Games that have helped you with depression?

[MrH]

The past week has been really rough and as always with depression I'm struggling to enjoy, well anything. My go to has always been World of Warcraft, I've played it for 15 years and met some great people along the way who help keep me sane, but it's at the end of the expansion and I'm totally done with it.

I need something to occupy a lot of time and to keep me out of my own head. I was thinking of trying Stardew Valley maybe as it's a game I normally wouldn't play and looks very chill and happy, plus it seems perfect for iPad so I could play in bed. My main platform is PC, though.

So let's hear it, which games have helped you through tough times?

 

[Arzak]

Sekiro inspired me to get into meditation (corny I know) which has helped me deal with depression and anxiety.

 

[BurstLayer]

Destiny 2. Raid nights with my friends were amazing

 

[Deleted member 873]

Uchuu Kyoudai is an anime but that helped me so much that I have to recommend.

 

[Nilson]

stardew is really nice, a warm, cozy game. I like intense games usually to get my mind off things though, I've been playing a lot of strategy and rts games.

 

[That1GoodHunter]

Crash Bandicoot NSane Trilogy brings me back to some happier times in my childhood, for such a stress inducing game, it's oddly soothing to me when I go into an episode.

Swinging across New York in Spiderman also gets me in a zen/relaxed mood.

 

[Deleted member 14377]

Celeste helped me accept my divorce, and pick myself back up again.

 

[ElephantShell]

The summer after Bloodborne released I was working full time at a job I didn't like in between semesters for a degree I had lost my drive for so I was feeling kinda... lost. I had never played a souls game before and decided to buy it based on the hype. It became probably my favourite game of all time and getting super into it that summer helped me a lot. Just something to focus on.

 

[Owlet]

Sekiro inspired me to get into meditation (corny I know) which has helped me deal with depression and anxiety.

Click to shrink...

Meditation is actually really helpful.

I also find guided meditations to be a great experience.

There's actually a VR "game" on Steam called Guided Meditation VR that is a pretty great experience imo.

 

[JazzmanZ]

Hollow Knight got me through a bad time when my grandmother passed away

 

[TubaZef]

By sheer coincidence I started playing Wandersong when my father got diagnosed with cancer. That game really helped me during that time, it has a very positive message but without sugarcoating it. Highly recommend it.

Also, at another time I started making a game and it helped me. So, I guess that may not be the same for everyone, but starting that project you been wanting to for a long time can be helpful, it can give you purpose.

 

[Z-Beat]

Tetris. It helped to keep me out of my own head as a distraction, with the added bonus that I became a Tetris fiend before Tetris 99 came out.

 

[aerie]

There are lots of games I play for my mental health. My current favs are Tetris Effect and Mario Maker 2. I can relax, clear my mind, and just focus on the game. There is no narrative to pay attention to, nothing to be emotionally challenged by. It's just a gameplay experience where I know what to expect.

Meditation is actually really helpful.

I also find guided meditations to be a great experience.

There's actually a VR "game" on Steam called Guided Meditation VR that is a pretty great experience imo.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely. Mediation, or just good mindfulness practices, can be hugely helpful. I actually play Dear Esther a lot and treat it like a meditative exercise. There are few other games that I've found that work quite as well as it, but I do admit that I have a strong personal connection with that game.

 

[Tryptobphan]

Persona 4 Golden on the PS Vita or Persona 4 on PS2 are perfect. It brought me into a world where a group of friends work together to solve a mystery hanging over a small town. By the time the story ended, I just didn't want the game to end because of how close these characters have become dear to me.

Despite the dark overtones of the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona series, Persona 4 is uplifting and cheerful.

 

[HockeyBird]

When I was unemployed after college I was pretty down but playing through Xenoblade on Wii gave me a reprieve for a few hours a day.

 

[sredgrin]

Don't know if I would call it depression but Undertale hit me in a rough spot and brightened me up quite a bit.

If I'm in a funk though I don't really care for the endless 100 hour games personally though. I like to complete things, even if it's just a game.

 

[Vorpal]

My go-to is to play something from my childhood or teenage years that made me happy. Super Mario Bros 2, Donkey Kong 3, Link to the Past all work.

Sometimes though, I need to escape from the past as well as the present. For that Minecraft is some therapeutic. If the world suck, go build a better one, you know? Very soothing soundtrack too.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

at best games temporarily distract me from suicidal ideation

 

[ClivePwned]

The only time I can recall a game doing this for me was Inside. I had found out a friend had died and for some reason I decided to buy Inside and play it that day. And I sat there in one sitting to finish it (which is something I have not done for any other game.

 

[SoundLad]

The past week has been really rough and as always with depression I'm struggling to enjoy, well anything. My go to has always been World of Warcraft, I've played it for 15 years and met some great people along the way who help keep me sane, but it's at the end of the expansion and I'm totally done with it.

