The campaign comes as billions of people across the globe are being asked to remain at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Essaouira – Twitter has launched a wellness campaign in the MENA region, aiming to tackle mental and physical health issues within the gaming community.
The campaign, known as #alwaysplayitright, comes as more and more people are stuck at home behind computer screens amid the social distancing and lockdown measures in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Twitter is collaborating with high profile gamers in the region to raise awareness about the importance of balance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Saad Alsmari, a gaming content creator and founder of Multicreators, is among the well-known collaborators. “The openness of Twitter has brought the gaming community in the region together,” he said.
“Gaming is a social experience, especially when playing multiplayer games,” Alsmari emphasized. “We hope that we can inspire our fellow gamers to focus on healthy gaming, especially during this time.”
Twitter is an important platform for gamers all over the world, and the international gaming community uses the social network to release games and software and to discuss or connect with new games and other gamers.
In 2019 alone, the twittersphere saw 1.2 billion tweets about gaming. In the same year, gaming hashtags were among the most used in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world more widely.
“While gaming has been a key conversation on Twitter in recent years, we wanted to tackle the issue of wellness in the digital arena,” Twitter’s director of partnerships in the MENA region Kinda Ibrahim commented.
“By raising public awareness of the tactics gamers can implement in relation to their overall wellness, we hope people can engage in healthy conversations surrounding their interests, especially in this time of uncertainty,” Ibrahim added.
The partnership director underlined the importance of the campaign during the coronavirus pandemic, saying: “In light of the current global situation, as social distancing becomes the norm, there was no better time to enhance our focus on the wellbeing of people.”
The campaign involves physical challenges, already taken up by high profile gamers who will tweet videos of their sports exploits, and conversations with health experts.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Meshal Alaqeel broadcast an online chat hosted by True Gaming on April 7.
“There are both positive and negative impacts to be found within gaming, with balance and commitment to ensure the positive outweighs the negative,” Dr. Alaqeel explained.
“Gaming should not be viewed through a black and white lens,” the psychiatrist said. “Studies have found that video games help improve attention, alertness, and often aid with dyslexia. Gaming has also been used as a tool to develop fine motor skills.”
Alaqeel emphasized the importance and the campaign’s positive potential and encouraged gamers to focus on their psychological wellbeing and join the conversation on Twitter.
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