I know all the stories about gaming ruining people's lives, but have you ever been in a case where it actually helped you? For me it really did. Last year I was an alcoholic, at one point the withdrawals were so bad I had to go to the hospital. Afterwards I was given medication and went home, and, obviously not drinking I had to find something else to do, I started up my modded SNES classic and just binged on it. Played through Final Fantasy II, III/VI, Chrono Trigger, getting all the gates in SMW, Yoshi's Island....goes on. Helped and today I don't drink nearly as much and stick to playing video games more, going through Earthbound right now.
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Has gaming ever got you through a hard time?
- Thread starter nightfly
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JonnyMP3
Member
I was going through a very crappy and lonely period a few years back in my life. Depressed and withdrawn from the world a bit I totally lost myself on Neverwinter on the PS4 after isolating myself from other people.
That slowly then stopped when I joined guild for endgame stuff and slowly got more socially interactive again with guild members. That helped me not focus on the negative of people and be able to connect again in a more wholesome way than I had before. Doesn't help that usually FPS games are filled with the most idiotic toxic babies known to the human race and I just needed to get away from that type of player base and find some decent normal everyday gamers that just want to play games.
That slowly then stopped when I joined guild for endgame stuff and slowly got more socially interactive again with guild members. That helped me not focus on the negative of people and be able to connect again in a more wholesome way than I had before. Doesn't help that usually FPS games are filled with the most idiotic toxic babies known to the human race and I just needed to get away from that type of player base and find some decent normal everyday gamers that just want to play games.
mango drank
Member
It used to be a good way to get my mind off really bad situations--there was something soothing about gaming, keeping my mind occupied instead of wasting cycles feeling like shit about situations I had no control over. I can remember a couple of rough patches in particular over the years.
Nowadays, that doesn't really work--if something is really bothering me, and I try to play a game to get my mind off it, I can barely concentrate on the game.
Nowadays, that doesn't really work--if something is really bothering me, and I try to play a game to get my mind off it, I can barely concentrate on the game.
Ban Puncher
Member
Video games have gotten me through many a hard time.
Esca
Member
All the time. Ever since my daughter passed away I've been battling a lot of mental issues. Gaming helps take my mind off things for brief periods of time and/ or lighten my mood. I find games more difficult to play now due to memory and concentration issues that I'm dealing with so I avoid more complex games that I use to love and some things trigger me. I'll never play tlou again even though I really enjoyed it (played before her passing)
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Whomever gave me gold, thank you, it was very kind of you
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Whomever gave me gold, thank you, it was very kind of you
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Gamernyc78
Banned
Yup after coming home from doing a little time. I wanted to stay away from the streets and make sure I kept out of trouble so it was college, my son and ps3.. Being a dad was the best, college kept me educated and got me the job I've been at 14 years and gaming relaxed me and gave me fun times. My son is now 13, doing good at school and an avid ganer 
Notorious_Roy
Member
When my girlfriend and I broke up I could take my mind of it with the help of videogames. And during the recent quarantine I almost cleared out my backlog.
Gaming is great.
Gaming is great.
GodofWhimsy
Member
Sure. Chrono Trigger had a much bigger impact on my mental state than any mental health professional ever did. Those people came off as very condescending and insincere to me. Basically made sure I was still alive weekly and that was the extent of that. Chrono Trigger was such a good experience for me that it played a big role in changing my mind-set for the better.
Oh, and I'm not saying don't go see a mental health expert. Different things work for different people.
Oh, and I'm not saying don't go see a mental health expert. Different things work for different people.
Flying Toaster
Member
Destiny got me through my divorce/lost job at the same time. I literally just focused on that and all the bad shit that was happening at that time seemed to creep back to the corner till I stopped caring about the drama and bullshit and just focused on enjoying life without a crutch.
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
Not really.
kiphalfton
Member
Had bad complexion in middle/high school, was ostracized for it, and it made life hell. Video games were the escape I needed.
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Pejo
Member
I played FFXI pretty hardcore for years when my father passed away, when I was young. I didn't really plan it that way, it just kinda happened. I think the time I spent playing from morning to night likely wasn't healthy, but it got my mind off of things and ultimately helped me deal with stuff. In retrospect I wasted a few years of my life on it, which still gives me mixed feelings. At least it kept me out of hardcore drugs or self destructing.
Romulus
Member
Great game too. Love the soundtrack.
eyesabitdull
Banned
Aw shucks, man. I'm really sorry for your loss.
Truly.
