Depression Negative Effects / Outcomes

[Bullet_Magnate]

It seems to me like the effects of depression in the game are currently fairly inconsequential.

 

I'd like to see the possibility that, if a character suffers from severe depression for too long, the game basically fades to black, says the character couldn't go on, and that's that.  Game over. 

 

Would make the need for mood management much more important. 

 

Maybe this could be sandbox option.  Not sure it should be vanilla.  I think it's realistic, but admittedly it's also pretty dark, and might be disturbing to some.  

[Axezombie]

I kinda agree with you, yes depression doesn't do much, it's annoying to transfer items slower but that's not a big deal compared to what depression can actually do but making your character losing all hope and letting themself die is a bit too much don't you think? Especially when you can make your character severely depressed just by eating some bad food but that's another problem.

What I would suggest is that it could affect all actions, reading taking more time, slower and weaker hits, slower walk speed, taking more time to get out of bed etc causing anxiety, feeling sick, bored, tired, insomnia, pain etc

Also having a really bad depression couldn't go away by eating 10 salads but by taking antidepressants for several days or maybe being severely injured and recovering from it (maybe what I'm saying is BS and you can't cure that easily but it's still just a game not depression simulator so...)

 

Finally, I guess devs have plans for depression and other psychological moodles with the addition of NPCs (like anger which was present in first versions).

[namfaseru]

Incorporating realistic effects of depression into games could be an interesting study, but it is important to consider a number of aspects and potential consequences of such an approach. Given that depression is a serious mental disorder, it is necessary to consider the possible effects on players. Gaming is often a way of relaxation and entertainment, and making it too dark and heavy can cause negative emotional reactions and even worsen the mental state of players who may have personal experience with depression.

[getstoopid]

Only partly agreeing with you... yes game-devs may have _some_ responsibility but not in every aspect. As with childs in such grim games - skip them entirely? Yeah absolutely, because it's a sensible approach and doesn't break the game at all. But if you decide to implement a feature like depression in such a game setting where it makes totally sense, you should actually go the full mile... you may decide against suicide but depression should have a severe impact.

People whose mental state is in jeopardy when playing such games should avoid them anyway for their own safety.

[DaveGT]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:27 PM, getstoopid said:

Only partly agreeing with you... yes game-devs may have _some_ responsibility but not in every aspect. As with childs in such grim games - skip them entirely? Yeah absolutely, because it's a sensible approach and doesn't break the game at all. But if you decide to implement a feature like depression in such a game setting where it makes totally sense, you should actually go the full mile... you may decide against suicide but depression should have a severe impact.

People whose mental state is in jeopardy when playing such games should avoid them anyway for their own safety.

Game developers always have the freedom to choose what themes and elements to include in their games. If they decide to introduce elements of depression, it should be done with careful consideration and consideration of the potential consequences for players. By the way, I just recently read about the great depression, I found a link for this. In general, I am against games having such elements. This also has a negative impact on the person who plays.

 

There is truth in all your words, it’s just that everyone has their own.

Edited September 28, 2023 by DaveGT

[getstoopid]

Now we are interested in your opinion =)