A man reports how he discovered a love of gaming after an operation and how the shooter Helldivers 2 on the PS5 saved his life.
Note: The cover image is a symbolic image via Pixabay.
What kind of story is this? A user named “niles_thebutler_” reported on Reddit on December 31, 2024, the worst year of his life. He needed two life-saving operations. A large part of his inner ear was removed and reconstructed.
He had already had tinnitus before, but he hardly noticed it. However, due to the damage caused by a tumor and the operations, the ringing in the ears had worsened to a “catastrophic” level.
He describes the ringing in his ears as if he had headphones on at maximum volume all the time, which played superimposed and varying ringing tones – with every film and every conversation. While he was recovering from his surgery and getting used to his new reality, he discovered his love for gaming.
What was tinnitus again?
Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears that is not caused by an acoustic stimulus and is perceived over a longer period of time. Depending on the severity, the “ringing in the ears” can have a seriously negative impact on the quality of life of those affected.
You can find more information at gesundheitsinformation.de
Through Helldivers he gained new joy in life and found friends.
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As he recovered from his surgery, he discovered a love for gaming
Gaming played this role: As niles_thebutler_ reports, he never really had much to do with gaming. However, after the life-saving operations, he had 10 weeks of “couch time” ahead of him. The crazy shooter Helldivers 2 had just been released at this point and was dominating social networks.
So, on a spur of the moment, the man ordered a PS5 with Helldivers 2 and did his part in the fight for democracy. For him, it was the perfect distraction from the pain and the constant noise in his head. For one to two hours a day, the tinnitus became just background noise and he was able to have fun.
He also met new people through the game, with whom he initially played for hours and has now become close friends outside of the game.
The Reddit user says, “When I say it saved my life, I really mean it.”
In his post he also shared the Christmas presents he received from his partner: a new television with a new soundbar, a PlayStation Portal and an Xbox so he could try out both consoles.
Fellow sufferers encourage each other
Many users report similar problems in the comments. Some of them have been suffering from the annoying ringing in their ears for decades. They assure the poster that things will get better with time.
In the comments, niles_thebutler_ expresses his surprise at how widespread his suffering is. It’s not nice, but it’s good for him that other people can understand how he’s feeling and share their experiences.
We recently told you on MeinMMO about a gamer who didn’t let his physical limitations stop him from gaming. You can read his story here: Blind player has over 800 hours in Monster Hunter World – now dozens want to play with him