5 things to fight the depression after finishing an RPG

If you have finished a game that you have spent dozens, if not hundreds of hours in, it sometimes gives you the same feeling as after a festival or holiday. You have been in another world for a moment, and then all the fun is over. That can give you a depressed feeling, but fortunately something can be done about it.
Research shows that completing a game not only provides a euphoric feeling: it also causes a minor depression. Something you liked has come to an end and you have to process that. No problem, but if you’d rather get rid of that feeling faster, there are methods to achieve that.

Start a new game

It’s a bit like when your pet dies: many people are inclined to ask if you are going to buy a new pet. That sounds very bad, but if you feel such an emptiness in your home, it is a solution to a small part of your problems. It’s the same with games, throw yourself into a new adventure and let yourself be carried away.

Read a book

1Reading a book is a good idea because it requires your brain to be very active to imagine worlds and characters together. That might be even better than the tip we will give later, namely to watch series. A lot has already been filled in, but that is much less the case with a book, while you immerse yourself completely in that world. It is a bit like when your pet dies: many people are still inclined to ask whether you are going to buy a new pet. That sounds very bad, but if you feel such an emptiness in your home, it is a solution to a small part of your problems. It’s the same with games, throw yourself into a new adventure and let yourself be carried away.

Find your friends

You’ve just spent hundreds of hours with all kinds of game characters you’ve bonded with. You have to say goodbye to that and that hurts. Even if your friends don’t understand what’s going on inside you at all, it can help to feel that connection with people you have a bond with. Just like you’ve had a bond with people/characters in the game.

Go watch a TV series

Some people enjoy watching Friends for the tenth time, simply because it is entertaining, not too heavy and you know what to expect. You can also immerse yourself in a series that has been on your watch list for a while: it’s whatever you want, but immersing yourself in a TV series can keep your brain busy with something else.

Play the game again

A completely different character, a higher difficulty level: for some people, the only thing that helps is to play that same game again. Studios often respond to this by offering something extra after completion. So it could mean that you can invest even more time in that beloved game.
You are certainly not alone if you sometimes experience post-game depression. According to a study via News Medical Life Sciences is There’s just a feeling of emptiness when you get to the end of a game that was extremely compelling. It can even feel like mourning to some, and that seems to be especially common in RPGs. Reason enough to do one of the above things and feel better again quickly.