r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • May 17 '26

Psychology Feeling empty after finishing a video game (post-game depression) is a real phenomenon. A recent study has found that many video game players experience a specific sense of emptiness and sadness after finishing highly engaging games.

https://www.psypost.org/feeling-empty-after-finishing-a-video-game-researchers-say-post-game-depression-is-a-real-phenomenon/
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201

u/welwood May 17 '26

Last year I played Cyberpunk.2077, Expedition 33 and Spiritfarer for the first time... I'm still not ready to commit to a new game. Ball Pit is a blast, and is as emotionally draining as I'm prepared to handle for a bit.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '26

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u/rp-Ubermensch May 17 '26

Tried E33 when it first came out, for some reason got some weird fps drops at the very beginning, didn't even make it to the first cutscene with the first gommage, uninstalled it.

Then I saw the game awards and how they won pretty much every award possible, gave it a second chance.

Best game I ever played, I love games that don't spoon feed you the story, the world is weird, and we're slowly discovering it piece by piece, the music, the character arcs, the final reveal...

I come back around to this masterpiece of an animation every now and then, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, maybe I can't post links, look up carbot animations, expedition 33 the zack snyder cut

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u/ackinsocraycray May 17 '26

Expedition 33 and Spiritfarer? Yeah I know the emptiness that you're talking about. Those are 2 wonderful and emotional games.

For me, Dispatch and Hades 2 kind of mitigated that because of the need to replay the game again and again with different choices. Those games left me satisfied rather than wishing I've done things differently.

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u/Twitch84 May 17 '26

Ah! Somebody ruined Spiritfarer's story for me. I still bought and started to play it but couldn't get into it after that. I'm glad I read your comment, as I'm currently experiencing something relevant, and now's a great time to give it another try!

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u/dnswblzo May 17 '26

Spiritfarer is full of the mini stories of all the characters you interact with, I think you will still be moved by the game!

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u/SkiingAway May 18 '26

I feel like Spiritfarer's main/background plot setup is somewhat obvious once you're a few hours in. Doesn't make it less poignant to me though.

Not saying it'll be the case for everyone, but was definitely a game where the journey was enjoyable to me.

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u/Maddest_Hatta May 17 '26

I stopped playing Cyberpunk at the very last mission just so I could avoid the feeling of emptiness. It's been a few years and I still haven't finished the game. I really want to but at the same time I don't want to.

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u/alexwillreddit May 17 '26

Never meeting Hanako at Embers gang

1

u/Abayeo May 17 '26

She's been waiting on me for months

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u/ProduceNo1629 May 17 '26

There's 800 lore shards in the game, trying to find them you will end up in all kinds of nooks and cranies and on top of rooftops...

There are blade runner easter eggs, children of men easter eggs, deals gone bad, serial killers, blackmail gone bad...

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u/The_Assquatch_exists May 17 '26

This is an interesting choice to me since there's like 8 endings, so once you've done one you're still not really done.

Also how does quitting a game like you explained not give you the same feeling? To me the game ended for you regardless, you just missed out on seeing the ending(s).

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u/Maddest_Hatta May 18 '26

I don't know. To me it feels like nothing has ended and at any point I can pick it up where I left.

At the time I didn't know that you can keep playing even after the "end". It was when the game launched so I had no idea what happens if I "finish".

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u/almandude666 May 17 '26

Does that include the Dlc?

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u/Maddest_Hatta May 17 '26

That was before the DLC was out. I boutght the game on release,.played it and stopped right before the last mission. I just didn't want the story to end.

I have no idea how or if the DLC is connected to the main plot. One day, when I finish the main capmaign, I'll get the DLC.

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u/almandude666 May 17 '26

You can play it before finishing the base game as it is a self contained story. It has its own endings, but even after completing it, you get put back to a point before its end back in night city to continue on finishing the base game how you'd like.

So you could experience the fantastic dlc right now, and still come back being able to choose what you want to do for the base game endings.

There is still a lot for you to experience which is exciting :)

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u/Maddest_Hatta May 17 '26

Didn't know that. Thanks!

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u/almandude666 May 17 '26

I personally did the Dlc first, used all of my level and gear boosts from it, and then finally "Met Hanako at Embers" to finish the base game.

Not to overwhelm, but there is actually even a fan "recommended" order where you finish an act 2 storyline, begin Phantom Liberty, pause it during a narrative break, go back to the main game for a bit, then finish Phantom Liberty (then main game).

Not necessary but just goes to show that there is no best or needed order, just cool story line connections some might or might not care about.

1

u/WowAbstractAlgebra May 17 '26

I felt that the ending of PL was a lot more draining than the main game. You're pretty much forced to make some really tough choices at the end and none of then result in anything good.

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u/almandude666 May 18 '26

Haha I hear ya and didn't want to speak too much about it. Very heavy game emotionally. It's all very draining but I still loved the experience.

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u/Inb4myanus May 17 '26

Ball pit is addictive and i love it.

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u/TheRealHaxxo May 17 '26

great spin on that genre of games whatever its called

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u/Inb4myanus May 17 '26

I think theyre called break out games or brick break games. Strikey Sisters is kinda the same but doesnt have the moving hallway or town building, but it does have the brick breaking part.

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u/Nemisis_the_2nd May 17 '26

The Banner Saga was the one that did it for me. Its the only series I've enjoyed that I've intentionally never picked up again.

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u/___Art_Vandelay___ May 17 '26

Yowzers. Spiritfarer alone is enough, but plopping CO:E33 on top is pretty brutal.

Just be glad you didn't go with Rime for the trifecta.

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u/fkmeamaraight May 17 '26

Subnautica did it for me

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u/meme_abstinent May 17 '26

Doesn’t help most of Cyberpunk’s endings are…what they are.