Topic: videogames are the perfect cure for depression.

I lol'd

@clicketyclick: Hey, I didn't say I don't get riled up easily (oftentimes by needlessly difficult games, ironically). But I DO know I'm not the hardest person to get along with, not by a long shot. And yes, I have bouts of depression...who doesn't? As long as I don't live like that ALL the time (I'm not Strongsad, after all), I am, by my definition, "reasonably" cheerful. It's complicated, I know.

Being diagnosed not only with depression, but also OCD and anxiety, I definately find comfort in my gaming time but at the same time I wonder if it might be the cause of a lot of my problems. I've been devoting the majority of my free time to Nintendo for the past 20 years or so and in that 20 years I missed out on a lot of important moments in my life because I had my head stuck in a screen most of the time. In high school I never really participated in anything beyond the required class work and aside from my gamer friends, never really learned how to communicate with people outside of my comfort zone. Now, in my adult life, I'm completely sheltered and afraid of MOST social situations. Perhaps it's not the gaming that caused this but more my fixation on it. I suppose I'm doing alright. I have a place of my own, a good job and everything I could ever want and need in terms of the material, but I can't help but wonder what could've been if I had payed more attention to the world around me. I think it's alright to love something, but don't let it consume you.

I agree that games can be a great pick-me-up after a crappy day at work, and I often find myself thinking about a game during a great part of the day sometimes. TF2 was my old standby, but right now I'm trying to finish Persona 4. Muramasa is next!

I don't think games are good for depression. It is something I suffer from and the very fact that they're active rather than passive make them a negative stressor for me.

Reading also helps me.