News
Results Are In: Gamer-Con Social Events in Spain and Ireland
Between November and December 2025, our partners BACKSLASH (Spain) and Unofficial Media & Training (Ireland) ran a series of online gaming social events for young people aged 18 to 25 navigating loneliness, uncertainty or difficult life transitions. Both partners have now published their Event Reports, and the results confirm what the project set out to test: gaming, paired with thoughtful facilitation, can be a genuine gateway to social connection and open conversations about well-being.
BACKSLASH ran two sessions built around League of Legends with 19 registered participants, using the project's "Check-In, Play, Check-Out" framework. UMT took a different route, running ten Minecraft sessions with a core group of 15 young people, who worked together to build a holiday-themed island while discussing topics like mindfulness, stress and anxiety.
The results were striking in both countries: up to 93% of participants reported feeling more socially connected and less stressed, and the large majority said the sessions made it easier to talk about their emotions — often for the first time. In Ireland, every single respondent reported having made a social connection through gaming that continued outside the sessions.
"Seeing that I wasn't the only one worrying about the future, it really helps to talk about it as a group."
— Gamer-Con Spain participant
"From these sessions it has eased the fear of my future — it has given me a better outlook on life."
— Gamer-Con Ireland participant
Communication and teamwork were the most commonly strengthened skills across both countries, and both teams recommend continuing the sessions beyond this pilot, given the clear demand expressed by participants.
Gamer-Con is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (2024-3-IS01-KA210-YOU-000288127), led by Rafíþróttasamtök Íslands (Iceland) in partnership with BACKSLASH (Spain) and Unofficial Media and Training Limited (Ireland).
