Jonathan Davis Reveals How Gaming Helped His Recovery from Blood-Clotting Disorder | Revolver

Jonathan Davis Reveals How Gaming Helped His Recovery from Blood-Clotting Disorder

Korn frontman show off his "Toy Story 3" and "Attack on Titan" skills

Here's something you may not know about Jonathan Davis: When he's not screaming his heart out in the studio or onstage, the Korn frontman can be found glued to the TV, playing video games. Recently, the California musician sat down with Rolling Stone's gaming website Glixel to detail his lifelong love affair with video games, a hobby the 46-year-old father of three considers a potent form of therapy, rather than a mere pastime. 

When it comes to avenues for digital escapism, Davis doesn't play around: The Korn singer always packs his trusty Xbox One with him when the band goes on tour, along with several backup consoles in the event of an emergency. "The reason I play games is to escape," Davis explains, "and this is one hell of a good escape." He goes on to recall his painful battle with immune thrombocytopenic purpura — a blood disorder which interferes with blood clotting — in 2006, and the powerful role video games played in his recovery. "I really got into video games just to take my mind off [it]," he revealed. "I thought I was going to die at the time. Video games, to me, have always been therapeutic." 

And what of Davis' favorites? "I like the kids games the best," he explains cheerfully, as we watch him play a few rounds of "Toy Story 3," "Attack on Titan" and "Slime Rancher." Coming from the frontman of one of the most provocative nu-metal bands of all time, the answer might seem a bit surprising — not that Davis cares: "I don't give a fuck," he quips. "I just play to play."