I think you guys might wanna play this.

[Yopaz]

I don't consider my current state to be serious since I am able to suppress those things to a degree that only a trained eye can spot them and it barely affects me.

I suppressed things for years. One of those things was a fair amount of anger. My psychologist says suppressing my rage, and other things, for all those years has left me more or less dead inside. I don't know what you're going through exactly, but I know from experience how much worse suppression can make things.

I am aware of how unhealthy it is to suppress the things I do, but it beats the alternative to confide in someone or seek help. The way I dealt with my anorexia was quite simple. I accepted the fact that I am fat and always will be. I have 8% body fat so I'm not actually fat anywhere except in my mind, but accepting that I am fat and not trying to change that made it possible to eat a healthy amount. Now the immediate effect of suppressing it like this is that it causes me to have low self esteem.

As for my other issues which could be indications of mental disorders I am that seeking help might actually confirm a condition. As long as I don't have a diagnosis I got a straw to cling on which I can use to claim that I am normal.

I am genuinely thankful for your concern and your advice.

 

[Starik20X6]

Some of those options hit pretty close. I'm fairly certain I was depressed for a couple of years in my late teens, but never went to see anyone about it or took any medication for it... I definitely feel better now though. I hope anyone else experiencing depression can get through it too.

 

[saphirekosmos]

It was certainly interesting. Definitely close to home in some ways. Luckily I was never that bad.

 

[Epicspoon]

I was gonna go through the game but then I saw a screenshot of pabst blue ribbon and stopped.

 

[Schtoobs]

According to this "game" I'm seriously depressed. But my life is considerably further down the line; lost the girlfriend and job a long time ago, never managed to move out of mums house so the owning a flat bit was alien to me. I've been to get help a few times over the years but always get palmed off to completely pointless therapy sessions.

I guess the point of this game is to confirm peoples suspicions about themselves having depression, which it does very well. I didn't get anything from it though except a feeling of being predictable and just like everyone else with depression only hopelessly too far gone, which didn't make me feel good if I'm honest. It could be very useful for younger people or those who have recently started getting depressed though. If you're depressed and know you are DON'T play it as, I'm sure a few people here can attest, it really is fucking miserable and you'll be thinking of ways to off yourself by the 5th page.

All that being said, this is the first time I have ever spoken about it honestly anywhere... so maybe that's something.

 

[Weaver]

This game is practically my life verbatim.
It's kind of spooky.

Maybe take some of its advice for help?

I was in therapy, but losing my job (and my girlfriend) a few weeks ago I had to stop as I no longer have benefits and I can't afford to pay.
However, if I get diagnosed by a GP I should be able to receive free mental care (Canada).

 

[Saviordd1]

This game is practically my life verbatim.
It's kind of spooky.

Maybe take some of its advice for help?

I was in therapy, but losing my job (and my girlfriend) a few weeks ago I had to stop as I no longer have benefits and I can't afford to pay.
However, if I get diagnosed by a GP I should be able to receive free mental care (Canada).

Well that's something.

According to this "game" I'm seriously depressed. But my life is considerably further down the line; lost the girlfriend and job a long time ago, never managed to move out of mums house so the owning a flat bit was alien to me. I've been to get help a few times over the years but always get palmed off to completely pointless therapy sessions.

I guess the point of this game is to confirm peoples suspicions about themselves having depression, which it does very well. I didn't get anything from it though except a feeling of being predictable and just like everyone else with depression only hopelessly too far gone, which didn't make me feel good if I'm honest. It could be very useful for younger people or those who have recently started getting depressed though. If you're depressed and know you are DON'T play it as, I'm sure a few people here can attest, it really is fucking miserable and you'll be thinking of ways to off yourself by the 5th page.

All that being said, this is the first time I have ever spoken about it honestly anywhere... so maybe that's something.

It wasn't a self test, I'm not depressed and it didn't make me depressed.

And it is possible to make things get better in the game, my game ended with the characters life on a considerable up-slope.

 

[Coppernerves]

I was gonna go through the game but then I saw a screenshot of pabst blue ribbon and stopped.

What's wrong with Pabst Blue Ribbon?

I never noticed that screenshot, but I sincerely doubt it's bad enough to warrant avoiding such a thought provoking, interesting game.

Captcha: frabjous day

Compared to one in the life of a depressed guy? Probably.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

Ha! Already played it! Take that!

I think I got the good ending, it was obnoxiously cheery. I was still a bit depressed but my guy seemed fucking thrilled about how I managed to get from deeply depressed to a tad down.

Only took me like 30 minutes, and I was listening to The Lonely Island the whole time so I'm not entirely sure I got the full experiance.

 

[mateushac]

According to this "game" I'm seriously depressed. But my life is considerably further down the line; lost the girlfriend and job a long time ago, never managed to move out of mums house so the owning a flat bit was alien to me. I've been to get help a few times over the years but always get palmed off to completely pointless therapy sessions.

I guess the point of this game is to confirm peoples suspicions about themselves having depression, which it does very well. I didn't get anything from it though except a feeling of being predictable and just like everyone else with depression only hopelessly too far gone, which didn't make me feel good if I'm honest. It could be very useful for younger people or those who have recently started getting depressed though. If you're depressed and know you are DON'T play it as, I'm sure a few people here can attest, it really is fucking miserable and you'll be thinking of ways to off yourself by the 5th page.

