Post-game depression: Polish scientists first to create tool to measure this phenomenon
Experiencing a sense of loss and sadness after dozens of hours spent on a video game? Researchers from SWPS University and the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences examined the feeling of emptiness that accompanies completing an engaging computer game. They created the world's first scale for measuring post-game depression, and published their research results in the international journal Current Psychology.
Video games are the third most popular form of leisure activity (only television and social media are more popular). As many as 53% of people aged 6 to 64 regularly play video games. Despite this popularity, the science of video game research still remains in its early stages.
Games are becoming more and more sophisticated, and increasingly involve more than just entertainment. For many people, completing a long, engaging game is not only a moment of satisfaction but also an emotional challenge. In an age of increasingly realistic and immersive games, understanding the processes taking place in players' minds can help us understand how they impact our mental health, says psychologist Kamil Janowicz, PhD, from the Center for Research on Personality Development at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.
Time to say goodbye
It turns out that some people experience post-game depression (P-GD), a feeling of emptiness after completing an exceptionally immersive and emotionally charged game. This phenomenon, widely discussed on online gaming forums, has been largely overlooked by researchers.
To address this gap, researchers - psychologist Kamil Janowicz from the Center for Research on Personality Development at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, and psychologist Piotr Klimczyk from the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences in Skierniewice - analysed this issue more broadly and created the first tool to scientifically measure the intensity of this phenomenon: the Post-Game Depression Scale (P-GDS). The paper on this topic, "Post-game depression scale - a new measure to capture players' experiences after finishing video games”, was published in the journal Current Psychology.
Depression after the finale
They conducted two studies involving 373 players across various types of video games. Participants were recruited via social media announcements, Reddit, a curated mailing list, and Discord. In the first study, the researchers analysed their proposed measurement scale. Participants completed the initial version of the scale and measures of well-being and mental health. Most participants declared playing every day (28.1%) or almost every day (41.4%). The most popular types of play were playing alone (30.6% of the time) or with teammates against other players (19.0%).
In this study, the researchers ultimately captured four aspects related to the phenomenon of post-game depression: game-related ruminations (intrusive thoughts about the plot); challenging end of experience; necessity of replaying the game; and media anhedonia (a loss of interest in other media products).
In the second study, the goals were to confirm the four-factor structure of the post-game depression revealed in Study 1, and investigate the intensity of each aspect of post-game depression. Based on their analyses, the researchers concluded that post-game depression was such a complex phenomenon that it should be considered as a set of various challenging, intercorrelating experiences. They also observed that game-related ruminations were the most intensively experienced aspect of post-game depression, while the least intense aspect was media anhedonia.
Gamer distress – RPG fans most at risk
The studies show that the intensity of P-GD is associated with stronger depressive symptoms and lower well-being. It is not possible to unequivocally determine the direction of these associations at this point. On the one hand, unpleasant emotions, game-related ruminations, and experiencing media anhedonia due to finishing a highly engaging game may elevate the risk of a decrease in general mental health. On the other hand, suffering from intense depression symptoms may result in more challenging emotions associated with finishing the game.
Our research shows that gamers playing role-playing games (RPGs) are most susceptible to post-game depression. It is in these games that players have the greatest influence on character development through their decisions, and build the strongest bonds with their characters. And the more engaging the game world and the closer the relationship with the character, the more difficult it is to return to reality once the game is over, dr Janowicz says.
As predicted, both studies confirmed that people who usually tend to be overwhelmed by repetitive and intrusive thoughts may also experience them in the context of playing (and finishing) video games. Thus, the tendency to ruminate may be considered a risk factor for experiencing intense P-GD.
The researchers also observed another interesting correlation: individuals who experienced more intense sadness after finishing a game were more likely to exhibit a general tendency to dwell on events pessimistically. P-GD may therefore be the result of a general difficulty coping with emotions.
P-GD is a specific type of grief after loss, reminiscent of parting with a loved one or the end of an important life stage. Our research shows that for many gamers, the virtual world becomes such a significant source of emotions that returning to everyday life requires time and appropriate psychological tools, emphasises the psychologist from the SWPS University. These results may help us better understand gamer experiences, and they could be useful in the game design process. They also raise a number of questions about the ethical aspects of game development, and taking into account the potential impact of gameplay on player well-being in this process, dr Janowicz adds.
