Cece Saved Me

[Tigre feroz 2012]

Has a video game ever profoundly changed you and/or changed your life?

For me, the answer is yes. Leap of Faith changed me like no other game or AVN has. IMO, the game’s depiction & treatment of mental illness is phenomenal, better than any game I’ve played or am aware of. I developed much more empathy & understanding for mental illness sufferers.

But it goes much deeper & this literally changed my life. For the longest time, I could not figure out why I was so drawn to Cece, why I felt such a strong connection to her, why I could relate to her so easily.

This year I finally found out why. (SPOILER) I suffer from the same mental illness as Cece (depression). This year I was diagnosed with depression by my doctor. My experience with Leap of Faith, with Cece, helped me talk with my doctor about the problem & realize that I might suffer from depression. And Leap of Faith then helped me get diagnosed and helped me seek treatment, which changed my life. Hence, it's the truth that Cece saved me. I'll always remember her & love her for that.

I'm on medication & am doing a lot better now. But who knew that an AVN could have such a strong effect! I found out that I'm a mental illness sufferer just like my girl Cece. Leap of Faith will always be my favorite AVN! Thank you Drifty! And thank you Cece!

[Mr. Tact]

Hey TF, I'm glad to hear you got the help/care you needed.

Almost everyone suffers from depression from time to time. This is what makes it hard to figure out if your particular suffering "is a problem". It doesn't help that it just isn't something you talk about with friends and family, at least a very large majority of people don't.

I have definitely dealt with depression, even thoughts of suicide. Although for me it was more of an analytical exploration of IF and how I should do it and what the effects might be. I always came to the same conclusion, killing myself wouldn't solve my problems, just permanently ignore them. It also wouldn't make me feel better. The amazing thing is I'd bet my house that writing Leap of Faith was therapeutic for Drifty.

[greggenator101]

Sends a big hug Tigre's way. I'm sorry to hear about your struggle with depression, I went through a bad depression myself. I wasn't suicidal but I was very hard on myself and my brother. I don't want to ever go through that again because it took a lot of work for me to get over it, and even now I still have bouts of it. What finally pushed me to seek help was when my brother who's 4 years younger asked my mom one time and this broke me: "Why doesn't Greg love me anymore?" Sorry for bringing this up, but it still helps me to get through bad moments. I hope you have a good weekend. :)

[Tigre feroz 2012]

@greggenator Thanks man. I'm glad you got help. The struggle is real.

[Tigre feroz 2012]

@Mr. Tact, Thanks friend for your support. Yes, besides giving a tribute to a game I love, I also wrote this because IMO, in the United States, mental health is not talked about enough, especially mental illness.

[greggenator101]

You're welcome.