Random Encounter - Depression Quest

Best RE so far. And I thoroughly enjoyed the depth it's given you. It's good to see a guy with real life experience and a kind heart taking the place of "that guy that plays random games". I came here because of the other article and thought "maybe I have 10 mins for a RE and check what that depression quest thing is". Then I started watching and thought "should go play the game first and THEN watch the video, just so that I don't 'cheat' and choose the 'right' answers". I'm now an hour in and my free time is gone so I'll have to continue tomorrow but I wanted to say I really enjoyed the seriousness with which you played this "game", and how you spent enough time seriously considering the options and not just click on whatever you decided in a fraction of a second; the fact that you took the time to explain your choices was appreciated.

Also endearing to see how much you struggled at points because of your past experience with the subject. I'm sure I will feel the same when I play it.

Keep up the good work Danny. +Respect to you ^_^

Great show, interesting game. Glad to know theres stuff like this out there.

Funny thing, I suffer from depression, i've played the game. Choose pretty much all the same options as did Danny...

Excellent episode. Wasn't expecting to be moved when I sat down to watch RE, this has really been fascinating. Thanks, more games like this!

Damn, wasn't expecting this when I was going through the episodes. Powerful stuff, made even more powerful by the fact that I'll never be able to accomplish what you just did in the game

Thanks so much Danny for this one. I've spent hours catching up on Random Encounters today and was very surprised to come across this one. I have struggled with these issues too for most of my life (I'm now near 41) and spent a lot of those first years thinking I was the only one as well. Most people simply don't understand clinical depression and anxiety unless they've experienced it.

Kudos for giving this extremely insightful "game" some exposure!

same godamn super loud ads over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over  and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over vand over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...

@dannyodwyer 

Just wanted to say a huge well done to you Danny for doing an RE on this game. I've watched a number of the ones you have done and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this is by far my favourite. I was only able to watch for an hour but was very surprised at how many of the things you mentioned from your own life matched feelings I either had or have now to some extent.

I must commend you for taking on this, especially with your lack of confidence with reading, you did a fine enough job, but also that you have a MASSIVE selection of other games that you could have featured but instead you have taken time and put a lot of your self on display by featuring a game that most of the impulsive parts of the gaming community wouldn't look at twice.

Keep up the good work and I look forward to more Random Encounters in the future. 

"Pretending you are sick is a constant tactic." Oh my lord, this scares me. I feel hit right in the groin by this video. I know I have symptoms of depression from time to time, but never spoke to anyone about it except my closest friend. Am unemployed at the moment. Lost my last job due to not being there on time and missing alot of days due to "sickness" even though I am a heltahy person. The future is uncertain and I quite frankly don't know what to do.

I watched this whole stream, and yeah:  This game hits the nail on the head.  Thanks for going through it and giving this game some very much deserved publicity.  God, a lot of this game hits close to home.

damn, when i tried to play this, i didnt know the ost was suposed to stutter like that.

i thought my speaker was going crazy, since i just formated the computer a few weeks ago

Been struggling with agoraphobia/anxiety and the inevitable depression that goes with it my whole life and this pretty much nails it. You spend more time worrying about being a burden and blaming yourself than you do even trying to get better. You never give yourself the benefit of the doubt and always emphasize the negatives while ignoring the positives, which is mirror'd beautifully by the fact that you can't choose those options in the game. That's how it is in reality, those options are either terrifying or you convince yourself that they aren't viable or even that you don't deserve them.

Some of the best writing I've ever come across in a game, they really should be proud. Probably never would have come across it if I didn't randomly see it here, cheers Danny.

I made some terrible decisions in that game . . .

gotta admit, i laughed really really hard at the whole "rubbing the light switch" thing

That was really nice. I didn't think I would, but I kept watching until the end. It was a change from the usual Random Encounter games, but I enjoyed it, if that's possible in this case.

Great video couldn't take myself away from it. Both the story played through the game and your own personal experiences give a really good insight into a person's life with depression. Will play myself and donate. 

I usually sit down and watch random encounter expecting to sit there for 15min. I noticed that the show is today nearly 2h. 
I kind of got stuck there for the whole 2h watching this. Really good work Danny! 
I know a lot of people who work on social department and will ask them to watch this!

Ohh, I got confused and thought it was going to be this game:  http://www.actualsunlight.com/

The one that, I think it was Carolyn, covered it a few weeks ago.

Deep man, nice to hear you being open about something that's clearly very personal. though I still managed to laugh my ass off at 1:15 "3 and 4 are off the table!!!!... the fallout..." etc :P You're awesome man!

This was excellent.  I have suffered from environmental depression in the past and my girlfriend suffers from clinical depression to this day.  It was great to see this game played and commented on by someone else who understands what it can feel like.  Well played Danny, thank you.

Nice seeing this show back : ). And congrats on the choosing, Danny. I think this subject/game concerns everyone, in different kinds of ways, 'course

It's great that Danny is willing to go out on a limb and take a moment to indulge in a game and a subject that is personal and close to home.  It is a rare moment and a risk in game journalism where webcasts are metered on viewer attraction to subject material and thus advertising revenue could be affected.  Well done Danny, and thank you Gamespot for taking a punt on a very human and worthwhile topic and reminding us that game journos and indeed gamers are not automatons.

