This document discusses how playing video games can impact health and wellbeing. It introduces the occupation of video gaming and analyzes it using the Person-Environment-Occupation model. While video games can help with stress, cognition, and social connection, they can also increase aggression if violent. Overall, video games seem to have a mixed effect on the author's health and wellbeing physically, but positive impacts socially, cognitively, and psychologically.

2. Introduction
Introduce health and wellbeing through occupation
Introduce my occupation
Explain why it is an occupation and not an activity
Present and justify model of occupational analysis
Present a creative interpretation of occupational analysis
Discuss the impact of engaging in this occupation on my health
and wellbeing
Reflect on the process of producing an occupational analysis
Summarise the key issues

3. Health and Wellbeing Through
Occupation
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity” (The World Health Organization,
n.d.)
Well-being a subjective psychological state of how a
person is functioning (The World Health Organization,
2014)
“Health and wellbeing result from being in tune with
our occupational species' nature” (Wilcock, 1998, p.
123)

4. Health and Wellbeing Through
Occupation
Occupational deprivation, alienation and/or imbalance
all effect health and wellbeing (Wilcock, 1998)
Engagement in occupations is complex
(Whiteford, Townsend, & Hocking, 2000)
Occupation is “...life itself: that ubiquitous stream of
transactions between humans and their worlds that is
organized around recognizable activities from which
whole constellations of skills and routines, identities
and lifetimes, radiate” (Wood, 1998, p. 321)

5. Video Games
Activity “more
general, culturally shared
idea about a category of
action” (Pierce, 2001, p. 138)
Occupation is personally
constructed within a unique
context (Pierce, 2001)
Occupations are a person's
“daily life activities that they
find meaningful and
purposeful” (AOTA, 2002, p.
610)

6. Why Video Games Have Meaning
and Purpose to Me
Stress relief and to control anxiety (Olson et al.,
2008)
Lets you explore new worlds and try different roles
(Hefner et al., 2007)
Social and sense of belonging (Yee, 2006)
Sense of control (Olson, 2010)
Lets you recreate the world (Squire, 2008)
Educational (Olson, 2010)
Nostalgia
Introduces you to different types of media

7. The PEO Model
Law, M., Cooper, B., Strong, S., Stewart, D., Rigby,
P., & Letts, L. (1996). The person-environment-
occupation model: A transactive approach to
occupational performance. Canadian Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 63, pp. 9-23.
Person
OccupationEnvironment Occupational
Performance

8. The PEO Model
More efficient
Used previously in academic settings (Strong et al., 1999)
Effective in mental health (Strong & Rebeiro-Gruhl, 2011)
Easily understood by others (Strong et al., 1999; Strong &
Rebeiro-Gruhl, 2011)
Broad application means it can be used with other
perspectives and theories (Maclean et al., 2012; Strong et
al., 1999; Strong & Rebeiro-Gruhl, 2011)

9. Movie Time

15. Impact on health and wellbeing
Focusing on;
Anxiety
Cognitively
Physically
Socially
Psychologically

16. Anxiety

Regulate emotions (Olson et
al., 2008; Olson, 2010)
Escapism (Olson et al., 2008)
Keeps my attention (Gentile
and Gentile, 2008)
Like keeping hands busy

Can have opposite effect and
increase aggression and
depressive thoughts
(Anderson et al., 2010)
Might not always be available
Agency, mastery of virtual environment, peace of mind,
contentment, physically, productivity, socially

17. Cognitive

Helps problem-solving
(Prensky, 2012)
Helps creativity (Cooper et
al., 2010; Jackson et al., 2012;
Squire, 2008)
Alternative reality
(Gackenbach, 2006)

Could not find any research
showing negative effect on
creativity, imagination or
problem-solving
Helps me live a productive life and contribute to society

18. Physical

I don't eat while playing
Physical games (Biddiss and
Irwin, 2010)
Didn't have opportunities

Not physically taxing
Linked to obesity
(Vandewater et al., 2004)
Fast food in gaming culture
(Cronin and McCarthy, 2011)
Agency and mastery

19. Social

Can enhance prosocial
thoughts, empathy, and
helping (Gentile and
Gentile, 2008; Greitemeyer &
Osswald, 2011)
Violent games increase
prosocial thoughts if played
co-operatively (Ferguson and
Garza, 2011)

Desensitize players to
violence, decreases empathy
and helping (Bushman &
Anderson, 2009)
Violent games increase
aggressive thoughts, feelings
and behaviours (Anderson et
al., 2010)
Identity, connectedness, helps me form new relationships

20. Psychological

Feedback and reinforcement,
participation, difficulty
variables (Gentile and
Gentile, 2008)
Relentlessly optimistic
(McGonigal, 2011)

Can be addictive (Anderson
et al., 2010; Gentile, 2009)
Positive outlook on life, sense of achievement, participation

21. Reflection
What?...
...feelings did it evoke?...was good/bad about experience?
So what?...
...does this teach me?...broader issues arise from this?
Now what?...
...would I do differently next time?....might be the consequences
of this action?
Rolfe et al.'s (2001) reflective model

22. Summary
Occupation is central to health and wellbeing
Playing video games is one of my occupations and is
central to my health and wellbeing
Video games helps me deal with anxiety and helps me
socially, cognitively and psychologically
Video games have a mixed effect on me physically
I didn't realise how many different factors play a role
in my occupation

24. Any Questions?

25. References
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