In November 2022, I suffered from severe panic attacks, and I still don't feel easy writing about it. I've been thinking about what helped me reduce them, and for sure, one of the main factors was games - video games.

Life is hard when you can't control anything. Everything is falling apart, and you have no idea what to do. What if you had a space where you could hide and feel safe, where you don't expect any bad thing to happen?

The game that helped me a lot was World of Warcraft Classic. You start without any rush; you slowly choose a nice-looking character. You enter a world with magnificent rocks around you and people doing something you don't yet understand. You see an orc with a big yellow exclamation mark, and intuitively, you know exactly what to do.

"Video games can be effectively used to address some of the symptoms of anxiety disorders, help treat general symptoms of anxiety, reduce measures of social anxiety, and promote anxiety prevention."

Kowal, M., Conroy, E., Ramsbottom, N., Smithies, T., Toth, A., & Campbell, M. (2021). Gaming Your Mental Health: A Narrative Review on Mitigating Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using Commercial Video Games. JMIR Serious Games, 9(2), e26575.

I am going to be fine - it's just a shopping mall. But what if I can't? What if it happens again? Where is the exit? Are there any windows? The ceiling is so heavy, I don't see any exit signs. I'm not sure I can get out of here. Let's not panic. I got here somehow - I must remember how to get out. Oh, this ceiling, it's going to crash me. What's with my vision, what's with my breath? It's scary. Just breathe!

Where do I go now? I've been given a task to kill 10 Mottled Boars. Doesn't look that hard, but where are they? They must be somewhere close. I start looking around and see one right under a big rock. I wonder what I should do to actually kill this monster. Seems like I have to click the only button on my panel—and it works! I easily kill this boar, and the text immediately appears: "Mottled Boar slain 1/10." Nice! I just need to do it 9 more times. The rocks around me are so amazing!

This is so strange. I have enemies around me, but I feel safe. They are not aggressive—they just wait for me to detest them. I know the result of such an encounter, but it doesn't feel boring so far, since I am exploring the world. With each new message, "Mottled Boar slain 2/10," I get a bit more calm. This repetitive action feels like meditation. I don't need to worry—I have a clear goal. I am amazed by the world and the monumental classical music. This world feels so real!

"Games reduce anxiety by providing control and predictability through clear cause-effect relationships and safe experimentation. This perceived control activates calming physiological responses and compensates for real-world unpredictability."

Bouchard, S., Bernier, F., Boivin, É., Morin, B., & Robillard, G. (2019). Using virtual reality to provide a naturalistic setting for the treatment of social anxiety disorder: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 967.