asleep", I was unable to even lay still. It was a perfect bedtime-- nice weather outside, cool bed inside, everyone else asleep, dark, no noisy neighbors, and I was loving none of it. I was simply vibrating with, oh, stress, or pent up energy, or maybe just an all-body ADD moment.

When this sort of thing had hit previously, I'd tried meditation, reading, movies, sex (when available), even alcohol. While all were pleasurable, they didn't remove the odd state that had come upon me. They just made time pass quicker.

Maybe I suck at meditation. Reading is a lovely pastime but doesn't let me disengage enough physically from the eternal background in my mind. Movies are a great distraction but any lurking thoughts inevitably return at the end. Alcohol just results in my body feeling jumpy but somehow too lazy to act on it, which doesn't really help the mental sleeplessness aspect.

So last night I bit the bullet and brought out the big mojo. My Nintendo DS, the adventure game 'Hotel Dusk', starting at scene 1. Four hours later, I'd wrapped up the first chapter, my body relaxed, my mind at ease. Feel asleep like a baby... no, wait, many babies suck at falling asleep on cue, make that fell asleep like a soldier. Woke the next morning and, despite being four hours down on sleep, was more awake and alert than a usual night.

Games are pretty potent at changing mental states. They aren't passive, like books and movies, but they do share the escapist pleasures of those media. Both body and mind get engaged, no doubt theta waves start humming, and you get to simultaneously be living in the moment yet disengaged from the stresses and rigors of the real world.

Perhaps my gaming self-therapy is a homemade version of this study from 2006 via NPR: "Researchers studying Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are lauding the development of video games that reward focus and concentration by using electrodes to monitor players' brainwaves. Many clinicians are embracing the technology as a useful treatment tool for young patients suffering from ADD."

What impresses me is gaming can work to calm me down. It's cheaper than therapy. And there are other gaming benefits that can enhance one's life.

Arguing with someone, getting into confrontations? A few hours of co-op console or PC play together can be a true bonding experience. One easily puts hostilities aside when sharing the screen against hordes of undead. Sure, maybe the other person has a tendency to ninja loot, but as long as the big boss gets axed, you're all in it together. Call it team building or simply displacement of aggression, but I've seen it work in office politics and father-daughter disputes equally well.

And are not RPGs the best excuse to get together since beer? At this stage in my life, most of my friends are very busy with career, family, stuff in general. Outside of big event parties, it's hard to carve out time to just 'hang out'. So the two reasons we use to get together with folks are eating or RPGing. And if your budget restricts eating out a lot, that leaves RPGing as the great social motivator.

Folks like me that won't drive 30 minutes just to converse will carve out a chunk of time and drive an hour if you schedule a game. It gives a centerpiece to the occasion. And within the context of the RPG, much socializing and updating of lives will occur. Running an RPG is like throwing a spontaneous small soiree. That's why it's called a party of adventurers.

And if your lives have drifted apart so you don't have as much common ground, the RPG itself is a framework that you can always share and relate to. No matter what, there will always be the game. RPGing is a way of staying in touch despite life's trials.

So, my belief is that gaming in its myriad forms can cure insomnia, defeat ADD, reestablish togetherness, maintain community bonds, and rebuild friendships. So next time, try gaming. It'll fix what ails you. Tell 'em Dr. Sandy said so.

Until next month,
Sandy (sandy@rpg.net)