Has Video Games, Like GW2, Help You Overcome Anything?

[Tsakhi.8124]

As of late, things have been rough: the passing of my grandma, aunt, and cousin. As well as having to put my pupper of 14 years to sleep because he was suffering, but had a good life. Add to that the state of where I live has gone to absolute kitten and you have a Tsakhi wanting to get away from it all, if only for a bit. So I hop on Guild Wars 2 and just hang around major hubs, help random people, and send treats to the new folks I see. That feeling of togetherness, of helping other people and hopefully making their day, makes life a little sweeter, a little better.  And when I get overwhelmed with all the emotions and sometimes straight up ugliness of some people, I retreat back to my life, in all of its discordant glory. XD Truth be told, when I'm not in Tyria, I have my nose in a book or pouring over strategy in Tactics Ogre: Reborn. All that being said, does anyone else feel the need to escape from their surrounds, life, and just overall troubles and worries? I know this may be dumb, but I'm really curious. If you do, is there more I can do to help others while I'm in Tyria? Thank you for your time and patience with my jibber-jabber. 

[Hashberry.4510]

I hope it gets better.

[Tsakhi.8124]

2 minutes ago, Hashberry.4510 said:

I hope it gets better.

Thank you very much, I appreciate it. I'm fortunate to have a good husband and family. 

[Pimsley.3681]

How nice of you to ask. I log on GW2 to escape my reality sometimes. When the game came out, I played for fun and comradery with guildmates who no longer play. Took a break from the game for a while and got back to it again on and off in 2017. I think I'm also the same way, sometimes the best way to recover from something terrible is to help others even in small menial ways. It's a win-win. Family is very important and precious so I try to protect it as much as I can. 

Hope everything gets better for all of us.  

[Wolfshade.9251]

After 2 of my close friends died just few months apart I pushed almost everyone I knew away. I was afraid to get attached to anyone just to lose them again. All I could do was shut myself in my room for 2 years and play GW2 for over 10 hours a day while pretending that I wasn't failing my classes. Raid trainings were my go-to distraction, keeps you focused, lets you help others and sometimes there's even voice chat so you can drown the lonely silence. During that time I was fortunnate enough to meet a lot of supportive people ingame, that somehow still tolerated me despite the absolute mess that I was. We're still friends to this day.

Things have improved since then, I managed to get a job which gives me a purpose and I'm slowly making progress towards being more outgoing IRL. But I can definitely relate to the escapism. Hope things improve for you too.

[Debesyla.7102]

GW2 (or actually the ArenaNet overall, as it includes GW1 too) helped me with my business philosophy.

I run few info-product websites (blog, courses, ebooks) and for long time I used to remake everything every half a year or so - like some game developers do (hint, hint, Blizzard). But only after playing GW2 and then later GW1 it came upon me that I can, well, instead of keep remaking everything - just add more. This way some of my content becomes old over time, but if I create it with a mind of "how will this connect to everything else? will this still be used after X years?", the age doesn't show that bad. And on top of that, just adding more and more of different stuff = customers are free to choose, it's not like some older stuff was removed because "it's not new anymore".

I like Anet developement philosophy. It made both my business better and me myself calmer that I don't need to constantly re-do everything 🙂

[Loboling.5293]

Gaming is in many ways an escape from reality. So most of us have been there, in that mindset. A good book or a good game are my two favorite fantasy activities. Watching shows or movies aren't really my thing. 

 

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. Your gw2 community is always here for you. 😁

 

My favorite part of this game are all the positive interactions I have with people. So many good people here. I'm so worried about someone I met on gw2 the other day because they only had a bit to live left due to a genetic disease. When they stopped logging in, I still think about them every week. I only spent a few short hours speaking with this person. But they have had a big impact on my life. 

 

This game is like a second world we can all explore and live in together.

 

Not that I have much time anymore these days, but the feeling doesn't change. 

