In a War of Tanks, Ukrainian Soldiers Play World of Tanks Online (NYTimes)
nytimes.com
"The urge to play a violent video game in the midst of the most brutal land war in Europe since World War II may seem baffling. But it’s a way to cope."
"The urge to play a violent video game in the midst of the most brutal land war in Europe since World War II may seem baffling. But it’s a way to cope."
I imagine it is popular because it feels relevant. Like the article said, the goal is disassociation to cope with the experience of war. If you are all engrossed in a game about virtual tanks, I imagine that makes it feel more like a game when you are on a real battlefield with real tanks.
One ukrainian military psychologist and youtuber I've watched, Філософ Рептилоїд, frequently said how him bringing a laptop with games to a barrack set up a better overall atmosphere in a combat unit. Gaming is intense and occupying enough activity to distract one from fatigue of the battlefield for a couple of hours. Guess, even wargames work.
Thank you for sharing! I think the article is saying that people are playing WOT on their phones, but this is still an interesting perspective I had not heard before.