Gaming With Phobias: How Does It Feel To Be A Gamer With Thalassophobia?

Phobias affect nearly everyone, and that's okay! Whether you're afraid of bugs, arachnids, heights, flying, or more obscure things, these phobias can get in the way of your day-to-day life just as much as they might be a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence.

- Artura Dawn

For gamers, however, even some of the strangest phobias can become prevalent without realising it. Today, I am going to talk about my experience of being a gamer that has Thalassophobia.

What is Thalassophobia?

Despite not being recognised (damn you!), Thalassophobia by Merriam-Webster is defined as "An abnormal fear of the sea" by The Free Dictionary and as a "specific phobia or intense fear of deep bodies, deep water, and sudden fear of large bodies" by Biology Online. This isn't exclusively the case, however, as Thalassophobia can also come with a general fear of deep bodies of water, vast bodies of water, fear of being far away from solid ground, and the one I struggle with the most aquatic creatures.