It's well established that without video games I would have gone fucking crackers by now. The ability to escape the endless bullshit of reality by leaping into a fantasy world must not be underestimated. Right now my most effective stress toys are Dead Rising 2 (there's a zombie that looks like my supervisor...I have a lot of fun with that one) and Super Street Fighter IV (I'm starting to learn how to play, will be online when I've improved). The advancements in online gaming are life saving. Nothing beats coming home from a tough day of work, firing up Black Ops and denoobing the map a few times.
Personally I think escaping into a deep and involving story in a decent RPG is just as effective, if not more so, than watching soap operas or whatever people do to escape the horror of their actual lives. In reality I'm a shop assistant at a store full of cunts. With a pad in my hand I'm saving the universe from the evil fuckers du jour.
