I think that the Escapist depresses me. What should I do?

[Erttheking]

I think I might suffer from a sporadic form of depression. I haven't been diagnosed so I could be talking out of my rear, but sometimes I just get really down about things. Most recently, I just get down about the Escapist. If you were to go through my recent posts, you might notice that I've recently vented my frustrations on how the Escapist works, and it really does. It really feels like in a day and age where compared to just about every other point in history we have it pretty good, people are never satisfied. People are always complaining about how massive corporations are constantly screwing them over, how the game industry is stagnating, and on how recent games or any games in general are complete and utter shit. Now I know that not everyone does it, but enough people do it for it to bother me, I can't even talk about my favorite games without getting a good deal of posts on how much they suck (and being a Dark Souls fan on recent months in the Escapist has been a particularly painful experience) which probably gets me down more than it really should. It doesn't really help that the one time I actively got angry about a video game and started complaining about it, I got shouted down for being whiny and entitled, despite the fact that people who complain about Ubisoft's DRM or Assassin's Creed being boring and generic or Halo being bad never get called boring and generic.

I really don't know what point I'm trying to make here, it just seems like the Escapist has turned what was supposed to be an enjoyable past time and just made it a source of unwanted and unneeded source of stress and (like right now as I type) depression. I'm honestly starting to feel like nothing is accomplished by me coming here except me getting angry and sad. What should I do? Just leave the website and never come back? I honestly feel like an abused spouse (that might be seen as a crude analogy, but it's the best comparison I can think of)

 

[Batou667]

Yeah, I've over-invested in online forums before too and found them become a drain rather than a fun diversion. Take a break. You may find you don't actually miss it much.

 

[bleys2487]

I just come to this forum to watch raging liberals. I've learned to not take it seriously. Everyone (mostly everyone) seems to have this idea they're a lot more important than they actually are, know a lot more than they actually do and/or has some superiority complex where their beliefs are 'oh so better' than the next. A pathetic community really.

Try being a rape victim then ridiculed in a thread and then linked a rape joke so you can 'lighten up'. That's what this community is to me.

captcha: silver bullets

Yes captcha, slay the beasts.

 

[scorptatious]

I...

Actually feel the same way. I just didn't really want to express it.

There is quite a bit of negativity on this site, and sometimes I feel like an outcast considering how differently I feel about certain issues than other people on here.

A lot of Republican/Conservative bashing on here makes me feel sorta guilty because I was raised in a conservative family.(Although I personally consider myself a Libertarian)

A lot of constant negativity about the current state of gaming rather than focusing on the good. People are still complaining about how many shooters there are right now as the description below the new Critical Miss clearly shows.

And of course plenty of America bashing because the dumbest of my country happen to be the loudest too.

A part of me just feels like yelling "Shut the fuck up!" Whenever someone does any of the above things I mentioned. But of course that doesn't solve anything. :/

Still, there's always the good stuff on this site. Like the occasional thread that talks about a game I really like or the MLP Group on here.

 

[SinisterGehe]

If escapist depresses you, there is really only one thing you can do. Do not read these forums/content on site. Seriously that is the best way - I left these forums for almost 8 months when i started to get the feeling that every time I got quoted I got flamed/negative responses/hate.

I got sick of it, I left...
And no I came back after seeing few interesting topic.

If you want to cheer yourself at down moments, go and watch Chinchilla videos on youtube. Those cute little critters will make you smile. Works for me. (or whatever is your favorite animal)

You can't change the community here, it needs to change itself. you can easily and whenever you want step out and take a breath before jumping in.

 

[Beautiful End]

I'd suggest taking a break. The internet is the same everywhere; I've been to many places and you'll always find people who will make your life harder because they're safe behind their computer. But there's also good people out there who will share your interests and will respect you. They're just harder to find because they're a minority.

What always works for me is taking a break. Then you get to either appreciate or not miss the forums/people. And if you feel down about a place, then you should definitely avoid it.

In my case, I do hate getting flamed or attacked for making any sort of comment about whatever but I also like expressing my opinion even if no one cares. For the most part, when I see a snobby guy quoting me and looking for an argument, I just ignore it. Yeah, in the back of my head, I feel angry and I feel like replying but its better to ignore it. The way I see it, if I can walk away from an e-argument, then it was a good day for me. At least I'm not spending my time picking fights with strangers over the internet.

So if you like the forums, you can take a break or just learn to ignore people who attack you. Or simply watch the videos; those are fun.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Maybe take a break? I don't let it get to me much these days, but I went through a period of just looking at the thread title and avoiding the thread if it looks like a potential shitstorm, I still do every now and again. There are upbeat threads, and the community is kinda fun when we're not complaining, so if you can I'd say it's worth sticking around.

 

[Fappy]

Taking a break like others have said is the obvious solution, but it's not your only option. I've come to terms with how the Escapist functions for sometime now and have learned to simply avoid most of the topics/people that will set me off. I spend time here to have fun and escape, not to stress myself out. There are plenty of safe havens on the site that are mostly devoid of the things you're complaining about. You just have the branch out and find them.

 

[Galletea]

Welcome to the internet, eventually you realise that there actually is very little here.
It's probably best to take a break, people are annoying and when you are feeling down, you'll notice the more annoying ones before the witty and interesting ones.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I used to frequent a depression chat room. It's always the same story. You become emotionally involved with a virtual community. You contribute actively, you form and sustain some sort of persona you're comfortable with. You feel you belong, bottom line. Except you start bumping into these intrincate sets of hierarchies of founders and mods and mod buddies who're carrying a thousand-year old thread of inside jokes where everybody's @@ at each other. You try to slip into the conversation and you're ignored, you try raising a new thread and are dissed because we-already-had-this-topic-thousands-of-times. So you stay in the sideline as spam wars go on and on and on, and don't you dare take a position lest you can ignore the hateful replies. And I haven't even covered trolling yet.

The message is, never put too much of your heart on things internet. And don't get personally involved in everything. You can choose where to go and who to talk to and what to care for or not. You know, like in real life.

 

[Coffeejack]

Yes, it's probably best to take a short break. People on the internet can really get on your case and in your face sometimes. You can always walk away from the keyboard and come back later.

It's best not to get too emotionally invested in The Escapist. It should be an escape, a relaxing experience - like a smooth, refreshing colonic.

EDIT: I just looked up the term "colonic". It's not like a colonic.

 

[SonicWaffle]

I really don't know what point I'm trying to make here, it just seems like the Escapist has turned what was supposed to be an enjoyable past time and just made it a source of unwanted and unneeded source of stress and (like right now as I type) depression. I'm honestly starting to feel like nothing is accomplished by me coming here except me getting angry and sad. What should I do? Just leave the website and never come back? I honestly feel like an abused spouse (that might be seen as a crude analogy, but it's the best comparison I can think of)

You should totally hang out with me more. I'm the best thing about this website. Sing it with me!

"Sunshine, lollipops and, rainbows! Everything that's wonderful is what I feel when, we're together!"

That's me and you, buddy. I'm the sunshine and you're the lollipops. We will recruit a third party to act as rainbows when we find someone cheerful!