New Thing: My First Platinum Trophy & The Post-Game Depression

So, for complete transparency, the first bullet in my last post about doing new things was thrown in there because I knew I would finish it within the week. Don’t be upset, I didn’t lie to you. It’s just like adding some easy things that you may have already done to a to-do list just to get things started!

I finally got my first platinum trophy (for my non-gaming friends & family, that’s where you complete all achievements) – in Far Cry 5 . A game I saw some funny videos of when it first came out and mentioned in passing to my boyfriend that we should get it. 3 weeks later I’ve put 40ish hours into 100% completing the game and am obsessed with the story, setting, and characters.

But I am not here to talk about the game details.

I am here to talk about something that can only be called…. post-game depression.

Depression is probably too strong of a word to use, but it just sounds better than “post-game sadness” or “post-game longing to keep playing for the rest of my life”. So, depression it is!

What is post-game depression?

This is the second time I’ve experienced post-game depression, the first being with The Witcher 3.

For me, it’s a feeling of loss when I finish a game. A feeling of emptiness and a wondering of “what will I do now?”. I’m sure many people think that’s a bit extreme for a video game, but when you’ve spent so many hours getting to know a place, or some fictional people, it kinda hurts when you no longer get to be there. Of course I could always restart the game and play through the entire thing again, but the depression also has to do with the fact I am no longer learning about or experiencing new things in the game, so restarting doesn’t quite scratch that itch.

It’s like being really thirsty and being given a cup of water, only to have someone smack the cup out of your hands after you take a few sips! It’s a feeling of wanting more. I can’t stop thinking about the game. I’m not interested in playing anything else, not interested in watching TV or a movie, I just want to sit and continue to experience the game. But I can’t.

[I will note that I’ve had similar feelings after reading an amazing book, or seeing a movie that really resonated with me, but it’s never been as strong as with these two video games.]

What can you do about it?

Well, let’s be real, it’s just a video game so there isn’t really much to do about it because it’s not real life.

But I have found that I can extend my “happiness” by discussing the game with people (either in person or online), watching video clips of it, and absorbing any out-of-game content I can (books, sound tracks, etc.).

I know the sad and empty feeling will fade over time, and eventually in the future I will just play the game again.

But for now all I can do is wait until the feeling passes and feed my desire in whatever way I can.

Anyway, great experience for my first platinum. I found it fairly easy to get, but maybe that’s because I enjoyed every second of the game!