Guild Wars 2

Heartwarming post, mate, thank you for sharing your story. I have nothing else to say but that we’re all out there for you. Thank you for being part of the GW community.

/hug

Thanks for sharing. (Beware of some of the jerks on here that want nothing else than to flame you and make you feel worse).

That being said. I have dealt with a depression problem for 20+ years. The medication only helps so much. It is not linked to anything except a true illness.

However, medicine only helps so much. It is games like GW2 that keep me in a peace of mind. As you said, being able to escape and enjoy being an awesome Guardian, Mesmer, or Warrior. The feeling of being in a successful PUG and showing your skills, truly offers a rewarding feeling. Especially when you do something spectacular in game. (For instance, everyone else in the group died when I finished off one of the bosses in COE by myself.)

I find the world, art style, music, races, and characters very heartwarming myself. I always feel my spirits lift when I log onto the world of Tyria in a way I don’t in any other game.

And of course there are those players here who have become my IRL friends too.

I’m glad others find this game an uplifting experience as well. Though we’re all here because we love the game, it’s nice to see a post praising the game, rather than just complaining. There’s a need and place for such feedback, but we should never forget why we love this game in the first place.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Hi Ryan. It’s a big step going from “don’t say it” to “say it”, even if it’s anonymously. Thank you for choosing to share it with us.

You will always find someone here who will listen. Hope to see you ingame! :fistbump:

Thats a brave thing to share so thanks a lot for sharing it.
Tyria is indeed a nice place and people like you who breath a bit of themselves into it make it even better.

So thanks again for writing your story and for being you.

Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing this. There are a lot of people who play this game for similar reasons to you. It’s great that you found something you can do that helps.

Hope you have fun and find some peace in the future, both in Tyria and out of it.

I’ve been depressed and completely alone for years. Games offer an escape, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling empty inside.

I really don’t have much to say that wouldn’t sound trite so I’ll just go with saying I plus one’d you and to hang in there. If you need to get lost in something to get yourself through it then this is much better than some alternatives. DDO helped me a couple of years ago with a similar issue, though hardly as deep as yours. Good luck.

I think Mental has a good point, one I can back up. It is really easy to fall into a rut of salving your soul and neglecting the rest of your life around you, which keeps you trapped in whatever mess may be depressing you in the first place. I’m not saying to quit GW, but do investigate other options of help or support so that this game doesn’t become the sole crutch keeping you standing. It’s a dangerous position :/

Mental Paradox.3845:

I’ve been depressed and completely alone for years. Games offer an escape, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling empty inside.

It only magnifies it for me, during those periods where I am sitting up after my night shift and go: “what the heck am I doing with my life”. It just hits harder, even though I am very . . . very . . . motivated and working hard to try to get promotions and career advancement through what my job offers.

It’s just . . . I dunno, it’s hard to fight.

Sariel V.7024:

I think Mental has a good point, one I can back up. It is really easy to fall into a rut of salving your soul and neglecting the rest of your life around you, which keeps you trapped in whatever mess may be depressing you in the first place. I’m not saying to quit GW, but do investigate other options of help or support so that this game doesn’t become the sole crutch keeping you standing. It’s a dangerous position :/

It’s a position I’ve been in myself, and it ended badly. I lost my job and was nearly made homeless because the escape that games offered from my depression also cut me off more from the outside world and from the people who could support me.

Thankfully, that’s all in the past for me, but I would advise anyone in the OP’s position to try to balance the amount of time they spend in game with staying connected with the real world.

Thank you everybody for all of the kind words. I really appreciate your thoughts and voices. Hopefully I will see some of you in game

If you’re still in depression or becoming depressed, then GW2 is only prolonging it. You shouldn’t try to use it to escape reality. You should confront your problems, whether it’s with family and friends, or with a professional. I know it’s easier said than done, but escaping your depression by playing GW2 isn’t healthy at all. I’m not trying to be negative, but just offering advice.

Hey Ryan.
So, I know exactly how you feel, as others have already attested to. I was fairly depressed throughout highschool, and up until a few years ago computer games were one of my only escapes. The feeling of living vicariously through your character is amazing, especially since none of your anxieties are involved. You can be anyone you want, and no one will berate you for it.
The problem with this, is it goes nowhere. It’s comfortable, and you might even be content, but it’s not doing anything for your life. I’m not trying to kill your enthusiasm or praise for the game, though it may sound like it. You have to try and find a balance between improving your real life and dreaming in the virtual one.
Change helped for me. (found an awesome girl, got an apartment, etc.)
Sometimes the stuff you never think will happen, happens, and it completely flips your world upside down. Try and find a balance!
Good luck!
– President

As much as a critique the game and add to the flames – I keep coming back because of the reasons you stated, OP
Good luck in your journey!

As a psychologist, all i can say to op is ‘Play the game but don’t land on it". You should fight with what you overwhelmed and what you ran away, not to use the game as a shelter. Maybe in the end if you fight with your issues you can see life is not like what you think.

Also, with all my respect, i still think this is a PR post, after the commander tag viral they wanna use the viral way with that kind of story.

((slow clap))

:)

good stuff!

SEE YOU IN GAME!!!!!!!!!!!

Astraea.6075:

Thankfully, that’s all in the past for me, but I would advise anyone in the OP’s position to try to balance the amount of time they spend in game with staying connected with the real world.

Need to echo this . . . it does no lasting good to be stagnant and stationary in a situation where you can only maintain the status quo or degrade – inevitably, in such cases, entropy wins out. The result is not pretty . . .

I’d say you need to really stop and look about what makes the game give you so much relief, try to pinpoint it down to something and then work on finding that outside of the game. It can exist in the real world too, but you have to work for it.

For me, it’s a yearly trip to a particular renaissance festival I enjoy making with family, and walking around seeing a bunch of people dressed up and having a good time. Sharing slightly risque jokes and one-liners traded almost in an almost memetic fashion, and watching entertainers who have put effort into a craft which ordinarily wouldn’t be worth the time . . . except there, it is. There is something about it which just . . . resonates, I suppose.

And so . . . You need to find something outside the game which resonates just as much as the game does, and try to pull yourself forward one inch at a time. It’s not going to be easy, and there will probably be more failures than success . . . but if you’re not trying, you’re not living.