Gaming and depression.

rensta

Recently i have stumbled into a video that asks the question: "Can games help beat depression?"

Found it intersting and so here it is... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4kLdNHiSVjU#!

Share your opinion about deppresion and gaming

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Wolfenpride

Good video, though I have a few small conflicting views on some of their points. I guess a lot of details would vary from person to person though.

 

I've always felt VN's are a good genre to visit when you're feeling like crap. i just wish they were more easily accessible here in the west.

rensta

Interesting,never tried a visualnovel game my self,can you point me to a good one please?

Opapanax

Very cool video.. +1

versulas

Well, this might not deal directly with the issue of depression and might have to do more with procrastination, but I think it sort of depends on why you choose to play and if you're addicted or not.

If you're using games to escape the real world or put off your worries, I'd classify the act of gaming as a vice in the same context one might get drunk to run away from their problems. This situation might help stave off depression in the short-term, but could lead to even bigger problems down the line.

Adalwulff

Its a BS stereotype. People love to trash on gamers, its a fad right now.

I can think of a dozen hobbies that scream depression+anti social, but you never hear about them.

Like stamp collecting, or building bird houses....

AchengDefect

Hey I am new!

Well for me video game actually does something to beat the depression. For example for my experience whenever I go home depressed or feel like I want to be alone I just play games. and it turned out before I sleep I feel fine

Wolfenpride

Originally posted by rensta
Interesting,never tried a visualnovel game my self,can you point me to a good one please?

Katawa Shoujo, easy and quick to install, and it's freeware. Seems to be a lot of peoples first, and it is pretty decent.

Steam has Analogue: A Hate Story for $10, I think their is a demo for it though if you just want to trial it.

Bionic Heart 1&2, I think they have demos as well.

 

If you really get into any of those you can check out the vndb, but you'll have to start going through the hoops of proper installing/getting english patches/running app locale and such. Except for some of the really indie western games I guess.

 

edit: And since you got me going, a quick 5 minute at most flash based one. Seems to hit close to home to a lot of people for varying reasons.

sexypanda198

First off i have bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder so yes i get depressed for no reason of course sometimes i do. But video games actually help lower depression and anxiety for me. Also many ways dealing with trolls in mmo's has helped me learn to deal with morons by tuning them out.

timtrack

Flawed poll. You might as well ask "As a person wearing socks, are you: Depressed, Happy". For this poll to be even remotely interesting you need a roughly equal sized counter-poll - "As a non-gamer, are you....". Then you might start to see some patterns. Before then, there is no point.

trash656

Originally posted by Adalwulff

Its a BS stereotype. People love to trash on gamers, its a fad right now.

I can think of a dozen hobbies that scream depression+anti social, but you never hear about them.

Like stamp collecting, or building bird houses....

No ones stereotyping gamers, and no ones saying it's just gamers. They are saying it' can be anyone from all walks of life. I can tell You have obviously never have had serious depression, or have had it really hard in your life ever to the point of having a mental breakdown were you snap. I don't think people with serious depression, or mental illness first think to themselves "Oh errm gee I want to go to stamp collecting or build bird houses outside!" I think they think about ways of escaping the real world IE Computer, Video games, Social Media sites like vampirefreaks.com, Dating sites, Locking there door and watching tv, not going outside, leaving friends, or killing themselves. Only a complete moron would believe that someone who's suicidal would ever think of building a bird house outside of his house.

rensta

Originally posted by Wolfenpride

Originally posted by rensta
Interesting,never tried a visualnovel game my self,can you point me to a good one please?

Katawa Shoujo, easy and quick to install, and it's freeware. Seems to be a lot of peoples first, and it is pretty decent.

Steam has Analogue: A Hate Story for $10, I think their is a demo for it though if you just want to trial it.

Bionic Heart 1&2, I think they have demos as well.

 

If you really get into any of those you can check out the vndb, but you'll have to start going through the hoops of proper installing/getting english patches/running app locale and such. Except for some of the really indie western games I guess.

 

edit: And since you got me going, a quick 5 minute at most flash based one. Seems to hit close to home to a lot of people for varying reasons.

Thank you very much,i have enjoyed the flash,for some reason it made me less depressed about an old x.... (although in the vn i ended up staying with the girl haha) --(downloading Katawa Shoujo right now  

And thank you guys for sharing your opinions! 

rensta

Originally posted by timtrack
Flawed poll. You might as well ask "As a person wearing socks, are you: Depressed, Happy". For this poll to be even remotely interesting you need a roughly equal sized counter-poll - "As a non-gamer, are you....". Then you might start to see some patterns. Before then, there is no point.

I did not see a point in that,for this is a mmorpg forum.... most people here are gamers/xgamers...... 

Sovrath

sexypanda198 said:

First off i have bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder so yes i get depressed for no reason of course sometimes i do. But video games actually help lower depression and anxiety for me. Also many ways dealing with trolls in mmo's has helped me learn to deal with morons by tuning them out.

I think that's the idea of the video, that video games might help depression.

xpsync

Oddly enough, i can't play if i'm dealing with anything depressing/worrisome, or any extreme rl matter, first it seems flat out wrong course of action, and to me it just won't be FUN!!! so why? right. I feel for those whom suffer from depression though, and yeah maybe this could help.

Scot

GraceWalsh said:

once I had depression because of gaming

I am just depressed about the adbots and still trying to work out if you are one yourself.

Edit: The bot does three posts waits a couple of days then edits in an advertising link. They are getting smarter.