The title would suggest that I have been going through some things, quite frankly, yes. Needless to say it is often nice to turn to a quick round of CS:S or something similar to get my frustrations out, but quite honestly it never works that simply.

I get pissed, something happens and I get even more angry at the situation. Eventually I get to a point where the only way to relieve the stress and/or anger is to take it out on stupid virtual AI and decimate enemies in beat-em-up fashion. Playing games angry is always a bit difficult, the situation in my mind causes me to lose focus, and I end up getting rolled more often then not. Essentially, I want to play the games like Serious Sam, Counter-Strike, and others to get my frustrations out, but all that happens is the pent up anger builds until I am mid migraine as well as pissed at the situation.

Simply put, playing games as a way to release pent up stress and frustration is very different then doing so when you are at your peak. Think of it like a safety valve, once you get to the very top the whole tank explodes and there isn't shit a safety valve is going to do. The best approach is to ensure you play these types of things in order to reduce stress, not eliminate it. That way you actually end up getting your mind off of the frustrating situation at hand and actually enjoying the game in question. When you are pissed to the extreme points I was speaking of earlier, you lose all sight of the game and just want to destroy something. Something akin to wanting to punch a wall in anger.

Now, what about playing games as an escape. Sure, using games as a way to get your mind out of a situation is great, but the game itself needs to fit that quality. Something that can be used to escape from reality needs to actually force you to think about the game in some fashion. Not just, is it fun to play, but it has to interest the player on a deeper level. In the past it has been things that have a deep story based element where you instantly become enveloped into the world. Something like Demon's Souls, The Darkness, etc.

The difference between playing some to escape the situation and release from the situation is twofold. First, certain games are good at doing one or the other, Demon's Souls is great at sucking me into the world, but it sucks for getting out frustration, stress, and anger, because the gameplay of demon's souls encourages frustration. Something like the NHL series or Madden, Blitz would be even better, are usually good because they allow you to simply beat up on the opponent and perform better then them without much work.

Again, when frustration, stress, and anger are maximum externally, no amount of playing these games for release or escape will matter. It is best to do something to drastically get you confront the situation, think about ways to handle the situation or simply sit and breathe through the issues until they subside.