I hate to be "that guy" but as an educator I cannot in good conscious not say this. Depression is not something that is "cured." It is something that is with you and something you manage with a set of coping mechanisms that you develop through therapy and with the help of a trained medical professional. While video games can help you with the symptoms and provide critical coping strategies, they are NOT a replacement for real quality medical care.
Finally, if you or someone you know develop or manifest thoughts of self-harm or worthlessness, call a hotline.
Several years later, still the best reply in this thread.
I think the "do some exercise" response is often trotted out and it's generally a pretty uninformed and useless response to genuine depression. This feels like saying "just don't go to the bar" to an alcoholic; It completely fails to appreciate or empathize with the mentality of someone who is dealing with a psychological disease, and there is no golden bullet solution. Often the best resolution a person can hope for is the "work in progress" therapy approach where trauma is managed, and never resolved. That's the reality, and it is harsh.
When it comes to videogames I think the best advice is to accept the fact that sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. Rather than bouncing from game to game in a cycle of disappointment because none of them can fix your problem, set yourself a time limit; give yourself a week where you don't play videogames. You might find that gives you the clarity and perspective to come back invigorated. Or you might find that videogames were actually holding you back and that going cold-turkey has allowed you to mentally progress in a direction you hadn't considered before. If you do what you've always done, you'll get the results you've always gotten. So fuck it, right? Try something new.
Sometimes what you really need is time, and space, and help. Videogames can provide that in some contexts, but in others they can make things a lot worse. A sure sign of maturity and self-awareness is knowing when you need to take a break, and then taking it.
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