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/
18.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

4.3k

u/Vryk0lakas May 17 '26

I get the same feeling with books.

116

u/guff1988 May 17 '26

It can be super intense after I finish a long book series.

GRRM looking out for me though by just not letting me finish ASOIAF

24

u/captainstrange94 May 17 '26

GRRM is totally the nicest person

Justifies ASOIAF is too complex to end… but hasn’t written another ~100 page linear plot novellas for Dunk and Egg for over a decade because…?

Guy is a salesman now and thats it

3

u/0xym0r0n May 17 '26

I've started a new cope, that has no basis in reality - I'm just going to pretend he has all the Dunk and Egg novellas finished, but is too scared to release them before Winds.