Is it normal to feel empty after finishing game?

Whether you drop 50 or 1,000 hours into it—when it comes time to let the game go, we find ourselves feeling empty and lost. This feeling is known as post-game depression, and it's not a joke.

Why do I feel empty after beating a game?

Readers call it a “book hangover” when they, as Clare Barnett from Book Riot explained, “can't stop thinking about the fictional world that has run out of pages.” Academic research in the field of arts and leisure calls it post-series depression, or PSD; a 2019 study defined it as “the feelings of melancholy and ...

Is post-game depression a thing?

This feeling is different for everyone – it can be felt after finishing a TV show, a movie, or even a book. The story with games is a little different, though. Post-game depression may feel endless, but there are many healthy ways to patch up that wound and heal.

Why do I feel weird after playing video games?

Liquid in the semicircular canals of your inner ear allows you to sense if you're moving. But the brain can get confused if your inner ear senses that you're sitting still while your eyes see the action on the screen and tell the brain you're moving. That may leave you feeling sick, dizzy, or drowsy.

How long does feeling empty last?

The feeling of emptiness might last a few days and then resolve on its own. Other times, it might linger for two weeks or longer. When this is the case, learning to recognize cognitive distortions and seeking the support of a mental health professional can help.

Post Game Depression Explained

What triggers emptiness?

Causes of Emptiness

“These experiences might include the loss of a loved one, rejection or distinct difficulty finding meaning and fulfillment in their lives.” Other factors that may lead to a feeling of emptiness include boredom, stress, communication issues and lack of emotional connection with others, adds Del Toro.

What is emptiness a symptom of?

Feelings of emptiness—a lack of meaning or purpose—are experienced by most people at some point in life. However, chronic feelings of emptiness, feelings of emotional numbness or despair, and similar experiences may be symptomatic of other mental health concerns, such as depression, anhedonia, or schizophrenia.

How long does it take to detox from gaming?

Research shows it will take up to 90 days for our brain chemistry to rewire back to normal dopamine sensitivity levels. And during this 90 days we may experience any of the following: Compulsions, cravings and/or urges to game. Withdrawals, mood swings and/or irritability.

Why do I get brain fog after playing games?

This increases our blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate. After a while, the blood shifts to the limbic system, the part of the brain involved in our emotional and behavioral responses, which can cause brain fog, sometimes called becoming a game zombie.

Is 5 hours of gaming bad?

Potential game addiction can't be defined by a specific number of hours spent gaming. Instead, it is dictated by how your gaming affects other aspects of your life. If you play video games for five hours a day but can put the controller down without issue whenever you feel like it, you're probably fine.

Can games give PTSD?

PTSD Symptoms

Heavy exposure to violent video games can lead people to see the world as more dangerous, to be more fearful, and initiate more self-protective behaviors such as carrying guns (Anderson and Gentile, 2014).

What to do in high on life after beating the game?

What to Do After Beating High on Life? The most obvious answer is to complete 100% of the achievements. This includes exploring areas and finding all Luglox Chests, investigating all the warp discs that Blorto sells, and perhaps beginning a new game to catch any achievements that may have previously been missed.

Do boys who play video games have lower depression?

Summary: Eleven-year-old boys who play video games often are less likely to develop symptoms of depression three years later than their peers who don't.

Does playing games drain your energy?

Mental or physical exhaustion

If you're affected by gaming fatigue or burnout, you will most likely experience symptoms of exhaustion which include feeling tired, lethargic, irritable, and emotionally drained. You may also experience physical ailments such as headache or feeling physically weak.

Is playing games dissociation?

Both (known as DD) can be felt as if you're living through a simulation and have been linked to dissociation. With effects such as seeing yourself out of your own body, feeling unreal, or becoming disconnected from the world around you, video games just might be another cause to trigger these experiences.

Do video games cause alexithymia?

Regular gamers tend to feel their emotions with less intensity than other adolescents. Regular gamers express their emotions less than other adolescents. Regular gamers have difficulty identifying and describing emotions, which translates into a higher level of alexithymia than other adolescents.

Can video games ruin dopamine?

The end result: players can end up with a diminished supply of dopamine. Take a game like that away from addicted adolescents and they often show behavioral problems, withdrawal symptoms, even aggression, according to Dr. Greenfield. But not all gaming is bad.

Do video games mess up dopamine?

The reward center in the brain releases dopamine in response to a pleasurable experience or hyperarousal. If a person experiences hyperarousal while playing video games, the brain associates the activity with dopamine. The person develops a strong drive to seek out that same pleasure again and again.

How permanent is brain fog?

People usually recover from brain fog. You may get similar symptoms after other infections, a minor head injury or during the menopause. Brain fog is also common if you have depression, anxiety or stress.

What does gaming withdrawal feel like?

DSM-5 states that the withdrawal symptoms that occur when an individual is forced to stop internet gaming include irritability, anxiety, or sadness (APA, 2013).

How long is a healthy amount of gaming?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours per day of screen-based entertainment.

How many hours of gaming is considered an addiction?

For video game play to be classified as addictive, one must engage in them for at least 15 to 20 hours each week or more. This amounts to an average of three hours each day. This sort of play can cause lasting damage to the health and well-being of people, including their relationships and productivity.

What is quiet BPD?

Quiet BPD is an unofficial term for when you engage with symptoms inwardly, instead of outwardly. Share on Pinterest Sarah Mason/Getty Images. Having quiet borderline personality disorder (BPD) — aka “high-functioning” BPD — means that you often direct thoughts and feelings inward rather than outward.

What does a BPD episode look like?

Identifying Episodes

Intense angry outbursts. Suicidal thoughts and self-harm behavior. Going to great lengths to feel something, then becoming increasingly avoidant and withdrawn. Paranoia, feeling as if there is someone out to get you.

Why am I so emotionless and empty?

Feeling empty and emotionally numb can be a result of emotional detachment or a syndrome known as depersonalization. Feeling empty and numb is, in essence, the experience of feeling disconnected, surreal, and unable to identify emotions.