From being just light-hearted pixels of bright colors to becoming immersive portals into mental illness, the video game has proven itself to be more than just an outlet for amusement.
You open your eyes to the sound of the alarm buzzing on your night stand. You feel full, yet at the same time, empty. It’s the same old morning routine and you wonder why you do this. Rocking your brain back and forth, searching for answers that never come–you are lost. This is a typical day in the life of Evan Winter, a lonely and severely depressed individual in the video game, Actual Sunlight (2014).
As gamers press pause and put their controllers away, there still remains the chilling resemblance between the storyline and the harrowing reality faced by patients suffering from mental illnesses like that of Evan’s. Until recently, the issue on mental illnesses has always been considered a silent epidemic because of the societal apprehensions that can be attributed to the issue. But with the rise of this trend in the video gaming world, it is now possible to virtually walk in the shoes of someone who is mentally ill.
The video gaming world has always been an avenue for fun and recreation, taking gamers on epic adventures to vast underground dungeons to solve mind-boggling puzzles. Although this may be the common notion, video games of this decade have begun to provide vital insights into much heavier topics like mental health disorders. Consequently, the gaming industry has also become a means to increase awareness about these issues amongst gamers.
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Some horror games provide gamers a first-hand experience into the mind of a stereotypical mental health patient. These games fall under the more traditional horror genre that resort to violent themes rather than the authentic experiential approach to mental illness. Besides Actual Sunlight, games like The Evil Within (2014) and Manhunt 2 (2007) deal with mental illnesses as well. However, what sets these games worlds apart from Actual Sunlight is how they portray the mentally ill and their illnesses as “enemies” that one must confront in order to escape.
The main character in The Evil Within is a police detective who investigates murders at a mental facility. Here, the mentally ill are portrayed as murderous and barbaric creatures who should be feared and avoided. Manhunt 2 allows the gamer to play as one of two inmates who desperately try to find a way to escape the asylum of the criminally insane. Although these games might be entertaining to some, most major productions going into these type of psychological horror games fail to truly connect the player with the experience of being mentally ill.
The search for video games that allow for a more empathetic play is far from over. Steering away from the conventional horror video game storyline, there are still a few titles to be found. Games like Depression Quest (2013) and Elude (2010) focus on setting the mood and atmosphere in simulating the daily activities of a mentally ill person. In Depression Quest for example, the choices you make in reaction to the game’s depressing situations affect the ending outcome for your character. Games such as these show that it is possible to empathize with someone who is mentally ill through simulations.
Into another’s shoes
Although many games featuring mental illnesses aren’t as sensitive as we would like them to be, this doesn’t mean that crafting such games with lifelike depictions is far from possible.
“Write them as people, not as stereotypes. You should always attempt to write [the in-game characters] as believable as possible instead of just creating an amalgamation of stereotypes and tropes,” says AJ Elicaño, an avid game analyst and a creative writing lecturer at the Ateneo.
Elicaño takes Mass Effect 3 to be a great example of a well-received, “triple-A” game—a grade he bestows upon a game that has proven the possibility of creating believable characters with mental illnesses. In the game, Commander Shepard, the main character, experiences the crushing effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to his exposure to the violence and deaths from an ongoing space war with alien antagonists called the Reapers. But despite this, Shepard isn’t typecasted into a triggered madman; his calm and brave demeanor shrouds his underlying PTSD. He is believable and compelling because he isn’t reduced to a character with mental illness.
Along with character writing, meaningful immersion also involves a certain level of investment. Pulling a person into an experience, especially one of mental illness, requires the gamer to “earn the feeling.”
“The writing has to be built up with subtleties and well-placed emotional investments. Some people just use suicide for dramatic effect and it doesn’t come off as strong as it could be if it were actually earned,” says Elicaño. “It becomes questionable writing when at the beginning of the game, your character wakes up and a text bubble appears saying ‘Good morning, your life sucks, now kill yourself’ then you do so and the game ends.”
Thus, the more realistic and relatable the characters are, the more gamers can empathize with them. According to Computer Science and Game Development Lecturer Walfrido Diy, “factors within the developer’s control include gameplay, aesthetics, story, content, release date, and even platforms the game can be played on,” but the game’s effect on the players is subjectively up to the gamers themselves. The only way developers can contribute to increasing a player’s empathy for the mentally ill is by creating more likeable and relatable characters.
“No approved therapeutic claims”
With the inception, development, and popularization of video games pertaining to mental illnesses, the question is of whether or not these games have become effective in helping alleviate depression, anxiety, and even suicidal tendencies. Elicaño explains that games that can dynamically integrate two aspects–gameplay mechanics and world-building—are the best in immersing gamers into the life of the mentally ill.
Gameplay mechanics are set rules in which the player interacts with the game world; world-building on the other hand, is the task of curating the virtual world and embellishing it with color, music, lore, and people. Elicaño points to Actual Sunlight as a perfect example of a game that integrates both aspects. With its restrictive interface and thoughtful dialogue, it puts emphasis on the immobilization and inertia felt through the main character’s depression.
On the contrary, even video games that allow for a more emphatic play are still often portrayed through horror. Town of Light (2016) is set in an asylum of mentally ill people, while The Cat Lady (2012) portrays a lonely middle-aged woman who experiences unimaginable and even gory situations such as being tortured by a doctor and having bleach poured over her face. Elicaño says that these notions of the image and experience of mental illness are rooted in something else. “[Game developers] have their own perceptions. They then turn it into media like video games and if that media is not critically assessed, other people will create their own distorted perceptions about mental illnesses. It’s a cycle,” says Elicaño.
Game developers may attempt to create video games to address issues regarding mental illnesses, but ultimately, gamers are left to decide how they receive these video games. What might be important to note here is that the gaming industry has opened its doors to the possibilities of alleviating mental illnesses, going beyond its function of leisure and entertainment.
But since the perception of gamers towards these games are subjective, Diy says that there is also a danger that these games may act as a triggers rather than an aid for the mentally ill. While video games have the potential to increase awareness for mental health, it will take a while before these games can come close to taking the place of therapists or experts who can provide a gradual cure for mental illnesses.
