“The urge to play a violent video game in the midst of the most brutal land war in Europe since World War II may seem baffling. But it’s a way to cope.”

  • coyotino [he/him]
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    1211 months ago

    I imagine it is popular because it feels relevant. Like the article said, the goal is disassociation to cope with the experience of war. If you are all engrossed in a game about virtual tanks, I imagine that makes it feel more like a game when you are on a real battlefield with real tanks.

  • @whataboutshutup
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    911 months ago

    One ukrainian military psychologist and youtuber I’ve watched, Філософ Рептилоїд, frequently said how him bringing a laptop with games to a barrack set up a better overall atmosphere in a combat unit. Gaming is intense and occupying enough activity to distract one from fatigue of the battlefield for a couple of hours. Guess, even wargames work.

    • coyotino [he/him]
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      511 months ago

      Thank you for sharing! I think the article is saying that people are playing WOT on their phones, but this is still an interesting perspective I had not heard before.