'Anxiety' while Gaming?

Grimezy

Grimezy

Prolific Poster
Lately I've noticed that I'm a really poor Gamer, not skill-wise, just confidence wise. I've gamed since I was in nappies and have always enjoyed it, but from the age of around 12 I started playing MMORPG's quite heavily. One in particular (not WoW) I spent about 5 years of my life on with very little in terms of breaks from it, and I doubt I'll ever be addicted to a game in the same way ever again. I played this game until I was about 16-17 and I ended up getting pretty ill in college with Post Viral Fatigue and decided it was time to stop playing it as it was effecting my sleep and my social life far too much.

This was about 3-4 years ago now but I still suffer from certain symptoms that I had when I was ill, the main one being slight anxiety. It's not medicated as I don't feel it's worth going to the doctor for, but I know it's there. Basically I've just been trying to ignore it but I've noticed it's becoming really obvious in certain parts of my life, even Gaming...

I used to just play a game because I enjoyed it and I would do whatever I wanted to do on it. If I went for a wrong skill build or chose the wrong option in a conversation, I just got on with it and learnt from my mistakes. Nowadays though I'm literally too afraid to do anything and it's really ruining my enjoyment of games. I try to play Skyrim and I stop playing because I don't know exactly what the perfect build is even though I know full well that you could complete the game with any build. I play Football Manager and rather than making my own tactics and using trial and error to improve, I'm worrying that everything is going to go wrong and that I'm going to mess it all up. Same with Fallout, I can't play it without knowing exactly what the perfect build will be otherwise I feel I'm ruining my chances of doing well.

I know I'm rambling but I wondered whether anybody else had experienced a similar thing? I thought it was just me but then I mentioned it to my boss briefly in conversation this morning and he says that he's similar and that he hates having to make decisions in games because he always feels like it'll be wrong and ruin it.

Earlier I mentioned the MMO that I was addicted to as it had very specific skill builds meaning if you didn't level your characters up a certain way they could practically be ruined straight away and suffer heavily in the long run. So my whole time on that game was spent following specific skill builds that people had worked out which were perfect as the skills could be extremely game-breaking if you didn't level them in the right order. Do you think my 5 years of playing a game with this kind of levelling system has ruined it for all other games? Or do you think it could be an underlying issue with anxiety? Or has my brain just ruined games for me; I just can't play a game for fun now by learning from my mistakes, everything has to be spot on first time.

Am I going mad? :( I really hope I'm not the only one. I want to man up and just play a game and enjoy it and do whatever I want to do on it but I'm struggling at the moment. The only game I've managed it on was Tomb Raider but that's because I knew it was so linear that no matter what I did it wasn't going to ruin the game...

Any suggestions? Testosterone injections maybe?
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
This was about 3-4 years ago now but I still suffer from certain symptoms that I had when I was ill, the main one being slight anxiety. It's not medicated as I don't feel it's worth going to the doctor for, but I know it's there. Basically I've just been trying to ignore it but I've noticed it's becoming really obvious in certain parts of my life, even Gaming...
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You should still go to the GP or seek help or advice otherwise the symptoms could exacerbate over time.
 
rickne

rickne

Master Poster
Sounds like Classic OCD to me my friend. Maybe find something else to work out the tension before gaming. Or speak to people with similar issues.
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
Just remember it's only a game, worst case you can start again, it's not a one-time shot. Games like Skyrim just evolve as they go on so no decision really has any lasting effect. Games are there to be enjoyed mate, just try to remember that and enjoy them!
 
vanthus

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
No your not going mad,it sounds very much like my own problems,or one of them.
I've suffered from anxiety depression for quite a few years now,although the anxiety has improved a lot I was still left with OCD,I know people joke about OCD but it does affect your everyday life.
I think your main problem is anxiety,although you don't feel bad enough to see a doctor I would advise you to do so before it gets worse,they can give you medication to calm it down.
 
