*Note from the author: The following editorial uses the term “mental health” to express the topics and overall conversation surrounding mental health/illness. At times the terms “mental disorders” or “mental illness” are used to express clarity.
*This article contains spoilers for Celeste and What Remains of Edith Finch
In the States, September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, an observation that expresses the importance of ridding mental health stigma and promoting medical resources. In the past few years, we’ve made considerable efforts to speak more about mental health; that said, we are still dealing with significant levels of stigma that hurt individuals from speaking out and seeking proper medical attention. We still lack the education and understanding in our work culture and deal with significant healthcare restrictions.
That all said, art has been making tremendous strides to further the conversation on mental health. And while there have been numerous mediums to focus on the subject, the most profound and unique experiences today are coming from video games. Perhaps the most popular art form of the 21st century, video games have been a means for those who suffer from mental health difficulties to find peace of mind; on top of that, video games are also becoming the bridge for us to share these struggles and tear down stigma in our society.
Video Games As a Means of Coping
Unlike literature or film that offers audiences a chance to feel through a story, games give space for players to feel through story and action (via physical commands). This physicality is essential to our current state in discussing mental health; with the population of video game players rising, games are the greatest means to convey emotion and present sympathy at this time.
It’s possible to become lost or disconnect from reality for a time through numerous mediums of art (including games), but video games have always provided that chance to partake in action; you may be in a fantasy land with dragons and monsters, but there is still part of your conscious mind working through goals and feelings. These elements of awareness and action are significant in providing a means for individuals to connect sympathetically and empathetically to themes within stories; placing yourself within an avatar, or taking control of a specific character, allows you to feel through them. Over time, your actions weave into the narrative, making for personal and immersive participation.
Take a title for example like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker; through its lush colors and breathtaking visuals, adventuring through the seas offers a beautiful escape from reality. But these details can also provide a distance from various mental disorders, as well as aiding in helping to focus one’s mind. From a public survey I held on video games and mental health, one participant stated that Wind Waker provided an opportunity to not fixate on their OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder); that the overall calming and joyous elements throughout the game provided sensory comfort from the bombardment of intrusive thoughts.
Another survey participant also brought up the ability to explore choices and feel a level of control through games; in particular, when life tends to be difficult. For them, the open world adventuring and choices of Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic allowed the player to find a sense of hope that they wanted to translate into reality.
These are just some of the numerous examples people have had playing video games. And in today’s day and age, as the conversation about mental health is expanding, games are beginning to embrace the dialogue in more healthier manners. We are seeing more titles coming from developers that directly confront mental health, focusing on the struggles and recovery individuals go through.
The Contemporary Games Championing Mental Health Representation
Video games, like any other art form, come in a variety of aesthetics that mesh with certain players. Regarding these games about mental health, there’s everything from horror titles, dramas, to even lighthearted platformers. What makes each of these titles so unique, however, is that on some level all their stories contain a level of sadness as they transverse through the pains of mental illness.
A recent title that has received immense applause for its representation of mental health is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice; a game full of Norse and Celtic mythology, at its core Hellblade, is about someone who suffers from mental illness and stigma surrounding it. The game puts players in puzzle solving sequences that represent the character’s agony with psychosis and depression; whether it’s through visual or auditory hallucinations, disorientation, or the slow burn physicality of the game, story and mechanics mesh together to exude the horror of these disorders.
While the game’s world is fantasy driven, it pulsates a dreadful aura over the character which flows into the player; the physical movement of the character is taxing, and may even add a level of stress and frustration while playing. It’s important to note that these elements don’t work to push the player away from playing, but rather, further embrace the chaotic frenzy and strain of mental illness. Even in its most thrilling moments, Hellblade is a tale of sorrow and recovery; through the game’s protagonist, you partake in an extraordinary immersive experience of sympathy and empathy.
And while Hellblade is more of an intense game about mental health, other games act as meditations on the topic. What Remains Of Edith Finch is a brief, yet astounding title that has the player diving into numerous stories regarding grief and depression. There are superb moments that immerse the player in the depressive episodes of its characters; the best example of this being that of the character Louis, where you explore his disconnect from the world. Broken and beat by his monotonous life, you use the game controller to play out his interactions at his job, while also manipulating a daydream of him as a fantasy adventurer via a small mini-game.
