ImmersionGaming22 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 (edited) Hey all, i hope everyone is well! 🙂 Im sorry for the lack of interaction from me over the past few weeks, but ive separated from my partner of 20+ years and as im sure you can appreciate, ive not been in a very chatty mood, to say the least! 😞 Anyway the above is what made me think about this topic, as after the separation i threw myself into some large open world games (Dying Light one and two), that i knew would keep me occupied for hours and hours, as a way to distract myself from my reality and give me something else to focus on. Obviously it wont take away the pain or headfuk of the whole situation, but in my opinion beats sitting and doing your own head in or wallowing in self pity lol Then i got to thinking about other times in my life, where ive been faced with hard or difficult situations and i would say that video games have helped me through probably around 80% of the difficult periods of my life, i guess by distracting my thoughts and letting me take out any anger or frustration i may be holding on to, on the skulls of the zombies, as i run round the streets of Harran (Dying Light) 🙂 So yeah my question to you guys is, have you had a similar experience yourselves? Have games helped you get through difficult times or situations in your lives? Take care peeps and thx for reading my post! 🙂 Edited February 24 by ImmersionGaming22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane99 Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 I have used video games to help with stress, anxiety, depression, etc. Video games is one of my escapes from reality and life in general. It has helped me through many hard times. From the stresses of work, running a festival, seeing horrible things, and so on. Video games though, can trigger certain things, so it also depends on what I'm playing. Like if you're a veteran of war for example and have PTSD, some video games may trigger you more than help. But yeah, I use video games as therapy all the time. To help me relax, to help me unwind, to help me socialize, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImmersionGaming22 Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 On 2/24/2023 at 5:46 PM, Kane99 said: I have used video games to help with stress, anxiety, depression, etc. Video games is one of my escapes from reality and life in general. It has helped me through many hard times. From the stresses of work, running a festival, seeing horrible things, and so on. Video games though, can trigger certain things, so it also depends on what I'm playing. Like if you're a veteran of war for example and have PTSD, some video games may trigger you more than help. But yeah, I use video games as therapy all the time. To help me relax, to help me unwind, to help me socialize, etc. Hey Kane99, i hope your well mate! 🙂 Yes i can feel you totally on the anxiety and depression front, as ive suffered from both, quite severely, for most of my life, which im on meds for too, so yeah bud i hear and feel you there! 🙂 Im glad to hear that like me games have been a form of escape for you too, as god knows what would have happened to either of us had they not been an option?? As too your comment about PTSD, yeah i have to agree with that mate, but in reality anyone suffering from PTSD should really stay away from subject matter that could trigger flashbacks or seizures, especially vets like you mentioned. I know if i were a veteran and suffered with PTSD, i would not be going anywhere near any war game whatsoever, as its just not a good idea on any level, as i have seen first hand just how devastating PTSD can be. But yeah mate i have to agree with everything you said and im so glad we have both found solace in video games, to help us through hard times! 🙂 Long live video game therapy! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 I think so. Gaming has helped me through some serious rough times in my life. A pretty bad time in my life growing up is what sparked my true love for gaming and actually what led me to building my own gaming website at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Empire Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I would not say that it necessarily helped me deal with my trauma because that's a whole can of worms as far as coping/functioning goes, but Life Is Strange: True Colors is probably the most cathartic game I've ever played as far as something dealing heavily with trauma and probably the game that I have identified with the most in this regard as well. COmes down to what you play..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImmersionGaming22 Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 (edited) 15 hours ago, Smokey said: I think so. Gaming has helped me through some serious rough times in my life. A pretty bad time in my life growing up is what sparked my true love for gaming and actually what led me to building my own gaming website at the time. Eyup smokey, I hope your well mate! 🙂 yes bud, as discussed with Kane99 above, the escape and comfort that video games can provide, especially when we are dealing with difficult situations or occurrences is massive. Don't get me wrong they can't solve our problems or take away any hurt or anxiety we may be feeling, but sometimes in life we let things get on top of us or overthink certain situations, which usually makes things 10 times worse. The escape from reality that games can offer is sometimes that rest we need in order for our us to mentally reset or recharge, so although they don't solve or win our fights, they give us the rest bite that is usually really needed and appreciated, much in the same way as a boxer resets in between each round I suppose! Lol I'm glad they have helped you like they have me mate, as its quite easy in this day and age for things to become too much and overwhelming, so the fact that we found an escape may be more important then even we realise! Keep ur chin up pal, and I hope all is going well with your website! 🙂 2 hours ago, Empire said: I would not say that it necessarily helped me deal with my trauma because that's a whole can of worms as far as coping/functioning goes, but Life Is Strange: True Colors is probably the most cathartic game I've ever played as far as something dealing heavily with trauma and probably the game that I have identified with the most in this regard as well. COmes down to what you play..? Hey Empire, I hope your well mate! 🙂 Yes bud you are totally correct in your statement, its not a cure or a solution for stress or anxiety, infact there is no such thing as a one size fits all cure or solution to the stress or anxiety of life, but depending on thr person and of course as you rightly pointed out, the type of game you play, they can be really helpful as in providing a distraction or escape from whatever it is that's effecting you for long enough that you can have a mental rest from it and re-charge your mental coping mechanism, at least that's what I found anyway, as u see the problem I found was not the depression or anxiety i faced, bit the fact that it was constant and always there, that ended up wearing me down over time which is when I belive bad things happen when people feel like that (no light at the end of the tunnel) whereas when you immerse yourself in something else, to the point that you forget, even just for a short time, your worries, you can reset and be in much better stead to deal with whateva your dealing with! It's not just games that can provide that escape either, we are all different and have our own preference, for some it's going to the gym, reading a book or watching a good film, it's just in my case video games are my go to therapist lol As to life is strange, I've played every single one if those games and absolutely love them, they are fantastic and I hope they carry on making them, ibfact they are going to be one of the next games I feature on my YouTube channel, as my channel focuses solely on story based games, so they were one of the reasons I created my channel to feature games like them! 🙂 so yes mate I can feel you on that front as I feel the same about them 100% and I'm glad they helped you too! Keep ur chin up pal and whateva gets you through lifes bad patches us well worth doing! 🙂 Edited February 27 by ImmersionGaming22 Smokey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImmersionGaming22 Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shortie Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I went through a really rough mentally abusive relationship for a while which I was scared to get out of at first due to what had been said to me. I found comfort in playing video games which too my mind away from what I was going through and as much as it didn't get me out of the situation it helped me get through the tough times. I am now happy to say I am out of the situation but I suffer a lot of mental health issues now because of that and even now, gaming is a get away for me when I have bad mental health days. Smokey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killamch89 Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Momentarily, it can help to take your mind off things but I don't think it really helps long-term if you don't try to address the root of the problem. Reality vs Adventure 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyng Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Yeah, definitely. I find they can be very immersive, and thus have high 'escapement value' from real life - especially if they're fantasy-themed! Although, I suppose one disadvantage is that, once the traumatic time is over, I might grow to associate the game with the traumatic time. (For example, one thing that dampens my enjoyment of Transport Fever is that it was my main lockdown game!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