I need something to occupy a lot of time and to keep me out of my own head. I was thinking of trying Stardew Valley maybe as it's a game I normally wouldn't play and looks very chill and happy, plus it seems perfect for iPad so I could play in bed. My main platform is PC, though.

So let's hear it, which games have helped you through tough times?

Click to shrink...

I would suggest FFXIV if you're feeling like another MMO and haven't given it a go yet. Massive time sink that for the most part focuses on solo play and story. Got me through some tough times.

 

[NNN]

the talos principle helped me a lot

 

[Turin]

Flower 🌸

Also, very unexpectedly, replaying the KH games in 2017. Thought I'd probably not be as into that series anymore but it soothed the depression symptoms pretty effectively(even if it's violently embarrassing sometimes lol).

 

[Rosebud]

The VN Higurashi, and a LOT.

And Pokemon for the last 20 years.

 

[Kapryov]

Burnout Paradise.

The crash/takedown events specifically, when things are particularly bad I can just zone out while playing those. No idea why exactly.

 

[Bitanator]

Dragon Quest

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

The VN Higurashi, and a LOT.

And Pokemon for the last 20 years.

Click to shrink...

Higurashi the really messed up horror one? that's interesting
Pokemon is both the best and worst for me. I love the creature designs but cant really deal with the questionable ethics.

 

[logash]

Idk if you can call it depression but two games that got me through hard times in my life come to mind.

The first is the original Assassin's Creed which got me through a particularly lonely time in high school and Dragon Age: Origins which helped me get over my first big break up in college.

 

[Rosebud]

Higurashi the really messed up horror one? that's interesting
Pokemon is both the best and worst for me. I love the creature designs but cant really deal with the questionable ethics.

Click to shrink...

The beggining is horror, but after it becomes a big drama (that the anime doesn't make justice at all lol).

 

[MrH]

Some great suggestions, and it's nice to see gaming has helped so many of you. I'm definitely going to check some of the games out, I want to try and go for something outside my usual shooty shooty bang bang or hardcore MMOs. I'm currently eying up Stardew as I said and another similar game called Graveyard Keeper which may sound morbid but it looks quite funny and cute.

 

[Gay Bowser]

I've found Animal Crossing to be a helpful pastime. It's a game that has a few things to do every day, so it's sort of a routine and there's stuff to look forward to each day, but also it's a game that you can just kind of mess around in for hours if you want. It's also very chill and nothing can really go wrong, which is good if I'm in an irritable mood.

 

[Rhaknar]

I dont know about help as such, but when I'm particularly bad, the only games I can do are mmo / diablo style games, basically anything you can just grind and not think too much about.

 

[Sera]

Slime Rancher

 

[Mary Celeste]

Danganronpa 2 broke me out of a year-long depressive spell

 

[KernelC]

I have been depressed many times in my life, and recently discovered I might still be depressed, and probably have been since I was in college (4 years). But, when I was feeling down, the games that helped me were odd...
First time as a teenager in high school

• Mass Effect 2
• Dragon Age 2

I stopped being a "gamer" for a while in my life, only playing Halo, Guitar Hero/Rock Band and Assassins Creed on my X360, I would literally only play these games, but not very often. But ME2 and DA2 sparked something in me, they helped me escape and made me love videogames again.
Then when I was fired from my first job after high school, while this was when I mainly discovered manga and anime (other than Shaman King, Battle Network and Pokemon, which I watched as a kid). However, it was around this time that I bought a used PS Vita and I played...

• Persona 4 Golden

It made me genuinely happy to hang out with the cast and helped me pick myself up, it was amazing. If you have a PS4, Persona 5 might do the trick for you, there is something addicting about this cast of anime teenagers that feels very real while obviously being quirky and anime-ish. Soundtrack and combat are godtier, so yay. Now, from reading your OP, the game that might help you out is, in my opinio:

• Final Fantasy XIV.

The game is amazing but it's the community what will surprise you, mostly everyone is so nice and helpful, they are all extremely respectful and kind. It blows me away every time I play, I seldom find assholes trying to ruin everyoen's fun, mostly because I stay out of Savage endgame raiding though. I personally think the game would help out to those depressed whoa re looking for interactions and a good story.

 

[Tygerjaw]

Reading about the philosophy behind Nier Automata really helped me for a while. I really like existentialism.

 

[sredgrin]

Some great suggestions, and it's nice to see gaming has helped so many of you. I'm definitely going to check some of the games out, I want to try and go for something outside my usual shooty shooty bang bang or hardcore MMOs. I'm currently eying up Stardew as I said and another similar game called Graveyard Keeper which may sound morbid but it looks quite funny and cute.

Click to shrink...

