Have you used Doom to reduce your anger?

[MTF Sergeant]

It all started one day... when my little brother broke my Red Dead Redemption disc. He made me angry. REALLY angry. Thought I was going paranoid over a disc getting smashed. I immediately opened up Brutal Doom, put on IDDQD and IDKFA and fired away! I felt relief after that.

 

 

 

[Merry Widow]

Nope. Don't need to.

[Dragonfly]

I find gaming as a whole to be a form of stress relief and/or distraction from troubles, be it Doom or any other game.

[fraggle]

It doesn't sound like a very effective way of dealing with anger issues. You'd be better off talking to a therapist.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

I have various hobbies to work off stress, but I don't typically get angry.

Doom is one of said hobbies.

But fraggle is absolutely correct, you should probably speak to a therapist if this is the case.

[DMPhobos]

Usually when i get really angry and i try to calm myself playing something (be doom, or something else) im too angry to actually pay any attention to the game. In short, it doesn't work for me

But playing does relieves some stress, it's a good distraction from life troubles

[seed]

Sort of.

 

I always have something going on in my mind, regardless of how insignificant it might be, and something that annoys or outright pisses me off eventually pops up (even if it doesn't I somehow manage to run into something that does, so... ) in a way or another, and when that happens I need to get rid of it somehow, and Doom usually does it if I don't listen to music (I always let it carry me away from this pathetic plane, so it does have a cathartic effect on me). Although sometimes Doom itself pisses me off when I run into a difficult level from a megawad I'm playing, which makes killing all the more satisfying. It's always good to see the tormented corpses lying broken around me.

[KVELLER]

As long as what I'm playing isn't too hard, playing games is usually a pretty good stress reliever for me.

 

1 hour ago, fraggle said:

It doesn't sound like a very effective way of dealing with anger issues. You'd be better off talking to a therapist.

 

It sounds effective to me. Being angry sometimes is normal, and as long as they're killing monsters in a video game and not hurting people IRL I don't see the problem.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

It can be, but I think what fraggle's saying is if this happens often or over little things then it might not be that effective (or healthy) and so speaking to a therapist is the best course of action.

[Moustachio]

Except that therapists aren't always readily available except over the phone. A small bout of anger every once in a while is totally normal and manageable, and it just so happens that playing a game to let off steam for half an hour is actually a pretty effective, and harmless, method of blowing off steam when in the heat of the moment.

 

If this is a common occurrence, absolutely go see a therapist if possible since that is an even more effective and harmless method of relieving stress.

[leodoom85]

Short answer...yes but with negative results most of the time.

Why? Let me tell you why.

I recommend you to NOT play Doom when you're angry if you die a lot or feel that you're playing badly. Just...avoid it if you don't wanna be more angry than you are. It's better to clean your mind and go outside or take a break. Trust me.

[Remilia Scarlet]

Nope.  But I have used it and other games when I'm anxious to help me through a panic attack, basically as a tool to help take my mind off of whatever was making me anxious.

[Lila Feuer]

Carma and Postal are my go-to games when it comes to cathartic release.

[Equinox24]

Yeah, video games aren't necessary. They're a luxury. But sometimes a little luxury is necessary.

[Swalzi]

I play Doom to reduce stress at times. If I was angry, I'd prefer watching cute animal videos or listening to music instead.

Hypothetically, if an unknown thing forced me to play Doom II while I am angry with my choice of megawad to play, it would be MAYhem2017 on HMP difficulty. The level themes are based off the classic Super Mario universe. Most of the levels are bright and have happy music. The intermission screens are funny and lightens the mood further. It's also not too difficult.

[Starkiller]

Sometimes playing Doom can relieve out stress. Sometimes playing Doom can make you frustrated. 

 

Here's my suggestion: If you feel upset and angry, you can definitely play a game. But if that game adds to the stress mountain, then I advise to shut it off, and take a quiet nap. I found sleeping a good stress reliever. It makes me feel refreshed and in a better mood. 

[amackert]

DOOM is a game I play when I want to just chill out and/or relax. It gets my mind off things and allows me to wind down, even if I am playing really tough maps.

[ReX]

6 hours ago, The Mysterious Moustachio said:

.... an even more effective and harmless method of relieving stress.

Going outdoors for a brisk walk.

Shadow boxing.

Taking multiple deep breaths.

Doing all of the above at the same time.

[Alter]

Sometimes when you get a bit too angry, you should apologize to your girlfriend/family/whatever and just go out, take a walk, let it all out and then when you've calmed down, resolve your issue. Of course if it's a recurring thing and you keep losing control say on a weekly basis, a therapist CAN help (though doesn't work in everyone's case)

[Misty]

I used to play doom or listen angry music, but it doesn't help me anymore, when I'm angry or feeling down. Now, I prefer to go outside or try find reasons why it happens. 

[printz]

I find Doom (and similar gaming) better for coping with grief (permanent loss) than with anger (some momentary problem I'm having). I think anger is best managed by solving the problem, rather than passively distracting myself and delaying the solution.

 

I don't remember the last time I was angry without quickly lashing out at the offender (in case you ask, I was justified).

 

Playing Doom while grieving a loss (not necessarily about a death) is helpful because I view my hobbies as my internal friends who won't go away.

[Dragonfly]

42 minutes ago, printz said:

Playing Doom while grieving a loss (not necessarily about a death) is helpful because I view my hobbies as my internal friends who won't go away.

 

I actually go away from Doom when I deal with great loss, be it relationships or death. I think I do this to prevent myself associating certain things I already enjoy with a bad situation. I often try listening to new music, playing different games etc. 

[Catpho]

10 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

 

I actually go away from Doom when I deal with great loss, be it relationships or death. I think I do this to prevent myself associating certain things I already enjoy with a bad situation. I often try listening to new music, playing different games etc. 

Me too. When im having a bad mood or something sad happens suddenly all the enjoyment goes away... I think thats good tho because then i want to find that enjoyment again so i try to make myself happy.

[ReX]

In my post, above, I did not mean to imply that simple activities alone can resolve deep-seated psychological issues. Such activities can serve to reduce moderate stress when it arises from time to time. Someone who is angry all the time, or who routinely feels anger that is disproportional to the source of the anger, would probably benefit from professional psychological/psychiatric help.

[Woolie Wool]

19 hours ago, fraggle said:

It doesn't sound like a very effective way of dealing with anger issues. You'd be better off talking to a therapist.

Must be nice living in a civilized country where the government pays for things like that.

[Spie812]

I'm not sure Doom would help me very much if I am angry at something. However, playing the game after a long day is very relaxing, especially if it's a WAD I'm familiar with and I can just sort of go through the motions required.

[ReX]

On 5/16/2018 at 6:21 PM, Spie812 said:

However, playing the game after a long day is very relaxing....

Curiously, playing DooM (or any other FPS) has just the opposite effect on me. I get wound up and tense and wired, and I often feel a tightness in my shoulders and back after playing for a couple of hours. Some of it, undoubtedly, has to do with the involuntary motion of my body as I try to "dodge" an enemy's attack.

 

I suspect that if I played DooM while I was angry, I'd come away feeling worse than when I started.

[Rocketman]

It depends on the status, but I would say Yes. For me, it works. 

[Deleted_Account]

For me I would say it’s more of an escape from the mundanity of life. 

[Reaper8888]

I find Doom to be a good way of dealing with stress and frustration. People may think there are better forms of stress relief, but there are also definitely worse ways to deal with stress...