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Grimezy

Grimezy

Prolific Poster
I suppose you guys are right, I keep telling myself I'll go but as an anxious person it's pretty difficult to make the first step! I'm not a recluse or anything, I work 40 hours a week and I come across as being really outgoing. I just struggle with certain things, even like as simple as calling a client on the phone at work (it's a good job I don't work in Admin! Oh wait...). It's more obvious in things where I have to go out of my way, whether it's going out to the shop once I get home from work or going somewhere new at the weekend for a day out. My hands have started getting really clammy and I'm constantly fidgeting and looking around. I even went out to dinner with my mum the other day and she said I looked like a 'scared bunny rabbit'! What's that meant to mean?! I haven't always been like this :\

I suppose my Post viral is still hanging around though from college, I still get numb/aching legs on a regular basis for no apparent reason and I don't exactly live in the most relaxing of environments at home. I'm continually drained once I get home from work which can't be right for a 20 year old.

I will take your advice though guys and maybe get myself booked in for the docs, I just remember I kept going to him in college and he was very reluctant to issue me with medicine as he thought I was too young! He eventually put me on diazepam to relax me at nights but didn't want me on them for too long because they're apparently addictive. I haven't really been back to him for like 3 years though since that whole episode..

In the meantime I will try harder to enjoy my games! Like Booz said, I can always start again if it goes wrong. That's meant to be the fun of it ey. I knew this already but for some reason I can't put it into practice!

Thanks again guys :)
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
Grimezy said:
I'm not a recluse or anything, I work 40 hours a week and I come across as being really outgoing. I just struggle with certain things, even like as simple as calling a client on the phone at work (it's a good job I don't work in Admin! Oh wait...). It's more obvious in things where I have to go out of my way, whether it's going out to the shop once I get home from work or going somewhere new at the weekend for a day out. My hands have started getting really clammy and I'm constantly fidgeting and looking around. I even went out to dinner with my mum the other day and she said I looked like a 'scared bunny rabbit'! What's that meant to mean?! I haven't always been like this :\
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Mate I suffered twice with depression, once in my early 20s and once in my early 30s, both through some really bad stuff that happened (life's a beyotch sometimes eh?) and it affected my personality quite severely both times in different ways. I'm completely different now to how I used to be, and while I'm one of the most confident people I know in most things I do, sometimes I can't bring myself to face some really simple little things. I get over it pretty quickly and get on with my life as usual, but the thing is to realise that you actually are anxious (which you have) and once you've done that it's just a case of taking the time to calm yourself down, tell yourself it's a straightforward thing you're going to do and nothing to stress about, then live the moment.
Tiredness doesn't help either, I've been constantly knackered since my first daughter was born seven and a half years ago and sometimes I just like to switch off. But needs must and all that so it's a case of put up and shut up and get on with it. Keep telling yourself nothing bothers you and that you can take everything in your stride, and eventually you'll realise it's true.
 
L

LFFPicard

Godlike
Check out https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/
My GP got me to try it, it tests your Depression and Anxiety. Then it uses Behaviour cognitive therapy to help you overcome them.

Worth a try, even if you just do the test.

p.s - By test I mean about 4 questions asking you scale your mood on 1-10
 
W

Wozza63

Biblical Poster
Play some games where you don't really have big decisions to make perhaps? Like a multiplayer game that has only one real way of progressing such as CoD (as bad as it is)
 
E

EYEONME

Well-known member
Don't worry ur not alone, I replayed the bit in walking dead where Carly gets shot, I tried and tried to save her. In the end I HAD to google it, just to find out you couldn't save her. :(
 
sted

sted

Rising Star
I have the same problem myself, Grimezy.

It's not quite with all games for me, but over the years in an online game, also somewhat similar to WoW, I was getting anxious in PvP, Pee'd off if I lost, I was forgetting it's just a game and took it too seriously. I thought that may have been the reason why I was getting anxious.

It's not as bad in that way now for me, as taking it 'personal', but I still get anxious in PvP encounters regardless, though I'm not entirely sure why. It's obvious it has links to the fact it's not a computer you're going against, but a player controlled character, which makes a lot of sense in my case, considering my anxiety levels in general, other than that I'm not entirely sure what other factors might contribute. Oddly, I feel no such anxiety in the likes of BF3, so I assume maybe it's more to do with having more interactions, conversation wise with other players in MMORPG's, rather than the usual raging players in FPS's online, who type messages in caps about being killed.


Up to now it's not affected me in single player at all, but if it's going to, I'm guessing my recent attention toward Mass Effect will do it. That game knows how to kick you in the face, and makes decisions feel like they hold a lot of weight.



I remember when I played that game I mentioned online, and I saw of other people saying they got quite anxious in PvP also, there were a few people who said it, so it looks like it may be more common than some realise.
 
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