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Buddhist leader says video games are cathartic
24-year-old Ogyen Trinley Dorje wasn't selected, in childhood, as the 17th Karmapa* (think: the Dalai Lama of a different sect of Tibetan Buddhism) for his suitability with the modern world, but he's still a fan of a number of aspects of popular culture. In a recent interview with The Times of India, the Tibetan Buddhist leader's aforementioned fanhood surfaced while discussing the cathartic properties of video games. "For me sometimes it can be a relief, a kind of decompression to just play some video games," the Karmapa explained. "If I'm having some negative thoughts or negative feelings, video games are one way in which I can release that energy in the context of the illusion of the game. I feel better afterwards." Forget all the studies arguing this point -- when it comes to video games' therapeutic properties, we're inclined to believe the input of a professional meditator. *It should be noted that there is a dispute over who is the 17th Karmapa. Trinley Thaye Dorje has also been recognized as the current Karmapa by some authorities. Maybe they could settle it once and for all in a proper match of Madden or something?[Via Kotaku; image credit: Prince Roy]
