So how good is gaming for stress relief?

ShadowHearth

Long story short: i have an epic shiet day at work with huge fight. My own fault as i did not needed to get involved and help out, as in the end i got in the middle of 2 liar, back stabing, two faced parties. lesson for me.

After all that crap i gone home and i was still stressed out and pissed off. i was so angry, that i could punch kittens ( just a saying, i would not do that).

when back at home, i tried watching telly, play with a puppy for few hours, but it was not helping at all. so i took puppy in to my office, and while he was sleeping under my sweater i fired up my PC.
for last few years, every time i had one of these days, i would fire up MW2 with Airport level. after finishing it, i always feel better and calmer. ( yup yup, i am sadistic bastard, and should be locked up, animal references and all that, cheers).
MW2 is gone a long time from my PCs ( newer been on new one ), and i just took MW3 and started the campaign for ****s and giggles. I started from start, and up to some african mission in one go. i had to go and walk a dog after that. while i was outside it hit me - i am calm as a "feck truck". I Looked at situation that i got in to and decided for myself, that those people are not worth my time and stress. I am normal again, calm, sort of happy again...

So all that violence in games can be quite a positive thing. Video games helped me like this countless times. We will newer hear of such stories on newspapers and all, but video games can be a great stress relief method.

So am i a weirdo and should be locked up, or some of you using game for that too lads?

J. Marston

Well, if Man City beat United tonight then I'll be putting on FIFA and smashing City 48-0 on amateur level to relieve stress.

It probably won't do much good.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

J. Marston wrote: »

Well, if Man City beat United tonight then I'll be putting on FIFA and smashing City 48-0 on amateur level to relieve stress.

It probably won't do much good.

it'll make for a horrible tense last 2 games if they do

pablomakaveli

Depends on the game. I find Minecraft to be a great stress reliever.

However trying to beat a difficult section in some games can be a stressful experience in themselves.

cherryghost

tbh there's hardly any games that give me stress relief. I've got a fairly bad condition and whenever my stress levels are high my skin condition turns to ****. I don't play games as a form of relieving stress. I play is as a form of entertainment. Some people might say that entertainment is a form of relieving stress but I beg to differ.

If I'm racing, I play on top difficulty, so its always edge-of-your-seat stuff. If I play an FPS, I strive to win the game, whether if its by myself or part of a team. If its a strategy etc etc...

Movies relieves my stress. Music relieves my stress. Holidaying relieves my stress. Games do not, unfortunately. It's just my approach to the medium.

And sex. That definitely relieves my stress.

CiDeRmAn

I generally find gaming a very good escape from the day to day madness.
Where I work I often have to put out fires all over the place, so to speak, and when I get home it can be all still there, built up.
So, that's what a few late games do, it's not shooting civilians in a Russian airport so much as the chance to escape from this world and the reminders that you've to do it all again the next day, to inhabit another skin and shoot kittens, sneak around Alaskan missile bases or scale Donkey Kongs scaffold and rescue that darned princess.
Silent Hill 2 though, that just scares the pants off of me, makes me look forward to heading back to work, at least nothing is trying to impale me on a length of I-Beam in there!

Used to be (and still is, I suppose) Grand Theft Auto for me. No matter how I felt that game/s was always a great distraction.

Kinski

I just bought a 3DS because I'm taking a long-haul flight - I hate flying. So I hope they relieve stress (and yes, I know how safe flying is, but I'm terrified of heights.)

ShadowHearth

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I generally find gaming a very good escape from the day to day madness.
Where I work I often have to put out fires all over the place, so to speak, and when I get home it can be all still there, built up.
So, that's what a few late games do, it's not shooting civilians in a Russian airport so much as the chance to escape from this world and the reminders that you've to do it all again the next day, to inhabit another skin and shoot kittens, sneak around Alaskan missile bases or scale Donkey Kongs scaffold and rescue that darned princess.
Silent Hill 2 though, that just scares the pants off of me, makes me look forward to heading back to work, at least nothing is trying to impale me on a length of I-Beam in there!

sometimes you need that escape, or you will stab someone. I tend not to play competitive games though, as those can give you even more stress then help in situation. something single player always fit my bill. i was wondering how good serious sam3 would be for that, but i remembered that i play on hard setting and i am in really crapy spot. so not a stress remover, but more of "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" giver.

i guess any game do for it, somehow i always go for some shooter. those are great to lower the pressure and steam tanks.

frozenfrozen

gaming is too good at letting me escape problems. So much that I end up creating a lot more problems by ignoring all my other problems by playing games. Probably not worth it

Leeg17

CoD is the most stressful game I've every played, at the height of playing it I'd get pains in my chest from shouting so much :pac:

Some games can be stress relieving though imo, especially the nostaligc ones

Duggy747

Left 4 Dead does the job for me. Just hop in, grab an auto-shotgun and just mow those zombies down in a tight corridor.

iMuse

Playing something like Flower off PSN should be a good stress reliever.

CORaven

Gears of War, casual or normal horde.
Or if you are uber stressed, go online and execute everybody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJNqN20L9ts

There is something so soothing about the digger execution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s5XhqNy_jg

southcentralts

it is the stresses of modern day living, one day I am on fire base bravo in Afghanistan and the next I am walking through Zakhaev International Airport killing civilians!! sometimes I like to unwind after a really tough day playing MODERN OFFICE POLITICS 3 on the computer, mediating disputes between co-workers, building a report for the boss on ink cartridge surplus, but it is best to stay away from the hard levels as they just make you more stressed.

