Why does it seem like every single post in here or r/selfhelp or r/advice by a guy battling depression and loneliness also cites video games as their only or primary hobby? Are we ready to take a look at this yet or just keep ignoring it?

31 comments

  1. I think it can also be a chicken and egg kind of situation. Did video games cause depression or did depression lead them to seeking escapism through video games?

  2. Computer games are a potentially solitary activity that needs no complicated equipment, provides escapism and a sense of achievement and can be done in a small space. I imagine that at one point depressed and lonely people just read books or something of that nature, no-one says that books are a problem.

    Computer games are a valid artform with many, many benefits. The real issue is the lack of adequate accessible mental health services for men, especially in the US.

  3. Video games are an “easy” hobby to have when you have depression and are lonely.

    You do not need to shower, get dressed, and walk outside to play video games, something that can be exceedingly difficult if you have clinical depression.

    Video games allow you to find like-minded people to talk to, helping with loneliness, and if they’re multiplayer games they also provide socail stimuli.

    People don’t become depressed by playing video games, but being depressed can definitely cause you to play video games to an unhealthy degree.

  5. My opinion, Alot of people prone to depression want to isolate themselves. Video games are entertaining/stimulating and allow someone to stay in their head more.. that’s a horrible combination. It creates this negative loop that makes people more and more depressed. Even more so once their body becomes less fit and out of shape.

    There’s nothing wrong with video games just like There’s no problems with all you can eat buffets.. until you do them excessively.

  6. I don’t think video games cause depression; video games provide an accessible and immediate dopamine release that doesn’t require much effort. They can also be played in isolation.

  7. What’s to look at?

    If you’re a man, who’s lonely, depressed, and your only outlet is video games, there’s only one person that can make it better. And that’s a fucking *fact*.

    There are no programs set up, there’s no help, there’s just you. The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm. Best get cracking, cuz the longer you wait, the harder that road is.

    The only thing I, as a man, can do is go, “You got this, brother. I believe in you, you can do it.”

  8. If you’re referring to escapism, it’s been ignored for quite a while on all sides for both men and women. That does need to be addressed, but that has to be done on an individual basis to find out what it is they’re escaping from.

    If you’re referring to video games, those are not the cause, they’re the distraction. While better than falling into drinking, mild altering substances, and other more reckless distractions, they often get left behind (and often made fun of) because they’re legal and still for some reason viewed as a “juvenile” thing.

  9. Because that, reddit and TV are what’s available to people who don’t leave the house and feel crushed by quiet?

    Games are one of the easiest ways to poke your reward system short of drugs, and they’re generally a lot easier to download. Of course it’s something that works for people in that mental state.

  10. Are you suggesting that video games cause depression/loneliness? Isn’t it also just as likely (if not moreso) that depression causes people to turn to hobbies like video games? Depressed lonely people tend to love things like bingewatching steaming videos too. Do you think Netflix causes depression/loneliness? Or do you think maybe depression/loneliness simply makes it so people turn to low-pressure, low-effort hobbies to escape their depression? Also note that plenty of people without depression also enjoy video games as a hobby.

  12. Gaming is addictive, like slot machines. If this is all you do, get some help. It will burn you just like gambling, but instead of losing money, you will lose time and social connections that could have built new bridges and helped insulate you from depression or feelings of failure.

    We need to look at guys’ roles in society. From the time they are 12-14 years old, they get the “no room for you” treatment. Church, school, etc just pretends they don’t exist or are unimportant. Gaming and gangs tend to be easy traps for these guys.

  15. I gave up console and PC video games 20 years ago and my life has been immeasurably better for it.* I’ve heard all of the arguments in their favor. I’m aware of the research that demonstrates some benefits. I know that some people are perfectly capable of moderating and putting the controller down after an hour.

    I’ve spent those 20 years developing a writing career that has borne fruit. Some of my stuff is being considered for film and television. I read a lot. I go to the gym and otherwise look for constructive hobbies. When I waste time, I feel bad about it. I don’t excuse it because one peer-reviewed study said that it was a good thing.

    Video games are, by and large, designed to be addictive, just like cigarettes, gambling, and a bunch of other bad habits. If you fall victim to them, you aren’t abnormal. You’re just human. You get addicted, you get depressed, and then you play more video games to stave off the depression. In the meantime, your life goes to shit and you’re still trying to explain to people how some games have rich, complex stories (that could be found in other mediums) and how they teach you problem solving (which you can learn elsewhere), or how they improve hand-eye coordination (which you will use to play more video games).

    So, yeah, OP is right. There’s a connection. But everyone games now, so no one wants to listen.

    *I have some Arcade1Ups in the house. My wife and I play for an hour and then go do something else. So, I’m not completely “clean.” If that cancels out the validity my post in your mind, then great. You win.

  16. 1) because videogames are cheap, intense dopamine. This can lead to depression.
    2) because video games are cheap entertainment and depressed people don’t often have the drive for much else.

  17. Most guys are raised in a feministic urban environment on here it seems like. Most guys I know are from smaller places like myself and we all do outdoor activities like camp, fish, hunt, play sports, gather together often and bbq with the families, have a few beers and shoot the shit, fix our quads or vehicles. Man I’m glad I didn’t grow up in a city where you’re taught to be frightened of everybody and the skills you learn are to sit in a cubical on a computer all day. I think I’d be depressed too, screen to screen to screen to screen. Everyone has earbuds in and is on the phone always, no one gives a crap about one another, there’s not a ton for manners or holding a door open for someone behind you. Yet somehow urban dwellers are superior to rural dwellers, or so the attitude goes.. It’s pretty hilarious. You’re feeling completely alone surrounded by tons of people, how fucked up is that??

    This is what causes depression, life is office to video games to office to video games again in an environment that doesn’t care if you exist or not. Come on now… but there’s nothing to doooooo, I’m boooored. I lived in a city for a short while and this is all I heard from the younger guys I worked with. I’d blow my brains out if that was my life. Needless to say my city time was short lived.

  20. Everyone loves video games.

    Unfortunately, people with no social skills tend to be more comfortable in game world’s than in the real one.
    They’re basically lotus-eaters.

  21. Video games are just the most interactive, most easily-engrossing form of escapism for many.

    It’s just like anything else. If you can moderate it, it’s good. If not, you’ve got a problem.

    I think it’s obvious that video games are extremely potent escapism, and overuse of escapism almost certainly contributes to the depression cycle.

    So, from that perspective, I think you’ve got something. If you want to take it to the next step, I.E. “ergo, video games bad,” that’s just the same BS that drives every moral panic. This one already played out in the 90s, though, and that’s one reason so many are over it.

  22. Probably because people are too terrorfied to socialize, have opnions, talk to strangers, or anything else required to have a real life

  23. Most of them are socially avoidant and video games is an escape where they can have fun without interacting with other people or only interact with other people who are already playing the same video game . I think it’s correlation not causation.

  24. I find that a good night sleep, physical activity and getting outside in the sunlight help me maintain good mental health.

  26. Because correlation is not causation. Did you know all men battling depression also breathe air and drink water?

  27. Yeah, let’s take video games away from depressed young men, that will do a world of good.

    /s

  28. I’ve been dealing with depression before video games became a thing and still am having not played them in at least 15 years or so

  29. Video games can become an addiction but y’all aren’t ready to have that conversation

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