 

So yes OP, I sometimes escape here. Because life can be really hard sometimes. But together, we can get by and enjoy it.😉

[Tsakhi.8124]

7 hours ago, Loboling.5293 said:

Gaming is in many ways an escape from reality. So most of us have been there, in that mindset. A good book or a good game are my two favorite fantasy activities. Watching shows or movies aren't really my thing. 

 

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. Your gw2 community is always here for you. 😁

 

My favorite part of this game are all the positive interactions I have with people. So many good people here. I'm so worried about someone I met on gw2 the other day because they only had a bit to live left due to a genetic disease. When they stopped logging in, I still think about them every week. I only spent a few short hours speaking with this person. But they have had a big impact on my life. 

 

This game is like a second world we can all explore and live in together.

 

Not that I have much time anymore these days, but the feeling doesn't change. 

 

So yes OP, I sometimes escape here. Because life can be really hard sometimes. But together, we can get by and enjoy it.😉

This made me smile really big, thank you! And I completely agree with sticking together.

[Doctor Hide.6345]

Yes,  MMOs have helped me a lot, but not GW2 in particular. I suffer from bad anxiety in real life due to people interactions and fear of failure. It got so bad to a point I wouldn't even leave the house or try anything. I knew this was a wrong way to live of course, but when that feeling gets a strangle hold on you, it is hard to shake off. To change that though, I started to heal in FF14 and try to go out of my comfort zone because I don't like stress at all. So keeping a lot of people alive can be super stressful which would cause me to shutdown normally. But this time I went in and just learned to push past that feeling somewhat and learn to accept failure if I didn't heal on time and someone died etc. And oh boy did I fail a lot, but I kept pushing slowly even if I had to do breaks from time to time.

Overall though, I am semi better at dealing with failure which goes against my perfectionist nature. I will never be one of those that love to push themselves to the extreme for "fun" or "challenge", but I can cope better now in real life with what I need to do thanks to me healing more.

Edited December 11, 2022 by Doctor Hide.6345

[Noah Salazar.5430]

As person that tryhard/ push limits constantly even in irl, gw2 helped me to understend more point of view of ppl  that are  not put effor so much or not even looking for guides to get help or improve at all (even irl)

It took me half a year to get used to it that not evryone want my help or looking to improve, and now racher then pity ppl like that, i'm more respecting thay prorites, and acepting thay fragility side more

I'm also started to give free 18 slot bags from time to time on random starting zones, as back when i was starting playin my back hurted so much from materials i was carry on back

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Noah Salazar.5430

[Freya.9075]

Gaming is a great way to escape reality when needed. It becomes a safe place to be and can help in many ways.
 

Playing mmos have helped me overcome social anxiety. By pushing myself to be social and interact with people from a safe place to do so. To the point where I can command squads if needed which actually is a huge deal for me. And post my opinions in forums without the anxiety I felt when I first started. It took a lot at first to post my silly humor and opinions out there and make myself vulnerable like that. A few years ago, I would never have done that. And now I feel it’s completely safe to do so. 
 

It also makes it easier to deal with real life situations. I still feel social anxiety from times to times, but I have grown so much when it comes to dealing with social interactions and start to have faith in humanity again in such a cruel world. Playing Gw2 has helped the most in this because of its community. So I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for being such an amazing community 🙂

[Vyr.9387]

11 hours ago, Freya.9075 said:

...start to have faith in humanity again...

No idea what's silly here; this is peak comedy 🖤

[Einsof.1457]

I am estimated to owe a ton of taxes this upcoming tax season. GW2 helps me get my mind off of it.

[Freya.9075]

24 minutes ago, Vyr.9387 said:

No idea what's silly here; this is peak comedy 🖤

Sorry you feel that way. Hopefully you get some faith in humanity as well eventually! 

[captrowdy.9561]

It’s nice to escape reality. It’s really done more harm then good for me. Instead of going to hangout with my friends or some minor responsibilities I’ll play Gw2 instead. 

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

I wouldn't say it is GW2 specifically, but as a disabled person it does make for a great substitute as synthetic "work."   I say not GW2 specifically, because it dawned on me that we're living in an age of excessive entertainment.  If it wasn't GW2, it would be something else.  

