How the 'Game Grumps' YouTube Series Comforted Me During Depression
About two years ago, in June, my brother shows me a video. It was an animated video of these two guys having a chat about a texting exchange they had earlier that day. It consisted of utter nonsense and obscenities about the movie “The Social Network,” which of course is about Mark Zuckerberg. Little did I know then, that video would be the start of a hobby — or maybe even an obsession — with an internet gaming show I love and am grateful to this day.
Game Grumps, which stars “Egoraptor” (Arin Hanson) and Danny, is a Let’s Play show on YouTube. They play and commentate on various kinds of video games, as well as have conversations about various topics or life events, make jokes or do character voices. They don’t play the games the way people want them to and ironically the common gag is how “Arin sucks at video games,” which I’ll admit is true to a degree. On the other hand, he doesn’t if he is really interested in the game. The premise is that Arin is usually the one who gets constantly angry at the games while Danny watches and has a great time laughing at Arin’s misfortune. Therefore Arin is “Grump” and Danny is “Not-So-Grump,” which makes them the “Game Grumps.”
When I fell into my depression after my break up with my boyfriend, I watched a lot of Game Grumps to make me laugh and help to comfort me, as well as when I was unable to sleep at night. One of their Long Plays I watch and re-watch is the play through of “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD.” I love “Zelda” games, and have always wanted to play that version because the graphics were cool and the music was beautiful. The reason I love this playthrough, in particular, is because of the 19th episode of the series. In this specific episode, Danny revealed he dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression when in college. When he talked about learning about his disease, he had the exact same sentiment I had when I received my first diagnosis. Knowing I had a specific disorder and I was not “crazy” was a relief, and hearing he felt the exact same way made me feel a connection with Danny and helped me to feel understood. He also talked about going on medication and saying, “it evens things out in your mind to help you solve your own problems.” This also helped me when I started a medication for my anxiety, and relieved some of the looming scary feelings I had about starting it.
I watch them when I am down and when I am happy. I feel proud that I am a part of their community of “Lovelies.” I honestly wish I could personally thank them for helping me cope during a terrible time in my life. Finding something to laugh at and for finding a person to relate to, I couldn’t be more grateful for the animated video that led me to these two goofballs. So thank you, Game Grumps, for helping through my past trials and current trials. You guys are awesome.
Sincerely,
One of your Lovelies.
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Image via Game Grumps Facebook page.
Someone who deals with mental illness and at the same time trying to figure out who she is. I write my experience and hope someone finds a part of themselves in my story or appreciates my journey.
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