I...I have nothing more to say, but I feel tremendously saddened to know you had to go through such a thing.
I want nothing more for you then to find peace within yourself in the future.
ProgenitorCastle
Banned
Yes. Sonic 3 and Knuckles got me through a sick day when I was younger, and The Wonderful 101 cured my depression
Damien Crowley
Member
Some hard (but not THAT hard) periods in my life. German equivalent of High School, I lived in a village with NOTHING to do. So yeah, video games it was. After becoming a job trainee and going strong on being fucking alone forever, games helped a lot.
After that some harder periods of depression were a little bit less painful through modding the shit out of bethesda games and never really playing them
Even now a gaming sessions can help me over a bad day or a shitty mood. (As long as it's not a fucking downer... my gf is playing Detroit Become Human at the moment and that story is not a happy place XD)
After that some harder periods of depression were a little bit less painful through modding the shit out of bethesda games and never really playing them
Even now a gaming sessions can help me over a bad day or a shitty mood. (As long as it's not a fucking downer... my gf is playing Detroit Become Human at the moment and that story is not a happy place XD)
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You don't know me but please accept my condolences, I'm so sorry about your daughter.
NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
Yes. It’s probably an exaggeration to say that Pokémon saved my life, but it’s true that the original GB games helped me get through a bad depression spell in my teens. This is why I’ll always be partial to Genwun.
vaibhavpisal
Member
It helps all the time. Over and over again.
I don't depend on it. But it's great therapy when I need it.
I don't depend on it. But it's great therapy when I need it.
StormCell
Member
Yes. I got uprooted before my senior year of high school. I had to finish out high school with people who had known each other forever. That was a tough pill, but it wasn't as tough as the coming year. I had no motivation to enroll in college and found it tough to make new friends. That's when I discovered Ultima Online. For 3 months of my do-nothing summer I lived in the world of Ultima. I formed a new guild of bounty hunters for the sole purpose of contract killing. I was stinking wealthy.
I also got a Gamecube and pursued video game journalism. *gag* But I will say that I made some really good friends working on the Nintendo scene back then. Things were just fun back then even if Nintendo's image was taking a beating.
I also got a Gamecube and pursued video game journalism. *gag* But I will say that I made some really good friends working on the Nintendo scene back then. Things were just fun back then even if Nintendo's image was taking a beating.
Kev Kev
Member
when i got sober, minecraft and lofi hip hop beats was my best friend. i was so depressed and stressed out from withdrawals that i needed something mindless yet stimulating, somewhere i could be creative but not have to pour my soul into, because i had no soul left to pour. it was awful.
but that and some other video games really, really helped me through that time.
as well as other things like diet, exercise, family, work, etc. gaming wasnt the one and only answer to tough times but it was a helpful tool.
but that and some other video games really, really helped me through that time.
as well as other things like diet, exercise, family, work, etc. gaming wasnt the one and only answer to tough times but it was a helpful tool.
Esca
Member
Thank you both, a lot. It really means quite a bit that you care
Also would like to thank those that were kind and did reactions
Thank you
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cash_longfellow
Gold Member
Yes. It got me through some depression when I was younger. It also helped me get through the beginning stages of alcohol/drug addiction rehabilitation back in 2008. I am over 12 years clean now and still playing strong. I also attribute the fact that I graduated with my Bachelor's degree with a 3.99 GPA, to video games too (ie I graduated high school with a 2.0, lol)
Kev Kev
Member
thats amazing man. keep it going. clean life is the best
cash_longfellow
Gold Member
You too man! Just got done reading your post as well.
SinDelta
Member
Its getting me through watching about half of the United States, the country I grew up in and love, the country I saw suffer though 9-11 which is forever burned into my mind seeing that second plane streaking across the sky into the second tower, now openly wanting to tear down and destroy the other half and replace it with anarchy, socialism and communism while the Covid19 pandemic never seems to stop.
I don't need to worry about BLM dictating to politicians and burning down cities with encouragement from senators, mayors and governors forsaking their Oaths of Office in the greatest dereliction of duty since the Civil War when I can play things like Breath of the Wild, the Witcher 3 or Ghost of Tsushima where things actually fucking make sense.
2020 is a never ending nightmare I want to just stop.
I don't need to worry about BLM dictating to politicians and burning down cities with encouragement from senators, mayors and governors forsaking their Oaths of Office in the greatest dereliction of duty since the Civil War when I can play things like Breath of the Wild, the Witcher 3 or Ghost of Tsushima where things actually fucking make sense.
2020 is a never ending nightmare I want to just stop.