END
Video games are the third most popular form of leisure activity (only television and social media are more popular). As many as 53% of people aged 6 to 64 regularly play video games. Despite this popularity, the science of video game research still remains in its early stages.
Games are becoming more and more sophisticated, and increasingly involve more than just entertainment. For many people, completing a long, engaging game is not only a moment of satisfaction but also an emotional challenge. In an age of increasingly realistic and immersive games, understanding the processes taking place in players' minds can help us understand how they impact our mental health, says psychologist Kamil Janowicz, PhD, from the Center for Research on Personality Development at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University.
Time to say goodbye
It turns out that some people experience post-game depression (P-GD), a feeling of emptiness after completing an exceptionally immersive and emotionally charged game. This phenomenon, widely discussed on online gaming forums, has been largely overlooked by researchers.
To address this gap, researchers - psychologist Kamil Janowicz from the Center for Research on Personality Development at the Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, and psychologist Piotr Klimczyk from the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences in Skierniewice - analysed this issue more broadly and created the first tool to scientifically measure the intensity of this phenomenon: the Post-Game Depression Scale (P-GDS). The paper on this topic, "Post-game depression scale - a new measure to capture players' experiences after finishing video games”, was published in the journal Current Psychology.
Depression after the finale
They conducted two studies involving 373 players across various types of video games. Participants were recruited via social media announcements, Reddit, a curated mailing list, and Discord. In the first study, the researchers analysed their proposed measurement scale. Participants completed the initial version of the scale and measures of well-being and mental health. Most participants declared playing every day (28.1%) or almost every day (41.4%). The most popular types of play were playing alone (30.6% of the time) or with teammates against other players (19.0%).
In this study, the researchers ultimately captured four aspects related to the phenomenon of post-game depression: game-related ruminations (intrusive thoughts about the plot); challenging end of experience; necessity of replaying the game; and media anhedonia (a loss of interest in other media products).
In the second study, the goals were to confirm the four-factor structure of the post-game depression revealed in Study 1, and investigate the intensity of each aspect of post-game depression. Based on their analyses, the researchers concluded that post-game depression was such a complex phenomenon that it should be considered as a set of various challenging, intercorrelating experiences. They also observed that game-related ruminations were the most intensively experienced aspect of post-game depression, while the least intense aspect was media anhedonia.
Gamer distress – RPG fans most at risk
The studies show that the intensity of P-GD is associated with stronger depressive symptoms and lower well-being. It is not possible to unequivocally determine the direction of these associations at this point. On the one hand, unpleasant emotions, game-related ruminations, and experiencing media anhedonia due to finishing a highly engaging game may elevate the risk of a decrease in general mental health. On the other hand, suffering from intense depression symptoms may result in more challenging emotions associated with finishing the game.
Our research shows that gamers playing role-playing games (RPGs) are most susceptible to post-game depression. It is in these games that players have the greatest influence on character development through their decisions, and build the strongest bonds with their characters. And the more engaging the game world and the closer the relationship with the character, the more difficult it is to return to reality once the game is over, dr Janowicz says.
As predicted, both studies confirmed that people who usually tend to be overwhelmed by repetitive and intrusive thoughts may also experience them in the context of playing (and finishing) video games. Thus, the tendency to ruminate may be considered a risk factor for experiencing intense P-GD.
The researchers also observed another interesting correlation: individuals who experienced more intense sadness after finishing a game were more likely to exhibit a general tendency to dwell on events pessimistically. P-GD may therefore be the result of a general difficulty coping with emotions.
P-GD is a specific type of grief after loss, reminiscent of parting with a loved one or the end of an important life stage. Our research shows that for many gamers, the virtual world becomes such a significant source of emotions that returning to everyday life requires time and appropriate psychological tools, emphasises the psychologist from the SWPS University. These results may help us better understand gamer experiences, and they could be useful in the game design process. They also raise a number of questions about the ethical aspects of game development, and taking into account the potential impact of gameplay on player well-being in this process, dr Janowicz adds.
END