SeantheMan

I've never seen anyone as stressed as my housemate playing Fifa, I'm secretly recording him now and again and going to pile it all together one day.
He's broken 4 controllers, 3 chairs, 2 stools and his 32" telly.

It's like watching the team you love play a tight game, I love it, it's exciting, but I'm more stressed and anxious over the 90mins than I am enjoying it (except when we score etc)

I'd suggest have a bath and watch something funny like Curb your Enthusiasm :P

Antar Bolaeisk

I get stressed out by games, they certainly don't relieve it. Unless it's a game like minecraft or easy going game.

I'm even getting stressed out by Legend of Grimrock at the moment.

wyrn

It's a bit of both of me. When I get that annoyed, I usually game. It's a great stress reliever, initially. When playing FPS games, I'm quite verbal. Nothing better than roaring out "die die die you baxtard!". However, if I get stuck, then it's ten times worse than being stressed.

Just saw Antar's post. Minecraft get's me stressed when the sun goes down and I hear creepy noises. Creepy noises should not scare me as I've been playing Silent Hill since it first started, hell even Tomb Raider (you know when there's something lurking when the music changes).

Herrick

I have to admit I find CoD a great stress reliever.

ancapailldorcha

Absolutely awesome, IMO. Unless you're constantly getting your behind handed to you a la Dark Souls/Final Fantasy Tactics.

downwithpeace

I find a tough RTS level gets my mind off things but there are occasions when nothing beats a good run through on shooter to beat stress.

jaykhunter

Absolutely, if I'm wound up I find playing Mortal Kombat (or any gorey game; Gears etc) pretty cathartic. It's like listening to metal for me as well, i get a buzz off it and when I come down (when the song's over) i feel a bit more drained/relaxed...depending on how awesome the song is. Ha, merging the idea, playing "Panic Attack" by Dream Theatre on Rock Band drums does me a world of good!

I find it a good way to unwind. Especially when I'm pissed off, if I go for a run (which is great to clear the head) i'll sometimes end up pushing too hard and straining a calf lol.

RobbingBandit

Zelda Ocarina of Time fishing and racing Epona usually slow me down when I am mad,great use for the 3DS.

Morag

Anything which will absorb me completely and stop me thinking about what is going on in my life and my head will, tend to de stress. Which means I can be fuss about gameplay cos it's the oddest things which will kick me out of that zone and that can be more stressful then destressing.

Blazer

SeantheMan wrote: »

I've never seen anyone as stressed as my housemate playing Fifa, I'm secretly recording him now and again and going to pile it all together one day.
He's broken 4 controllers, 3 chairs, 2 stools and his 32" telly.

It's like watching the team you love play a tight game, I love it, it's exciting, but I'm more stressed and anxious over the 90mins than I am enjoying it (except when we score etc)

I'd suggest have a bath and watch something funny like Curb your Enthusiasm :P

lol..I remember hearing him over teamspeak one night

AnCapaillMor

My favourite was my mate skip, i was in his room playing tiger woods and i spotted a FIFA 07 disk on th roof of the kitchen extension outside, all he said was, "it was never offside" and left it at that. I've smashed stuff, i went through at least 3 or 4 PS2 controllers but never got personal with the game itself.

Sephiroth_dude

I find smashing dragons,orcs and elves and bandits very good to get stress levels down

o1s1n

Had a crappy day in work yesterday so I spent the evening playing GTA IV. Just mindless stealing cars and mowing people down.

Stress levels vanished.

Then my girlfriend came in and started giving out to me for all the mindless damage I was inflicting in the game.

'You just stole that poor man's car. What if he was on the way to pick up his family!? Stop with all the chaos! Who's going to clean it all up? Look, Packie just rang and asked you to pick him up. Don't leave him waiting'

Stress levels increased.

deathrider

ShadowHearth wrote: »

i am calm as a "feck truck".

That could be the best line in the history of best lines!

Yeah, I could use gaming as a way to chill me out. Portal's nice and relaxing, Alice: Madness Returns is the same. I wouldn't come home in the hieght of a huff and stick on Street Fighter though. It would be too intense, and wouldn't bode well for my mood.

glynf

Believe me when I say I have tried (and still use) a lots of different things to cope with stress. I have spent the last 11 months in a stand off with the arrogant corporate pr1cks I work for, and its been one of the most stressful & isolating things I have ever dealt with.

The three best things possible (for me) have been and are:

A bit of exercise to get the endorphins flowing.

Meditation/mindfulness, even for a sceptical bastard like me it can work.

And to fire up Dead space 2 on the PC, lights off, music on full blast in the background (Metallica/FNM/Converge) volume up and stomp the living **** of Necromorphs for an hour or two. Works every time.:P

Grumpypants

It depends on the game, I've left intense FPS moments where my jaw and teeth hurts as I have been clenching my jaw unknown to myself for the last 30 mins. I also do a stupid thing with my lips moving at 90 miles an hour and stick my tongue out at tricky bits.