Often we find ourselves stressed from being overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated or for any number of reasons. And relieving that hurt is very important if you want to stay healthy. We understand you can’t quit your job or ignore your mother-in-law, but there are ways to take your stress and anger out on someone else without actually hurting them. Studies have shown that video games can help significantly with lowering stress levels.
A 2010 study conducted by Associate Professor Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson showed that both men and women who play violent video games long-term seem to be able to adopt mental skills to handle stress, become less depressed and get less hostile during stressful tasks. Ferguson actually suggested that violent video games could be used as a form of therapy to help people find a way to “work through their frustrations” in real life.
To get you started with your new ‘therapy’, we’ve found some very interesting free shooter games that are surely going to help you reduce your stress. On top of that, they’re browser games so there is no installation and you can sneak in 5–10 minutes of stress management during work hours. There’s also the added benefit of not having to own a strong PC to be able to play – you just need your browser and an internet connection.
Keep in mind that you might need to install the Unity Web Player, but after that you’ll be able to play any of the mentioned browser games. Also, you can’t play Unity games on Google Chrome because recent changes to the browser have made them unplayable. But don’t lose your cool, just use a different browser or wait for Chrome to fix it.
We do not condone violence, but if no one gets hurt for real, it’s not really violence. So let us begin your stress therapy:
BeGone
If you’ve ever heard of Call of Duty or enjoyed playing it, you’ll certainly appreciate this one. BeGone will let you take off some steam by pairing you with other players online. You will shoot it out on a battlefield until there is a final victor or the time limit is up. It’s your team against the enemy team so you can even get co-workers, relatives or friends to help with your ‘therapy’. The game is based on realistic modern day professional warfare giving you the feeling of being on a real battlefield.
FreeFall Tournament
Are you a Team Fortress 2 fan or waiting on Overwatch? FreeFall is a sci-fi third-person shooter where players can choose from 8 different classes, each equipped with unique abilities and weapons. While BeGone is more real world warfare, FreeFall lets you use high-tech weapons and devices to destroy your enemy, together with your team. In addition to letting you blow your stress away, the game features incredible aerial maneuvers that will make you feel lighter, but also allow you defy gravity and to get a better focus on your targets.
Deer Hunter 2015
If you’re more of a loner and a hunting fan, Deer Hunter 2015 is your right pick. This game brings the game hunting experience to your screens where you will lose track of time until prompted by your colleagues or boss, bringing you out of the virtual hunting environment where you will be hunting whitetail, tigers, rhinos and even snowmen. The entire hunting environment is replicated by a background score that helps in creating a sense of wilderness through your computer. This game sucks you in with a systematic increase in the difficulty level of hunting prey by increasing their agility with increase in levels.
Global Strike
Global Strike will offer a very versatile gameplay experience and you can change it up as your mood changes. Just mildly stressed? Play a normal deathmatch. Really stressed? Play as an infected mutant that rips everyone to shreds with your deadly claws. It has a variety of game modes, but a different, high-octane feel to it. You can play solo or with other players. There are no plugins required to play and the game has really low system requirements, but because of that the graphics quality isn’t what you might expect from a modern shooter.
Tanki Online
Like your guns to pack some more power? Tanki Online will provide you with a customizable tank to blast away your problems. The game tries to be close as possible to real physics so tanks get stuck in deep pits or fall down from bridges. There are a lot of game modes and you can have your fill of fun as the game is highly addictive. You will be run through a short tutorial and after registering you are able to fight other players… that also have tanks. It’s a great substitute for World of Tanks, and while graphics and actual gameplay cannot be compared, Tanki Online will ease your stress and raise your adrenaline.
While games can help alleviate your stress, it is important to remember that it cannot completely solve it. If you want to completely get rid of your stress, you will either have to remove its source from your environment. But if you really can’t do that, coping will just have to do and we hope this advice helps.
