One of the many reasons I love video games is because they are a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. I work a full-time job as a financial reporting analyst for a very large corporation. This isn’t necessary a job I love doing. It’s a way for me to pay my bills and support my family. My real passion is writing about video games, it allows me to be myself instead of hiding under a corporate mask. There are many aspects of my job which stress me out or cause me extreme bouts of anxiety. When this happens, the best way for me to vent my emotions is to play a video game. Recently, Doom (2016) has been the perfect example of a good stress release game for me.
As a person who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I remember playing the original Doom on PC at my cousin’s house. It was the first time I experienced an FPS style of game. The concept of the player looking through the eyes of the character was brand new for its time. Now, FPS games dominate the gaming market and for good reason. These games are fun to play, they immerse you like no other, and often include multiplayer that you can play along with your friends. What I like about Doom (2016) is that it goes back to the roots of the early FPS games. No rechargeable health and no reloading. The game encourages you to play aggressively while running and gunning. For this reason, I tend to boot up Doom (2016) after a long, frustrating, anxiety fueled day of work.
One of my biggest triggers for my social anxiety is my job. To summarize, I am in a difficult situation having only been in the job for a short time and having very little sense of guidance or direction to do my job in the most efficient way. Not having a proper training schedule or routine leads me to feel powerless, panicky, and defeated. When I am having a bad day, I use video games to help me focus my negative energy into something fun and satisfying. I recently had a particularly stressful day at work which unfortunately made me feel very angry inside. I decided when I got home to play Doom (2016). Something about ripping demons apart and blasting them with your shotgun while running nonstop is so satisfying. I was able to release my anger in a healthy way while not bottling it up causing me more harm. Simply put, this game makes you feel like a badass.
For the style of game this is, the music is absolutely perfect. It has a 90s industrial sound to it, reminiscent of early Nine Inch Nails music. Fun fact, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails composed the music for the original Quake which is also a game developed by Id Software, same developer as Doom. The noisy industrial soundtrack kicks in when a fight is about to go down. When you hear the music you know it’s time to kill demons. The music fuels your adrenaline while you play. I am a big music fan and usually play racing games with my own soundtracks. Music has a very beneficial effect on how I play a game and how I feel while playing it. In Doom (2016), when I hear that industrial music I forget all about the problems I had at work and focus on staying alive while stylishly stomping on some demons. By the end of my sessions playing Doom (2016), I feel mentally exhausted in the best possible way. It’s an outlet to get all the bad feelings out so that I can re-focus on providing for my family. Another outlet I have is writing and starting my blog and writing for RGM has helped me during a couple of seriously bad times in the past month.
What are some ways that you deal with stress or frustration at your job? Do you have any specific games you play? Leave a comment below or in the RGM forums.