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Krappadizzle
Member
Wife and I had a miscarriage a week after Skyrim had come out. We were incredibly heart broken. Skyrim was a nice break for her and I to just lose ourselves in the world and forget about our problems for a few hours. She played on my 360 and I on my PC.
Only took us till almost 9 years later to have our first kid. And she just turned a week old today.
Only took us till almost 9 years later to have our first kid. And she just turned a week old today.
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Christmas 2007.
Super Mario Galaxy.
I know it sounds daft and overdramatic but I have no idea how things would have turned out had I not sat down to play this.
The backstory is not terribly interesting but it's like I went from feeling utterly hopeless to at least having something that gave me a brief window of clarity that was enough to build on.
I am sure people get the same out of books, movies, music, sports etc.
Which is why I agree with
dorkimoe
here on the social issues in gaming.
Sometimes it's good for games to just be something silly and fun and engaging rather than a constant barrage of ham fisted social messaging encouraging us all to wallow in despair.
Super Mario Galaxy.
I know it sounds daft and overdramatic but I have no idea how things would have turned out had I not sat down to play this.
The backstory is not terribly interesting but it's like I went from feeling utterly hopeless to at least having something that gave me a brief window of clarity that was enough to build on.
I am sure people get the same out of books, movies, music, sports etc.
Which is why I agree with
dorkimoe
here on the social issues in gaming. Sometimes it's good for games to just be something silly and fun and engaging rather than a constant barrage of ham fisted social messaging encouraging us all to wallow in despair.
Gamernyc78
Banned
It gave you gout? I know you know food rich in purines is what causes gout not gaming or movement. I've worked out all my life suddenly when I hit 35 I was beset with gout, most painful thing I ever experienced couldn't work for weeks sometimes. It would happen twice a year after. Cut down red meats didn't work. My dad told me about a friend tht tht took "Alfalfa pills" and never got it again and I tried it and thank God!!! I haven't had a gout attack in over three years
those pills work abd their natural and healthy. Sorry ppl for going off topic but it was important info of the pills I wanted to share.
The original Kingdom Hearts. In 2003, I was hit with kind of a financial perfect storm, a combination of a legal battle, pay cuts at work, and medical issues. I went into debt big time, and I was doing everything I could just to keep lights on my apartment and food on the table. Pretty much sold every non-essential thing I owned. It took me about 2 years just to claw back to plain old-fashioned "not well off."
As I was finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel I randomly came across $20. I hadn't bought myself a video game in a very long time, so I hit GameStop and found a used copy of Kingdom Hearts (The PS2 was one of the only fun things I held on to, though I didn't have much to play on it).
For the next couple months I dived in as deeply as you possibly could into that game. I found every single treasure chest, Dalmatian, and any other secret there was. Fought every optional boss, made it to the end of the coliseum, you name it. Whatever that game offered I experienced.
Kingdom Hearts was very much a life preserver for me during an unhappy time, and to this day even as rough as the combat is, I can still play it in it immediately brings a smile to my face. The series has meant quite a bit to me over the years, at least it did up until KH3.... But hey, that still doesn't take away how much I love the first couple games.
As I was finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel I randomly came across $20. I hadn't bought myself a video game in a very long time, so I hit GameStop and found a used copy of Kingdom Hearts (The PS2 was one of the only fun things I held on to, though I didn't have much to play on it).
For the next couple months I dived in as deeply as you possibly could into that game. I found every single treasure chest, Dalmatian, and any other secret there was. Fought every optional boss, made it to the end of the coliseum, you name it. Whatever that game offered I experienced.
Kingdom Hearts was very much a life preserver for me during an unhappy time, and to this day even as rough as the combat is, I can still play it in it immediately brings a smile to my face. The series has meant quite a bit to me over the years, at least it did up until KH3.... But hey, that still doesn't take away how much I love the first couple games.
GeorgPrime
Banned
I use gaming just to turn off my brain and to relax from stressful stuff. I dont want political bullshit in it other other things. I have enough of this stuff in other parts of life.
DogofWar
Member
Wife and I had a miscarriage a week after Skyrim had come out. We were incredibly heart broken. Skyrim was a nice break for her and I to just lose ourselves in the world and forget about our problems for a few hours. She played on my 360 and I on my PC.
Only took us till almost 9 years later to have our first kid. And she just turned a week old today.
Off topic but congratulations to both of you and the little one! There is no feeling as wonderful as to see the little ones develop, grow and learn everything about the world. Big and small things.
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