Stick with Stardew, Graveyard Keeper is a chore of a game that frankly feels almost unfinished at times.

 

[Twister]

Pokémon Go helped me a ton. It gave me a reason to go outside, go on walks and stay healthy. The collection aspect gave me something to look forward to doing each day and when you first start it's super rewarding because you'll want to walk that extra kilometer to see what's in the egg you've been incubating. It was such a helpful game for me in a dark time

 

[ppn7]

Every game that remind me there is only one God. And we will all get into the grave.

 

[GamerJM]

Not really a specific game or even something I'd play, but watching Twitch streams when I was extremely socially isolated from like 2015-2019 helped me feel a lot less lonely. I have a lot of fond memories of listening to the commentators of a Melee tournament casually talk to each other in between and during matches (especially during Summits) and speedrunners who would meme with their chat.

 

[Deleted member 61909]

Elder Scrolls Oblivion

Finished high school and was kicked out my aunts house and I was living with my best friend, had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and was definitely going through undiagnosed depression. Would go to work at Little Caesars and play Oblivion when I came home. Kept me sane for an entire year before I moved else where.

 

[Roshin]

Games that are involving and go on forever are the only ones that have "helped" me by serving as a distraction. Stardew Valley, RimWorld, and Civ are some examples.

That said, if you suffer from depression, you should seek professional help and start on medication. We don't have to feel this way.

 

[Lulu]

RE4. It came out when I was going through some serious teenage depression, it really helped take my mind of things for awhile

 

[sjackso3]

State of Decay 2. 1) Makes me realize that my situation isn't that bad compared to a zombie apocalypse (LOL); 2) shooting stuff and managing to survive against all odds through a virtual apocalypse is empowering.

 

[Rockets]

Mario Galaxy 2 did a lot for my life

 

[GinoFelino]

Games can be great during tough times, and some of them have helped me hang in there, but since the OP does not explicitly say whether this is the case: please do not keep your troubles to yourself, please do not numb your mind with tedium to escape the harder thoughts; the only thing that truly helps with depression is therapy, and there are no substitutes for it. Please seek professional help if you have not yet done so. I hope things will be better for you soon, OP.

 

[Deleted member 2474]

persona 4 more than any other. the entire game is fundamentally about coming to terms with the parts of yourself you hate and learning to accept and grow past them. and boy did i need that fucking message when i played it.

 

[Exede]

I'm an OC, have patients with depression. Once a patient told me about his problems with his father, obviously can't get into details. The next session i brought my PS4 to the practise. I told him screw concepts, switched the PS4 on and we played games together. It helped him a lot get out of his mindset at the time. So out of personal experiance it's not the what to play it's more the time you get lost into the games world or the fun with people playing games together what matters.

 

[Hong Kong Hermit]

For me, it has always been open world games. When I was stuck inside, meaning both the my home and my own head, a big expansive world with a map to clean was a good way to get lost *as someone else* for 30-50 hours. Sleeping Dogs, LA Noire, anything you can just roam around and just be somewhere else is wonderful. Don't use fast travel, don't power through the story, don't sprint everywhere. Just get onto the coastal highway in GTAV with your favourite radio station on and do a full loop of the map.

Another small thing that helped me in low moments was trophy hunting. Now I love trophies anyway, but there are times in depressive episodes when movies and games and books just feel like too much of a requirement of attention and time, which you maybe aren't capable of giving because of the Big Sad. At those times, going trophy hunting can be very soothing for me. Maybe they're the fun ones to get, maybe I'm shooting X dudes with Y gun for a grindy achievement that wasn't that well designed. But it means instead of feeling like I've listlessly wasted a whole day to feeling bad and doing nothing, at least I ticked off some arbitrary boxes somewhere, and while it's not meaningful life progress in any way whatsoever, at a time when you feel like you have done nothing at all, being able to point to *anything* that you did in that time is a balm. Honestly, it won't be for everyone, but when I'm really down that black pit the trophies are a set of little goals that lead the way out of the dark. Or at the very least, provide a time-consuming distraction and focus until my head stops betraying me.

 

[A. D. Skinner]

Crackdown 3 released at the perfect time. I decimated the game over 3 days and honestly it was just perfect haha.

 

[endzville]

Lots of choices I might have mentioned here so I'll just add The Cat Lady, which might appear an unusual pick because of how dark it is but I think one of the great strengths of horror, when it's good, is forcing us to confront our darkest thoughts and cautiously open ourselves to others.

If I was in a depressive mood at the moment then a game I'm nearing the end of would also be something I'd recommend, a game that has surprised me in many ways: The Evil Within 2. The best parts of the game are about dealing with the main character's trauma and his failure to forgive himself and, without spoiling anything, I'll just say that the ways he learns to do so are amazing and genuinely empowering moments that feel really fucking good in the context of a video game.