Going in the complete opposite direction, getting through Elden Ring two summers ago really helped me through what was the worst heartbreak of my life, an undoubtably stressful and anxious time for me.
There's a meme in the FromSoft communities about how "Dark Souls cured my depression" that I think gets unfairly clowned on. So many people have posted anecdotes like that and been made fun of, but I think there is actually something there. Overcoming difficult challenges in a video game can, I'm convinced, help when your brain is stuck in a learned helplessness mode.
There is a reason there are elaborate stories, rituals, prayers, pilgrimages etc etc in all religions. Its not an accident. All these practices, with the prime feature being Repetition, allows for a mental shift to happen/different parts of the brain are kept repeatedly activated, compared to the ones constantly responding to source of depression/stress/anxiety. This opens the door for a focus shift.
The key point is, it might have an effect on people positively, but doesn't change the environment (and the triggers) people return too.
Therefore at best these are coping mechanisms, until we have holistic approaches, where the people and the environment they are in or return too are both being looked at. Not just one or the other and hoping for the best.
That is one possible explanation. However i have a different theory why difficult games like this can help.
I notice that when i get in a bad head space, i trend to become less active.
It then becomes more difficult to start doing anything.
Playing a game like dark souls gives you two things:
1. Its stimulating, and gives you instant feedback.
2. It allows you to fail, and have to retry.
So instead of passively drowning my self in algorithmic content, im actively working towards a goal. This then makes it easier to actually pick something up in the real word.
breaking out of the initial cycle of running away from the world is the most difficult part of getting out of a bad headspace (for me). So anything that breaks open those initial steps can be very helpful.
The great thing about FromSoft games is that I know I'm not being coddled. The game isn't trying to hold my hand (or against me), it's giving me fair, intense challenges.
If I win, that's a testament to my skill. I earned that win, I learned the boss movesets and improvedy reaction time. There is no Minimap, or compass, or sound effects that tell you when to perform x action.
Even the weakest mob can trash me if I get arrogant or greedy, no matter how high level you are.
There’s something about getting into a flow state with the game in a From Soft title that is relaxing to me as well. Even dying a dozen times in a row.
I don't think I ever made it into flow state once in Elden Ring even though I beat it. I just grinded until I was high level enough that it didn't matter that I didn't time any of the bosses right.
Throw in renowned ashes and party. Or get poise breaking and the mimic tear. So many ways to absolutely stomp Elden Ring if that’s what you want to do.
During a layoff eons ago, I did something similar albeit with Shin Megami Tensei. The repetition, grinding, and lore aspect that come with those kinds of RPGs definetly help reduce stress.
Same in terms of quelling anxiety, but I think the commenter was referencing the fact that, in contrast to the original post mentioning 'cozy' games, this commenter is talking about a highly 'un-cozy' game.
Fairness and difficulty are orthogonal to each other, no one said the game is unfair. But it is definitely very challenging, and that’s not marketing as far as I know - I have yet to see a trailer etc for the game that says anything about difficulty. Dark Souls did that a lot more with their "prepare to die edition" or the opening of DS2.