Everyone is a little crazy, Danny. You wouldn`t be human otherwise.  We`re not as civilized as we pretend to be. We are this world`s apex predator.  I have rage and panic attacks regularly.

Hhhmmm, you read fine to me. -_-

IGN has nothing as raw, personal or unique as this. Again, I thank you for thinking outside the usual box and taking risks. One of the most interesting things I have seen on GS in a long time.

I signed up for GS to comment on this video. Just wanted to thank Danny for such a great video. Having suffered from very severe depression a couple of years back it was great seeing a game like this being highlighted. But more than that, your candid comments, and general attitude with the video was fantastic. 

Keep up the good work, Random Encounter is the best thing on GS right now!

I think alot of gamers have suffered from depression myself included but I found this video to be very funny. I have a weird sense of humor so its rare that GS makes me laugh. I would "usually find a task to do like go to the bathroom". Too funny, I think many of us can relate. Probably the most innovative person working at GS right now.

At the beginning, for maybe the first 30 minutes it was scarily close to a reality of mine.

In fact, even though I was depressed, it actually sounded more like my current life than when I actually *was* depressed.  Creepily close.

As it went on though, I couldn't relate to it quite as well.  Probably because the awful time I had in school is getting further and further behind me now, and I'm slowly forgetting the details of exactly what it was like.

The guy in the game is in his mid-twenties during his depression, which is a little different.  Even though the mid-twenties is statistically the period during which most people get depressed, even more so than in secondary school.

I eventually went to a slew of psychologists who were on the house from the NHS because I was under 18 and some of them were alright, but they never really helped.  I always took the stance though *never* to take medication for it, and I still take that stance.  I hate to sound like my mum, and the mum from the game, but I think it's a battle in your mind, and once you decide to take medication for it, then you really are depressed.  It's almost like removing yourself from the fight.  I never wanted to be in a situation where I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was my own emotion or some chemical trying to muscle its way into my brain.

Really interesting concept for a game- both for helping those with depression and for helping highlight the issues to those who don't.  Reminds me of some pretty crappy times of my own.  Thanks for being so open about your own experiences too!

Look at the screen in the background. Danny's from Avatar!

Wow, thank you for doing this video. It has given me some insight into someone I know. 

Oh no, mate. I know why you were down, and I guess it all maxed out yesterday...when losing to Bayern Münich. I suggest you do as RvP -- follow your inner child and start supporting his new team :D

Obviously, I am kidding... and I realize now that I am that crazy guy that always keep slammin' football-related facts at Mr. O'Gamer. By doing some fancy mathematics I found out that I and @Dannyodwyer are infact the same age, which is great because I sometimes feel old here on GameSpot, and that we've grown-up during the same time. I believe that ALL kids have some sort of trouble during their teens -- many of my friends have succumbed to depression and the likes. Yes, me aswell. But most of 'em probably didn't know that they were (labelled) "depressed"... or that, as Danny points out, their "condition" has a name. The only kids that haven't been tainted, are the kids from 70's and 80's commercials...and they're fake!

This wasn't the best episode (my thoughts only! plz no flame), but I liked it because it allowed @dannyodwyer to truely (kind of) connect with the game. It's not awesome watching someone read you a game, but it is awesome to see the true Danny O'Dwyer and learn more about the GameSpot-crew, something I want to see more of. Great work, Danny!

Comeback to Feedbackula

I've had what I've characterised as "intense ennui", but it is nothing like this. Which is strangely comforting. Mine is more like... Sherlock Holmes, and "my mind rebels at stagnation". When I'm doing something, especially when I have interest, it feels like I have more energy that the sun, and I could work days straight, and when I don't, then the world is a wretched place.

I think it was interesting, but I don't get it. I don't get how people can't just push through something. I don't mean this to offend anyone, but from my perspective, we often have things we don't want to do. I mean, things we fear to do. Really dread. But the only way past that is to charge through and soldier on.

I mean, in certain ways I've had emotions that I would normally associate with depression, but they aren't the ones expressed here, like wanting to sit in a dark room and gorge on sadness. To play merose music, sit in my arm chair and howl with pain and quote Poe with a degree of venom and bile usually reseved for ex-lovers. Because by diving into that dispair, I know the storm will break and the day after I won't have any emotion left to be sad, so I can go out and get some fresh air, and smell the flowers.

Yeah, that sounds messed up, but it's not so bad.

Thanks for putting it all in perspective Danny.

This game would make me die of depression.......

So glad youre back, Danny. With the new EFMS, and Random Encounter going strong! all I will ask for now is community service and were good!

"The only videogame I ever played, was called "One flew over the cuckoo's nest", which was a book. So yeah." Anyway, thanks for playing this.

Danny is by far the best GS reporter. Sounds like an intelligent and fun guy. We learn't a fair bit about him today. Kudos for sorting everthing out mate! I went through 2 years of depression and confiding in people really helps.