Discovery Advice Column

With Ivan Frazee & Haylee Kohler

My fish are really ugly and my mom wants to get rid of them but I'd feel bad for getting rid of them because they're ugly. I love them butthey'rejustsougly.

All I have to say is, don’t judge a fish by its cover. If you love your fish, keep them! They’re your pets so appreciate them while they’re around. Knowing fish, their lifespans are short enough, so let them live it out with you. I’m sorry your fish aren’t appealing to the eye, maybe decorate their tank to distract?

I have really bad social anxiety, and was wondering if you all had any advice on how to helpbemoresocial?

I previously experienced very bad social anxiety in middle school, as many have, and what I can say that helped me is to know that everyone around you is experiencing similar feelings to you are. They may also have social anxiety, or they may be happy because their friend said something nice, or they are excited they have a favorite food for lunch. People are in their own world thinking their own thoughts, which are unlikely to have a stranger in them, so no need to worry!

How do I find someone that will love me for who I am? I long for a relationship yet i cannotgetone.

Just be you! Someday someone will find an interest in you for who you truly are. Don’t try to be someone you’re not to try to impress someone or make yourself seem “more attractive,” whatever that means you’re pretty for who you are.

Students’ mental health affected by video games

Students in Camas have experienced both positive and negative side effects from gaming.

By: Willow Nusbaum & Bee Logan

Despite it being a very popular belief that video games can only affect mental health negatively, for some (as dictated by a set of interviews conducted by Discovery Digest), video games can affect their mental healthpositively.

While most students at Discovery High School (DHS) can say they play video games, four students were interviewed that Discovery Digest believed to be avid video game players. Those students were Colton Shaw, RileyVelazquez-Ridley,ZimriBaxter,andOrrinBrown. “Ithinkboth[positiveandnegativeeffects]cangohand inhand,”Velazquezstatedwhenaskedhowvideogames affect his mental health. “There are definitely some games that facilitate toxic behavior in people, like yelling at your teammates over something they did in a gameandsuch.”

“As for positive experiences,” Velazquez said. “I've beentarting to play this farmer simulator, and it has beenreallyfunanditisnottoounhealthysinceIplayit by myself. It has cutesy little art and it is a good sstress-freewaytojustunwindafterschool.”

Velazquez is referring to the game Stardew Valley, a farming simulator game, unlike many games, it is not massmultiplayer,andinfactcooperative,allowingyou to play with friends. This also creates a calmer gaming experience, rather than that of the toxicity from strangers.

Video games being used as a coping mechanism or an escape seems to be prominent among students. Shaw and Baxter highlighted gaming’s proficiency in providing relief from negative mental health circumstances.

“Yes I do I have a lot of anxiety sometimes,” Shaw stated. “It can help to have something either calming, orsomethingthatIenjoytotakemymindoffofthings thataregoingoninmylife.”

“I believe they provide a very positive impact to my mentalhealth,andgivemeanextracopingmechanism duringroughtimes,”saidBaxter.

“I think it's been / ,” Brown, a Camas High School student, stated. “I enjoy [video games], they provide entertainment, but overall I think there's better sources of entertainment that are less damaging to positivehabitsandsuch.”

ThereweresomenegativestovideogamesthatBrown spokeon.

“Slapshot: Rebound ruined my social life, as it was too hardformetograspandhonestlywasjustdestroying every single habit I had,” Brown said. Video game addiction can be harmful, and cause you to stop doing everyday activities you normally would.“Teeth went unbrushed, beds unmade, dogs.... Unfed,” stated Brown,“Nevertouching Slapshot:Rebound again.”

These interviews were of teenagers from our high school,thesespecificstudentsrangingfromages - . Discovery Digest believes views on video games can vary from generation to generation, especially depending on if the given person partakes in video games, or if they know about them. Different circumstancescanaltersomeone’sbeliefonthematter. SomehighschoolstudentsinCamasmightreallyenjoy video games as a stress reliever, while others who are older could find it stressful and violent. The effects of videogamescanvaryfrompersontoperson,therefore Digest readers should tailor their gaming habits and experience to what suits them best, not what others believeisbest.

Students were also asked what their first gaming experiencewas.

“Thatwasalongtimeago,they’vealwayskindabeena little bit of part of my life, but I'd say probably when I wasfiveorsoplayingontheWii,”Shawstated. When Velazquez was asked the same question, he stated that he had a different introduction to gaming through the popular social media video platform YouTube.

“A few years after I moved to America, I experienced my first interaction with Minecraft YouTubers in the s,” Velazquez said. “The first game I remember vividlyimpactingmylifewas Minecraft.”