Have you ever put your controller down, watch the credits of an amazing game roll by, and feel a pang of sadness in your chest? You're not alone, as this phenomenon - known as post-game depression - has now been officially studied by researchers at SWPS University in Warsaw, Poland, and has been deemed so complex that it requires further study.
What the researchers did glean from this initial study was (as caught by TheGamer) that RPG fans are the most at risk for suffering from post-game depression.
"It is in these games that players have the greatest influence on character development through their decisions, and build the strongest bonds with their characters. And the more engaging the game world and the closer the relationship with the character, the more difficult it is to return to reality once the game is over," said Dr. Kamil Janowicz of the centre for research on personality development at SWPS' institute of psychology.
Interestingly, it was also noted that those who suffer from post-game depression are also more likely to exhibit a tendency to dwell on events pessimistically. This has been linked by the researchers to general difficulty coping with emotions. Those who are overwhelmed by repetitive and intrusive thoughts may also experience them when they play and finish video games. Therefore, if you ruminate a lot, you may also be at a greater risk.