Mindfulness for Gamers Creator Interview

The number of people struggling with their mental health is at an all-time high. After the pandemic and with just a short glance at the news, it’s very hard not to feel the tug of stress, anxiety and depression. I don’t often like to get personal in my articles but I myself have struggled mentally over the last few years. Living in the UK, finding support for mental health is quite a challenge.

Mindfulness for Gamers Creator Interview

Last year, though, I came across a delightful podcast, which I think has helped immensely in steering me in the right direction. That podcast was Mindfulness for Beginners. It is a lovely show hosted by Shaun Donaghy, an experienced mindfulness teacher who breaks down the fundamentals of Mindfulness in simple-to-digest episodes.

Recently, Shaun announced his next project, Mindfulness for Gamers. A podcast that makes mindfulness accessible and enjoyable for a gaming audience. A unique approach to mental wellbeing, offering a unique combination of mindfulness concepts and humour, setting out to reduce stress, depression and anxiety. 

I reached out to Shaun and he kindly took time out of his busy schedule to share his new project with us. Please enjoy.

For those of us who are new to it, could you summarize what mindfulness is?

Mindfulness is all about being present in the here and now, devoting your complete attention to whatever you’re experiencing without passing judgment. It’s often referred to as ‘the art of stopping’ because, amidst the chaos of our thoughts and actions, it offers a pause—a moment to rest and safeguard our mental well-being. This means directing our focus to our current experiences.

Why Mindfulness for Gamers? How did this idea come together?

I’ve been hosting the “Mindfulness for Beginners” podcast for the last four years, steadily building an audience. I was asked by Yogscast / Pickaxe if I would create something similar aimed at gamers – I thought it would be a great way to reach a new audience and make a difference in people’s lives. Typically, mindfulness appeals to an older audience, but young people need support, too – the evidence shows that mental health is deteriorating, especially post-pandemic. 

Mindfulness for Gamers Podcast

What are some of your favourite video games? (Old or New)

This could be a very long list! When I think of my favourite games, I typically think of Final Fantasy 7 (probably the best video game story ever told), Super Punch Out on the SNES, Pokemon 3rd gen, Goldeneye on the N64, Skyrim and Legend of Zelda. A lot of the episodes will start with this kind of game as the introduction to a mindfulness concept – for example, in the first episode, Pokemon is used as the vehicle to introduce mindfulness as a way to reduce our anxiety.  These days I’m more of a casual gamer, games like Overcooked are more my pace. 

In the trailer for the upcoming podcast, you link games to real-life issues. Are there any games that you’ve played which helped you? For example, lessons you’ve learned.

Yes, definitely – there are a few, actually!

• Minecraft taught me to feel gratitude for the basics in life – shelter, food, etc. I’m going to talk about this in one of the early episodes!
• Tetris – sometimes life will throw you a piece that doesn’t fit; better to accept it and roll with it
• Legend of Zelda – the power of compassion and helping people – which I’ll also talk about in one of the early episodes
• Overcooked – put the burger bun on the plate first, THEN the burger 😉

If you were to make a video game based on Mindfulness, what would you call it?

I’d probably make some kind of RPG when the player goes on a quest to achieve something but instead learns to let go and enjoy the people and life around them. Zen by stealth! That would probably be a good name for it, too…

What do you hope people will take from the podcast?

Ultimately I want people to give mindfulness a try, the aim is to plant the seed so that people can learn the basics and start to make it part of their lives. It made a huge difference to me (especially my anxiety), so I want the same for others. 

The podcast is pretty light-hearted, so I’d also hope that people have a few laughs along the way, too; mindfulness can sometimes be taught in a dry, serious way, but I think it can be fun and enjoyable.

Are there any teases you can give us before the first three episodes air? For example, the games that will feature and topics covered.

The first three episodes will launch together on the 7th of February – episode 1 will cover the basics of mindfulness using Pokemon as the intro story, episode 2 will talk about the most difficult games of all time and how we can use our breath to ease our frustration when the difficulty setting of life is too high. Episode 3 talks about Skyrim and how letting go of our attachments in life can lead us to happiness and peace. Lots more to come – including Minecraft, Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid...

How did you come about teaching mindfulness? Has it always been an interest of yours?

I’ve always felt a lot of anxiety, but I could never find anything that would help with it. Then, around 15 years ago, I started doing yoga as a way to reduce running injuries – I found that I started to feel calmer for the first time in my life. I joined a mindfulness group and felt a huge difference to my wellbeing from the first session (I actually felt incredible afterwards – but this is not typical, it can take a while to feel the impact!). 

Once I learned the basics over the next few years I began sharing them with a meditation group I set up at work. I started recording sessions so that people could listen back later, setting up the “Mindfulness for Beginners” podcast and was surprised when people in the USA, Australia, etc started listening too. It all started as a bit of an accident and snowballed!

Do you have any other ideas for podcasts based on mindfulness? If so, what would their focus be? For example, Mindfulness for Gardeners.

I’ve thought about this and you could extend the concept quite a bit – Mindfulness for Movie Lovers, Mindfulness for Sports Fans…. its all about trying to reach people who wouldn’t normally consider meditation and getting them to try. Mindfulness for Gardeners is a great idea! Gardening is a hugely mindful activity and the two would blend together really well. Sadly I don’t have green fingers, keeping a spider plant alive is about the best I can do. 🙂

Final Thoughts

Are there any last comments you would like to share before the Mindfulness for Gamers debuts?

Thank you again, and I’d encourage your readers to give mindfulness a try – ten minutes a day for a month can have a real impact on your peace and mental health. It helped me, and I want it to help you too!

I’d like to thank Shaun for taking the time out of their busy schedule to speak with us and giving such amazing answers. I, for one, will be thinking of that Tetris quote often.

Mindfulness for Gamers launches on February 7th available on Spotify, Apple podcasts and Amazon Music.

Lastly, if you’re struggling with your mental health, please do not be afraid to reach out for help. Whether that’s talking to a loved one or a health professional. You matter.