What is silent crying called?

You know the feeling. You‘ve just watched Aerith get stabbed through the heart for the 10th time. As the camera pans up through the tranquil Forgotten Capital waters, you feel a pressure building behind your eyes. Your lip starts to quiver ever so slightly. You fight it back down again as the credits roll. We‘ve all had our silent crying moments with games, whether from sadness, frustration, or even joy. But what causes us to stifle these emotions, and are there healthier ways to process them?

Defining the Silent Sob

First off, what exactly is silent crying, or "puling" as it‘s officially termed? It refers to weeping softly without making much noise or drawing attention. Thinkattles of waterworks rather than ugly crying. Other flavors include whimpering, sobbing quietly, choking back tears or shedding the odd subtle tear.

It‘s like when your health bar has nearly emptied. You‘re doing everything you can not to let that final trickle drain away in front of your co-op partner. Save those waterworks for when you respawn, right?

Why Players Endure Emotion PvP

But what makes us fight back the tears when games unleash powerful feelings? There are a few common motivations behind resisting an emotional purge:

• Avoiding embarrassment – you don‘t want friends/family realizing how much that game is affecting you
• Preventing spoilers – hiding your reaction so others don‘t guess major plot points
• Minimizing distraction – keeping focus during intense or competitive multiplayer
• Habitual inhibition – you‘re just used to bottling up painful emotions

Of course sometimes the floodgates open regardless, turning your party chat into a sob fest. But silent crying seems to be many gamers‘ default mechanism for dealing with sadness, heartbreak and catharsis in-game.

Stats on Emotional Gaming

How widely do players report crying or nearly crying when gaming though? Let‘s see what the data shows:

So while full-on ugly crying remains fairly rare, around 1 in 4 players admit to choking back tears during emotional gaming moments. Considering the social stigma around public crying, we can safely assume a fair whack of silent sobbing occurs beneath the stats as well!

What‘s behind this wave of tear-jerking moments though? Let‘s break it down:

Sad Storycraft

Quite simply, the writing and character development has elevated. Take The Last of Us. Between the gut-wrenching opening and that senselessly beautiful ending, it‘s perfectly paced to unlock the tear ducts. Red Dead Redemption 2 likewise elicits real heartache as tough guy Arthur is revealed to be a moral hero dying prematurely from TB. Strong writing + empathy for characters = crying.

Musical Manipulation

It‘s not just the tales though – it‘s the soundtracks tugging our heartstrings. I defy anyone to remain dry-eyed hearing ‘That‘s the Way It Is‘ over Red Dead 2‘s credits after bonding with Arthur for 60+ hours. Games leverage poignant orchestral scores incredibly effectively now to underscore the tragedy.

Graphical Fidelity

The visuals also enhance emotional connections with increasingly lifelike, subtle character animations conveying loss and despair. Seeing emotions etched on our avatars‘ faces makes their pain more real and relatable. Just try not welling up a bit when Kratos quietly mourns for Atreus. I dare you.

So in summary, it‘s the cumulative effect of compelling stories, affective soundtracks and high-fidelity graphics that often lead to lowered emotional defenses. Which brings us to silent crying…

Risks of Repressing Emotional Release

Here‘s the thing about choking back tears – studies show bottling up sadness, anger or trauma can be harmful long-term. Repressing emotional release raises cortisol and adrenaline production which strains the cardiovascular system. Habitually inhibiting crying and grief also correlates strongly with increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders.

Sure, letting loose with the full-on waterworks mid-cutscene may not be practical or comfortable either. But finding healthy outlets for emotional discharge is important. Silent crying may be better than nothing, but healthier options exist too…

Emotional Processing for Gamers

If you identify with fighting back tears over your favorite games, first up – you are NOT alone. These stories impact us profoundly. But beyond the momentary silent sob, what else helps us adaptively cope?

Commiserate with Community

Share your reactions online (no story spoilers!) or chat with real-world friends about the emotional gut-punch. Knowing others relate and empathize provides huge comfort and validation.

Create Fan Art

Express your feelings creatively – draw fan art depicting meaningful moments, compose tributary music or write fan fiction resolving story issues. Articulating emotional connections to characters through art is hugely cathartic.

Keep a Journal

Journaling about gaming experiences provides an outlet to process emotions privately. Noting thoughts, interpretations and personal connections over time can crystallize lessons that promote healing.

Play Emotionally Resonant Games

Curate your playlist to match your mood. Lean into tear-jerkers when grieving something real-world, or pick up replenishing life-affirming adventures when spirits are low. Games help us emotionally regulate.

Take Breaks When Needed

It‘s 100% fine to pause something mid-way if it becomes emotionally overwhelming! Take some deep breaths, grab a snack, chat to someone upbeat and come back refreshed. No shame in needing to reset.

Silent Crying: Sometimes Necessary, Never Sufficient

During highly emotional gaming moments, muted tears or sudden tension in the throat may feel unavoidable. Provided you‘re also utilizing healthy long-term coping methods, a brief silent sob isn‘t inherently problematic.

Just don‘t let inhibited crying become your only emotional release method. Create, commune, unpack your feelings and regulate your mood as needed.

Games offer spaces to safely engage hard emotions – but never be afraid to stand up, stretch those tear ducts fully and let some healing catharsis flow.

You‘ve got this! Now, time for some chill mining in Stardew Valley…