All that being said, this is the first time I have ever spoken about it honestly anywhere... so maybe that's something.

For me, the hardest part of being depressed is not trusting anyone enough to be able to talk about it. I feel forced to always put my "happy mask" on and pretend that everything is okay, even though everybody knows it's not.

Thanks for sharing your story! Good luck with getting better!


OT: I know I'm a little depressed, but I'll just try the game out and compare myself to it. (the nature of my problem is probably different than the game's, so I guess I won't be loathing myself too much in the end)

 

[Schtoobs]

snip

It wasn't a self test, I'm not depressed and it didn't make me depressed.

And it is possible to make things get better in the game, my game ended with the characters life on a considerable up-slope.

Sorry, I probably wasn't very clear in my wording. I was trying to say that depressed people would most likely feel bad after playing this, I didn't mean that it would make you depressed if you weren't already. You're right ofcourse, it's not a self-diagnostic thing, but I must admit when writing my response earlier it felt like it was, maybe that's because it rang so true for me. I still think that someone who is having these problems, but isn't sure or doesn't trust their own judgement on it, could get a real confidence boost in deciding that it might not be all their fault and spur them to seek help.

 

[PissOffRoth]

I thought I was over my depression. I'm not. I won't say I'm glad, but... I think it was important that I see that.

 

[Schtoobs]

snip

For me, the hardest part of being depressed is not trusting anyone enough to be able to talk about it. I feel forced to always put my "happy mask" on and pretend that everything is okay, even though everybody knows it's not.

Thanks for sharing your story! Good luck with getting better!


OT: I know I'm a little depressed, but I'll just try the game out and compare myself to it. (the nature of my problem is probably different than the game's, so I guess I won't be loathing myself too much in the end)

Strange you say you don't trust others enough to talk about it, whereas I never trusted myself enough to say "I'm depressed", I've always convinced myself that depression was for people with real life struggles or a legitimate reason to be down. I guess that kind of self-deprecation and/or paranoia is all part of it.

I can relate with you on the "happy mask". I stopped socializing when it became too hard to be convincing. Worse than people being able to tell that you're not happy, and thinking you a party-pooper or misery guts, is the stress of wearing the "happy mask" and feeling like its going to slip at any moment or having to wear it when you can't muster up the strength of will to even be awake let alone smile on command for a whole day. It's a bit like how I would rather be brutally honest than get caught in a lie. Thanks for the well wishes by the way, very kind.

 

[The_Darkness]

Well that ticked a few boxes. I've known that I'm on the scale, 'near' depression so to speak. Nowhere near as acute as that described, but some of the symptoms show through. I'm fairly sure the only reason I made it through Uni was thanks to a remarkably kind-hearted counsellor. And I very much know that there are people out there worse than me - I'm related to at least one of them. They all have my sympathies.

As for the 'game'... well done developers. Well written, and an excellent way of allowing someone to see the world through a different set of eyes. This is what games can excel at. And you've possibly persuaded me to pick up a kitten later in life...

 

[mateushac]

Well, now that I finally got myself to play this, I can say I'm a little bit more confident in my own chances of overcoming depression. Seriously, even after making all the choices the way I would in real life, it seems like my character really felt way better about himself by the end.

I think my problem in real life, though, would have been be the lack of a current girlfirend. See, Alex was incredibly important for me in the game. My whole motivation to get better came from the wish to make Alex happier. Lacking a girlfriend in real life might make it way harder to find such motivation, but I guess I could do the same for a couple of good friends

On a sidenote, I love how some options in the game are just plain crossed of. I feel like this mechanic reflects EXACTLY what I feel in real life. You can clearly see the right choice, you just can't find a way to do it.

THANK YOU, OP for posting this. You made my day a little bit better.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Really though, it was very well done. It really took me by surprise how much it hit me.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

Oh hey, a game that describes my life from the ages of 14-19. Even though I had an off day with my depression, and felt really down, playing this reminds me of how far I've come and actually made me feel better. It made me feel proud of myself. I picked options that reflected my own personal decisions over the past few years and ended up being on the upswing in the end. It's a good game.

 

[Jandau]

The funny part is, the character in the game is actually in a really good spot. He has a very loving and understanding girlfriend, a family that loves him, a stable job that isn't terrible in any way, a selection of helpful and supportive friends, enough money to afford medication and therapy if he wants it.

Try doing that without a GF that's behind you 100%, with hardly any friends, with sick or dead parents, with a terrible soul-draining job that pays like crap. THEN you get to see depression. This game wasn't about a depressed person, it was about a whining little *****. So he's a bit introverted and not very social. So what?

Sorry if the above sounded harsh. I appreciate what the game was trying to do, but it had the opposite effect on me. I (and many people I've met) have had to deal with depression under far less ideal circumstances, faced with much greater real problems while having fewer support mechanisms and resources available to us. Reading through his "troubled" situation and how it's hard for him sounded like a person complaining that his Mercedes came with black leather seats instead of dark green leather seats like he wanted.

Depression is a big problem for many people, but the game portrays it poorly. It transplants symptoms of depression on a person who's doing pretty damn good in his life. The guy in the game wasn't depressed. He was just bored...