[Westenev.5289]

Gw2 didn't really help me overcome depression, but it did a great job putting it off!

[Chyanne Waters.8719]

Like that song from a long time ago called wildwood weed take a trip and never leave the farmWildwood Weed (Jim Stafford) w/ lyrics - Bing video

[Dreams.3128]

While GW2 did help me with overcoming a very clinical state of depression between the ages of 19-26, it exposed me to some of the most toxic personalities I think I ever encountered. However, I don't blame the game for that, I more thank the game for exposing me to those kinds of people because I really do have a grasp on reality now.

It's kind of sad because encountering these people that genuinely hurting other people, you can see that a lot of people used this game and other forms of media to cope. Cope with a lot of bad and cope with personality quirks that would never be wholly acceptable in irl situations. While I'll say it is not the best way to approach the troubled mindsets we go through because of stress, I will say that this has allow me to mentally and emotionally harden, and also detect these behaviors that often go unnoticed. It taught me lessons that made me more aware of myself and aware of people that may be going through something similar or worse than I ever did.

Hopefully those people, given time and perhaps a reality check, they will go through the same healing process that I went through and be able to find balance between real life and the escapism. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Dreams.3128

[Bakeneko.5826]

Two hours of escape after work and after kids are asleep. For two hours I can stop feeling dead inside and instead be dead as ele.

[Dr Meta.3158]

Guild wars 2 doesn't help me with anything in particular, rather I shouldn't be playing it at all. As far as things gained from video games...

I suppose I gained a some problem solving skills from the legend of Zelda series and other older games like that and I gained far more skill in public speaking, leadership, sales, and insight into the darker aspects of the human psyche from Lineage 2 significantly more than any training from school and jobs. Other than that I could be more productive with my time but I would out videogames above simply watching TV. At least you're doing something rather than being entirely sedentary. 

[TheLadyOfTheRings.9148]

This game has helped me reduce anxiety and depression, and it's also how I met my partner ❤️🙂 

[Telgum.6071]

For that, GW2 and any other game are just time killers, which makes suffering more bearable when the only thing you need is time and something to keep your mind occupied. Is a waste to have a videogame carrying you instead of something more productive like learning new skills, going to the gym or studying.

[Chichimec.9364]

My dad died in 2004, my mom almost exactly a year later in 2005. Both required massive amounts of care before their deaths, caretaking which I shared with my sisters. The whole period of their illnesses and deaths was the hardest one of my life. It was after my mom's death that I discovered my first mmo, one called Urban Dead. I buried myself in that game for something like a year or a year and a half, giving myself time to heal and recover from the intense times with my dying parents. The mmo format was good for me as it involved me actually doing things, rather than just passively watching tv or reading  books. It also led me into a lively community that helped me re-engage with other people on a social level.

There is nothing that intense going on in my life these days. I am retired now though and the mmo format still serves me well. GW2 engages me mentally. Five years into this game and I am still learning things, still actively pursuing ingame goals and the like. There are also some good people in this community. I've made some dear friends through this game and I value that.

@Tsakhi.8124 I empathize with the hard times you are going through and I'm very glad you have both family and this game, with it's often great community, to help you make it through.

[robertthebard.8150]

Every game in my library exists for just this reason, to allow me to escape from the real world, even if just for a couple of hours at a time.  I have had other outlets, such as riding my motorcycle, or jamming with friends/trying to start a cover band, but I can always come home to my games if nothing else is working out.

I've been disabled since 2005, and my choices were either live in my head, and probably not live very long, or escape to the various realms I've accumulated over the years.  I chose the latter, and until recently, they were the only escape I had.  My brother got tired of me "cave trolling" it up, and bought me a motorcycle a couple of years back, and it's been a big help, although it also creates it's own problems, such as aggravating my migraines, because I have the bike, and I'm going to ride, and the sun literally tries to kill me.  Or, and this happened a couple of weeks ago, I get a flat tire coming home from a Thanksgiving thing at my brother's house, and have to wait 3 hours in the cold and rain for the rescue rangers to come get us.  /sigh