Can Anxiety Affect Your Gaming Experience on Twitch?

Nowadays, anxiety disorders are affecting people all over the world. So you may not be surprised to know that online gamers also experience anxiety issues. The reasons behind the anxiety may differ from person to person. For example, some gamers experience anxiety when they think about how to get more Twitch followers. Others might become anxious thinking about how to get Twitch viewers.

On the contrary, having a huge fan following might also show symptoms of anxiety in the gamers since they may get nervous when they think of facing a large community. In addition to this, the gamers may also get anxious because they are running from their problems. Let me elaborate on this point for you.

Anxiety can affect the Twitch gaming experience to a large extent but first, it is important to know how games actually cause anxiety. Well, there is a reason why every gamer is in this field. Many gamers play video games because they like doing that, yet there are a number of gamers who play games in order to distract themselves from bullying, household issues, relationship issues, or otherworldly problems.

A number of studies have been done in order to explore this relationship. One such study did fMRI scans to study the activity of the brain when a person is playing games. We know that amygdala is responsible for dealing with negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. When the fMRI scans of the game players were studied, it was revealed that as soon as the person starts playing the game, the amygdala calms down. Hence, playing video games helps escape and suppress negative emotions.

Now when game players are unable to play games due to any reason, they experience heightened anxiety. This anxiety can interfere in their gaming experience and impact their social, emotional, psychological, and physical life to a great deal. Gamers also fail to understand that playing games is not an effective solution for dealing with their problems in the long run and the consequences are devastating.

So there is a huge list of why gamers get anxious. Here, the main question arises, can anxiety influence your gaming experience on Twitch? Well, let’s find out.

Effects of Anxiety on Gaming Experience on Twitch

The following are profound effects of anxiety on gaming experience on Twitch:

1. Effect of Anxiety on Preparation

Your game preparation determines your success on Twitch. The more you practice, the more are the chances of winning. Experiencing the symptoms of anxiety can interfere with your preparation routine. When you are anxious, you may procrastinate and make scenarios in mind instead of doing preparation in real terms. In this way, you will not be able to manage the time properly and hence this can lead to a poor gaming experience causing a reduction in your followers.

2. Decrease in the Level of Concentration

Anxiety can also decrease your concentration level. Some common symptoms of anxiety include fatigue, nausea, and headache. When you are experiencing the symptoms, you are unable to focus on the game. This can cause a hindrance to your gaming experience and you might not be able to show your gaming skills. This can reduce the interest of followers in viewing your stream, and thus lead to a decrease in total followers.

3. Effect of Anxiety on Your Interaction with Your Followers

Anxiety also leaves an impact on how you interact with your followers. When experiencing anxiety symptoms, you would want to spend time alone and refrain from going in front of large crowds in an attempt to avoid anxiety attacks. When you are unable to face your followers and fail to give them quality content, you would lose a significant number of followers and ultimately lose your mark on Twitch.

4. Withdrawal Due to Anxiety

Twitch was made for you to be facing your audience and giving them a chance to get inspired by you. As explained earlier, if you are unable to face the large community waiting for your appearance, you would fail to make your mark on this platform. Experiencing symptoms of anxiety can make the situation even worse. Stress caused due to anxiety can make you step back and withdraw from the gaming industry.

5. Anxiety and Gaming Routine

         Last, but not the least, anxiety affects your gaming routine. Well, honestly speaking, consistency is the key. If you stop playing games, streaming online, making videos, and creating content for your fans, you are giving the signal to your followers to unfollow you. Hence, being active on Twitch is the key to get all this support from your followers and make a mark on this platform that seems impossible if you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety. This is because anxiety can make you feel tired and exhausted, making it difficult to follow your gaming routine.

So this is how anxiety can affect you and your gaming experience in a number of ways. This is something that is alarming and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you feel you are getting anxious and feel like giving up, take it seriously and make sure to consult relevant practitioners because health is wealth!