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If one is depressed they are likely not keen on gaming either. Conversely, when in good mood activities such as gaming or whatever hobbies people have are on th

If one is depressed they are likely not keen on gaming either. Conversely, when in good mood activities such as gaming or whatever hobbies people have are on the rise so this one is pretty obvious how it generally relates to well being. In my opinion too much gaming can't be good for you but some moderate amount could be a decent stimulant. For good wellbeing we need to satisfy a few more needs and a surplus of one does not compensate for the others.

flavius29663 5y ago
> If one is depressed they are likely not keen on gaming either Do you have a source for that? In my anecdotal opinion, video games offer a refuge from the real life that can be helpful in depressions. It's addictive and causes addiction style issues, but that is another story.
- allemagne 5y ago
  My guess would be that it would vary a lot by game and by person. Sometimes even getting started on video games that I know I would enjoy seems like "too much work".
- jabroni_salad 5y ago
  For me it becomes more difficult to get started on anything. Once I get some momentum it isn't as bad but eventually there will be a moment of 'this is doing nothing' and crash out. That isn't so bad for solo play but most of my playtime is co-op games like Deep Rock or Vermintide and I am lucky to have an IRL friend group to play them with.
- onemoresoop 5y ago
  It is my personal opinion, sorry, I should have mentioned that. When depressed I don't feel like doing anything at all, I lack stamina and feel weak. The refuge/escapism part is when I'm less depressed but still am ruminating on how pointless everything is and that's when escapism does its trick. While it helps at the moment I don't think escaping reality does us any good in the long run though.
- matheusmoreira 5y ago
  It's a symptom for major depression. DSM-5 criteria: > Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day Depression could conceivably present as a person who loves video games but can't find the energy to play them anymore.
GhettoComputers 5y ago
I disagree, games are a form of escapism. Nothing is better for the passage of time than immersive gameplay, but passage of time is not always beneficial. If someone was happy, they’re less likely to escape that world, unless they’re playing with the people they’re social with in reality not a gamer they play with, usually with local LAN or multiplayer it’s different than single player or playing with strangers.
- penjelly 5y ago
  playing video games is still existing in the world. Just because youre focused on something doesnt mean you cease to be human. If that were true, sport would be the same, programming the same, etc.
  - GhettoComputers 5y ago
    Sport is not tricking your sound and vision it is elsewhere. In programmer terms you know that perfect flow state, where you’re attuned to everything and you’re programming really efficiently then some error or bug comes up and kills your streak of productivity? That’s what games induce by default.
    - penjelly 5y ago
      so what? theres something wrong with "flow state" now? it seems to me youre just against videogames. Your point about sound and vision doesnt even mean much, all entertainment is then, by your definition, escapism: movies, books, programming, video/photo editing, playing/listening to music, the list goes on. Even sports are an imaginary set of rules set aside which are unnecessary for actual survival. Maybe youre right all those things are escapism but im much happier with any/all of those things then i am without.
      - GhettoComputers 5y ago
        I said that speeding up the passage of time is not always bad. Play is important and sports provides fitness benefits and fun. I don't think there is anything wrong with coping with unhappiness, but lets be honest about what they are.

flavius29663 5y ago

> If one is depressed they are likely not keen on gaming either Do you have a source for that? In my anecdotal opinion, video games offer a refuge from the real life that can be helpful in depressions. It's addictive and causes addiction style issues, but that is another story.

allemagne 5y ago
My guess would be that it would vary a lot by game and by person. Sometimes even getting started on video games that I know I would enjoy seems like "too much work".
jabroni_salad 5y ago
For me it becomes more difficult to get started on anything. Once I get some momentum it isn't as bad but eventually there will be a moment of 'this is doing nothing' and crash out. That isn't so bad for solo play but most of my playtime is co-op games like Deep Rock or Vermintide and I am lucky to have an IRL friend group to play them with.
onemoresoop 5y ago
It is my personal opinion, sorry, I should have mentioned that. When depressed I don't feel like doing anything at all, I lack stamina and feel weak. The refuge/escapism part is when I'm less depressed but still am ruminating on how pointless everything is and that's when escapism does its trick. While it helps at the moment I don't think escaping reality does us any good in the long run though.
matheusmoreira 5y ago
It's a symptom for major depression. DSM-5 criteria: > Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day Depression could conceivably present as a person who loves video games but can't find the energy to play them anymore.

GhettoComputers 5y ago

I disagree, games are a form of escapism. Nothing is better for the passage of time than immersive gameplay, but passage of time is not always beneficial. If someone was happy, they’re less likely to escape that world, unless they’re playing with the people they’re social with in reality not a gamer they play with, usually with local LAN or multiplayer it’s different than single player or playing with strangers.

penjelly 5y ago
playing video games is still existing in the world. Just because youre focused on something doesnt mean you cease to be human. If that were true, sport would be the same, programming the same, etc.
- GhettoComputers 5y ago
  Sport is not tricking your sound and vision it is elsewhere. In programmer terms you know that perfect flow state, where you’re attuned to everything and you’re programming really efficiently then some error or bug comes up and kills your streak of productivity? That’s what games induce by default.
  - penjelly 5y ago
    so what? theres something wrong with "flow state" now? it seems to me youre just against videogames. Your point about sound and vision doesnt even mean much, all entertainment is then, by your definition, escapism: movies, books, programming, video/photo editing, playing/listening to music, the list goes on. Even sports are an imaginary set of rules set aside which are unnecessary for actual survival. Maybe youre right all those things are escapism but im much happier with any/all of those things then i am without.
    - GhettoComputers 5y ago
      I said that speeding up the passage of time is not always bad. Play is important and sports provides fitness benefits and fun. I don't think there is anything wrong with coping with unhappiness, but lets be honest about what they are.