Full paper · 2024

Playing Through Tough Times: Exploring the Relationship between Game Aspects and Coping Strategies during Difficult Life Challenges

Mirhadi, S., Iacovides, J., & Denisova, A.

JournalSCImago Journal Rank: PACM HCI, first quartile: SJR Q1Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI PLAY 2024), 2024

Heat map of 194 coded instances linking coping strategies (emotion-focused, avoidance, meaning-focused, social and problem-focused) to game aspects; emotion-focused coping linked to challenge was the most common pairing. — Open full-size image

In short

Games can help people through hard times, but which parts of a game help, and how? We surveyed 130 people about the games they played during difficult life challenges.

Key findings

We identified 31 game aspects in 6 categories that players found helpful or harmful.
Games supported emotion-focused, avoidance and meaning-focused coping.
Emotion-focused coping was most often linked to challenge: overcoming difficulty gave players a sense of competence.

Read and cite

PDF (accepted version) Publisher's version (DOI)

APA citation

Mirhadi, S., Iacovides, J., & Denisova, A. (2024). Playing Through Tough Times: Exploring the Relationship between Game Aspects and Coping Strategies during Difficult Life Challenges. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CHI PLAY), Article 332. https://doi.org/10.1145/3677097

Line of work

This paper · 2024Playing Through Tough Times: Exploring the Relationship between Game Aspects and Coping Strategies during Difficult Life Challenges
Followed by · 2026Seeing Your Own Mind Playing Out on the Screen: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of Video Games as Dynamic Coping Systems

More on this topic

Narrative-Driven VR Exergames for Active Older Adults: Examining the Impact of Narrative Styles and Themes on Motivation and User Experience JournalCORE journal ranking: CORE AZhou, M., Jin, M., Peng, X., Stawarz, K., Denisova, A., Huang, J., & Barathi, S. C. · 2026 · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies PDF of Narrative-Driven VR Exergames for Active Older Adults: Examining the Impact of Narrative Styles and Themes on Motivation and User Experience Publisher's version of Narrative-Driven VR Exergames for Active Older Adults: Examining the Impact of Narrative Styles and Themes on Motivation and User Experience
The Future of Games in Society (Manifesto from Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25102) Drachen, A., Pirker, J., Nacke, L. E., Canossa, A., Denisova, A., Deterding, S., Flick, C., Freeman, G., Frommel, J., Gerling, K., Harteveld, C., Hayes, A., Hirsch, L., Kowert, R., Kriglstein, S., Loria, E., Mandryk, R. L., Melhart, D., Mirza-Babaei, P., Rogers, K., Seif El-Nasr, M., Vanden Abeele, V., Wallner, G., Wohn, D., Young, R. M., & Zünd, F. · 2026 · Dagstuhl Manifestos, 1(1) Dagstuhl 25102 page PDF of The Future of Games in Society (Manifesto from Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25102)Publisher's version of The Future of Games in Society (Manifesto from Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25102)
Acceptability of a Plasticity-Focused Serious Game Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: User Requirements Analysis JournalJones, M., Denisova, A., Mitchell, S., & Owen, T. · 2019 · JMIR Serious Games PDF of Acceptability of a Plasticity-Focused Serious Game Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: User Requirements Analysis Publisher's version of Acceptability of a Plasticity-Focused Serious Game Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: User Requirements Analysis