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Post by Grayback on Feb 15, 2013 15:05:00 GMT -5
Hey everyone, I just happened to find an article on RPS talking about a game ( or, more accurately an interactive fiction ) called Depression Quest. Given that depression is something I've had to deal with a lot ( right now I'm doing good though so let's hope it stays that way ) I had to try it. I've got to say, it really hit home. While there are clearly a few differences between the character you play as and my own situation ( e.g he has a girlfriend, I do not ), I very much recognized myself in terms of how my mind sometimes works and the thoughts that I very often had when suffering from depression. Anyway I don't want to bother you with too much details but I hope if any of you have time and want to try this ( and if you like reading ), feel free to share your own experience with this and, if you so desire, the ending you achieved ( yes, there are multiple endings, I think I got one of the relatively good ones ) www.depressionquest.com/
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Post by missklew on Feb 16, 2013 2:56:44 GMT -5
Hey everyone, I just happened to find an article on RPS talking about a game ( or, more accurately an interactive fiction ) called Depression Quest. Given that depression is something I've had to deal with a lot ( right now I'm doing good though so let's hope it stays that way ) I had to try it. I've got to say, it really hit home. While there are clearly a few differences between the character you play as and my own situation ( e.g he has a girlfriend, I do not ), I very much recognized myself in terms of how my mind sometimes works and the thoughts that I very often had when suffering from depression. Anyway I don't want to bother you with too much details but I hope if any of you have time and want to try this ( and if you like reading ), feel free to share your own experience with this and, if you so desire, the ending you achieved ( yes, there are multiple endings, I think I got one of the relatively good ones ) www.depressionquest.com/I played and it was really good. I just played one time. The music sure was depressing.
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Post by Grayback on Feb 16, 2013 5:49:48 GMT -5
I played and it was really good. I just played one time. The music sure was depressing. May I ask which ending you got missklew ? I'm curious to know if you had the same as mine or another one .
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Post by marle on Feb 16, 2013 14:43:54 GMT -5
I played it. I can relate to some of it, especially the lack of motivation, but the protagonist and his situation was very different from mine. How nice it would be to have a supportive girlfriend, and friends you can talk to. But I think the point is that you can be depressed despite having all that.
I also got a positive ending, but like I said, I'm not this character. The protagonist is still with gf, content with punching in the clock, on meds and in therapy, socializing slightly more, and feeling like things are getting better while still dealing with depression.
Thanks for telling me about the music, missklew - I placed it on mute so I didn't feel more depressed playing the game.
I think interactive stories like these are a good idea. I've also played a few political/art computer games and they were very memorable experiences. They aren't necessarily fun so I've felt reluctant about recommending them. I'm sure this interactive fiction will enlighten some people who may not understand depression well.
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Post by missklew on Feb 16, 2013 18:55:14 GMT -5
I played and it was really good. I just played one time. The music sure was depressing. May I ask which ending you got missklew ? I'm curious to know if you had the same as mine or another one . My ending he lost his girlfriend
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Post by Grayback on Feb 17, 2013 13:42:00 GMT -5
But I think the point is that you can be depressed despite having all that. That's pretty much my conclusion as well, being depressed is something that can happen to pretty much anyone, regardless of their social background. It's still harder to deal with ( in my opinion at least ) if you're alone and don't have much resources but that's to be expected I suppose. I think interactive stories like these are a good idea. I've also played a few political/art computer games and they were very memorable experiences. They aren't necessarily fun so I've felt reluctant about recommending them. I'm sure this interactive fiction will enlighten some people who may not understand depression well. I agree with you Marle, the fact that interactive stories like these exist is a good thing. It may allow people who've never dealt with depression ( and who've never had someone in their entourage who had to deal with this ) to show more understanding and if there's anything that the world we live in needs it's a capacity to better understand people that are, in one way or another, different than themselves. Anyway, if you have any suggestion of other interactive stories/fiction I ( and others on this forum ) could try, I would very much like to hear about them, I'm always open to these sort of things. My ending he lost his girlfriend Very interesting, as for me I achieved the same ending that Marle described, in all honesty I was fairly happy that I managed to get this ending, it made me feel better with myself.
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Post by marle on Feb 17, 2013 19:11:02 GMT -5
Anyway, if you have any suggestion of other interactive stories/fiction I ( and others on this forum ) could try, I would very much like to hear about them, I'm always open to these sort of things. Thanks for the suggestion, I've created a new thread.
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Post by silence on Feb 19, 2013 18:11:14 GMT -5
I played! I felt really jealous of this guys life... I chose the options that I would do in real life rather than what I thought would be best for him. I'm not sure if that was the idea or not. I didn't have my headphones on at the time so had no idea there was music, probably for the best! The ending I had was he lost his girlfriend and most probably his job. It was interesting. Definitely not like the choose your own adventure books I had as a kid
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Owen
Full Member
Posts: 161
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Post by Owen on Mar 1, 2013 12:38:25 GMT -5
Thanks for linking that, it was an interesting read, uncomfortably familiar in places...
I answered the questions the way I'd like to think I would in real life and so ended up with the positive ending. However I know from real experience I wouldn't have the guts to do/say some of those things.
One question though, below are two quotes from one of the passages.
"It's 2am on a Sunday, and you have work in the morning."
"You have to be awake for work in a mere 8 hours, "
So he has to wake up to go to work at 10? Ermm can I have that job please?
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Post by Grayback on Mar 2, 2013 14:29:37 GMT -5
Thanks for linking that, it was an interesting read, uncomfortably familiar in places... You're very welcome, I'm glad I made the decision to share this because I hesitated for a while before posting it, not knowing if it was a good idea or not . I answered the questions the way I'd like to think I would in real life and so ended up with the positive ending. However I know from real experience I wouldn't have the guts to do/say some of those things. Yeah, same here, it's so much easier to do the right thing when all you have to do is click on the right option ( and it's generally not that hard to know what option to pick to make the character feel better though I have to admit I made two mistakes but I learned from those and that's what matters, right ? ), if only real life was as easy as clicking on a "get better" button . One question though, below are two quotes from one of the passages. "It's 2am on a Sunday, and you have work in the morning.""You have to be awake for work in a mere 8 hours, "So he has to wake up to go to work at 10? Ermm can I have that job please? Yeah, I know what you mean ;D. But as stated before in this topic, I think one of the things this game is trying to show ( not to us since we already know that but to those that have never dealt with depression, at least that's what I think ) that depression can hit pretty much anyone, having a good job that pays well and family and friends you can trust doesn't mean you're "protected" against it, at best it just means you're better equipped to deal with it than someone alone and without much money.
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