Part of the screen shows Louis working in a fish factory, while the other portion of the screen displays the adventurer traveling through a mystical land. This latter element begins to expand over time, taking up more and more of the screen; through this, you can witness Louis’ drive to drown out his suffering. Throughout What Remains Of Edith Finch, mechanics and story weave together, having the player work through various accounts of grief and loss
Neverending Nightmares also utilizes game mechanics to amplify its ideas and themes. The character here suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and depression; each level of the game plays out as a “nightmare,” the character completing each segment to then wake up in bed again. While it may appear simple on paper, the layout and structure of the game are fully representative of OCD. The overall black and white design and endless narrow corridors feed into a monotonous, dull atmosphere that reeks of despair; overtime the horrific intrusive imagery and repetitious environment become empathetically exhausting. As the player, you truly begin to feel the character’s guilt and sorrow.
These titles in numerous ways examine the horrors of mental illness; portray hellish experiences via visual representation and physical action through game control demands. None of these titles are “easy” to play, for their stories and themes tap into a tremendous suffering happening all across the world. These titles also have the ability to create intimate connections with players, providing a glimpse into heart-wrenching pain.
But there are also games that provide insight into healthy means of coping with mental health. Celeste is a platformer that follows a young girl’s trip up a mountain. That may appear simple at first, but as she strives to make her way up the mountain, she is continuously taunted and confronted by her “dark part.” This dark part represents her depression and anxieties. The young girl keeps fighting her dark part (proving to be a challenge each time). But what Celeste ends up doing with this conflict is not only smart (but incredibly crucial regarding healthy coping techniques).
At one point in the game, the young girl happily states to her dark part that she (the protagonist) is good to go through life without her (the dark part) and that the latter can leave; this angers the dark part, who then attacks the young girl. It isn’t until towards the end of the game where the young girl realizes that she needs to accept this dark aspect of herself; upon said acceptance, she obtains new abilities and clarity that allow her to reach the top of the mountain.
What makes this such a stellar twist is that it speaks to those who suffer from mental illnesses, and specifically, how to begin finding peace of mind. A very common reaction when dealing with mental illness is the want to push oneself away; the fear of being associated with a disorder, or having the disorder consume one’s life is terrifying. But what a lot of psychiatric circles encourage is owning one’s disorders; learning that they may be a part of you, but they are not you. Living with mental illness is scary, to say the least; this technique brings a level of control into the picture and provides a means to progress through life with some ease.
A Future of Games and Hope
There are so many people in this world that feel lost; there are so many people who don’t know how to seek help, who can’t afford help, or who are refused help. The number of lives that have suffered and have been lost comes from a stigma built upon fear and lack of understanding.
Art has always had a profound ability to help people; for those who may not have resources or a network to help support them, art becomes that means of finding understanding and hope. And for all the flack that video games have gotten over the years from blind accusations via the media and politicians, video games are indeed a wonderful gift in our world.
They allow you to experience and control vast wonders, participating in all they have to offer. And yes there are games that are there solely for entertainment, but there are also the games that help change lives. It’s this particular quality that makes games essential to further understanding and relating to human behavior and the struggles in our world.
Millions of lives have been touched by gaming; and for those of us who suffer from mental health difficulties, playing games has become a means for us to find peace. Exploring magical worlds, being able to take on the role of a courageous adventurer, and discovering treasures allows us to find an inner strength in a reality that constantly beats down upon us.
Each of the aforementioned four games provides a fascinating, even heartbreaking look into mental health. Through stories, world, and character design, along with game mechanics, these titles allow players to dip their toes into the horrors we can’t always see in this world.
Video games have the immense potential to become the medium that connects with everyone; today in 2018, everyone is a gamer (whether they’re playing a hardcore RPG or playing on their phone). Art has always been the means to provoke conversation in society, to further progress understanding and enlightenment, and now more than ever … video games are the means to do that.