Trophies for Mental Health (Event)

[rangers_lead5278]

Hi everyone. I just completed the trophy set for Limbo. Although it is a short game and feels a bit of a cop out for this event, The complete with less than 5 deaths trophy was enraging enough for me to stick with it as my first game.

 

Limbo is famously wide open to interpretation as nothing is explained, not even if the game itself is a dystopian world, a dream, or even the afterlife. I do think that it was created with mental health issues in consideration though.

 

The world is black, white and shades of grey which felt very familiar from my experiences with depression, as if any sense of hope through colour and light had been snubbed out. There is an absence of music through most of the game which echoes the same hopeless theme.

 

There is no guidance or tutorial so the player is forced to learn through danger and death how to navigate the world. I related to this in feeling alone and the lingering sense of not being in control of my own life.

 

Faceless enemies occasionally attack the character without provocation and usually end up killing themselves, which I felt could represent unhelpful thoughts chipping away at the mind or paranoia about other’s perspective of you.

 

The character is also occasionally infected by parasites turning him into a zombie who walks blindly into mortal peril. This strongly suggested substance abuse to me, which was a difficult section to play when seeing it in 3rd person rather than 1st.

 

Though little is explained, I think that the character is suffering grief of loss too. He seems to be in search of a girl who seems out of reach until he has defeated his trials and personal demons.

 

As a humorous side note, the developers obviously wanted to bring out the anger management issues of the players by making them repeated the game countless times for the fricking ‘No Point in Dying’ trophy ?

 

Sorry for all the waffle. Limbo is not the only game I intend to play for Mental Health Awareness Month, so I may check back in before the month is up.

Edited May 6, 2021 by rangers_lead5278

[Im2Fast_4U]

I will be joining this event, this is a fantastic thing for the community (and the first event here I will be partaking in!). Thinking Concrete Genie will be my game. 

 

As many others have done already with sharing their stories, I too would like to briefly share my own struggles to further reinforce that #YouAreNotAlone

 

TW: Suicidal thoughts, depression

I have always struggled with mental health since my early childhood due to being bullied in school, "for being the smart kid" was always the reason they gave. As such, I shied away from a lot of social interactions as a kid and turned to my small, close group of friends over the years who were always by my side. Games were a unifying factor for us, and like many others are a calming escape from these issues. My friends and games have always been very important for managing my mental health. I had my days throughout high school, but largely managed it well without much issue (fortunately). The jump to college a few years ago was incredibly taxing on me however. I didn't have my friends of old, and struggled to make new ones. Classes were very difficult (engineering), and left me without much time to play games. I eventually found a great group of human beings and developed very close friendships with them towards the end of my freshman year. We spent time together on the weekends, as well as ate together daily. They came into my life at the perfect time, as had I struggled alone much longer, I am not sure where I would be now. During my sophomore year though, I severely struggled even with their support. I was in the wrong major for me, which was a community of students that did not like to collaborate, and instead made it a competitive (and toxic) atmosphere. The final term of my sophomore year, one professor of mine for said major was incredibly disrespectful to me in class, calling me dumb and stupid for asking questions ("isn't it obvious? are you dumb?") in lecture in front of my peers. This happened daily in my class with him, and eventually wore away at my self-image, self-worth, and pushed me to the edge. The student community of that major didn't care (because it wasn't them), and the department advisor told me "I understand, but that's just how it is". I felt alone, even with my friend group by my side. I considered committing suicide the night before the final exam for that class. I planned on jumping out of my fourth story window and being done with it all. Fortunately, a sticky note fell out of my wallet as I was buying a snack that evening right before I had planned to do it. That sticky note read "Mom loves you <3", something my mom sent alongside a package she sent me during my freshman year and I had kept and largely forgotten about. When I saw that, I broke down into tears of both sadness and happiness, if that makes any sense at all. I realized I should not go through with my plan because I regained my understanding of my worth (moms are the best). I couldn't let him win, that terrible professor would not win. I took the stupid final, and began the process of changing majors. 

 

Unfortunately, a week after, I found out the girl I was dating (my first and only to date) had been cheating on me for the majority of time we were together. This broke my spirit, and made me recluse into my shell. I felt betrayed, and lost all motivation to do anything. I felt like it was my fault, that I was the problem, and just wasn't worthy of love. She tried to contact me a few times afterwards, to which I never responded (and eventually blocked her on everything). I have almost had a few run ins with her on campus since then, but have avoided it. Just a sucky situation that I still have nightmares from and still affects me two years later, but I'm nearly there  My friend group has always been there for me and I am so grateful for them, and I miss them so much especially after them leaving after they graduated (all one year ahead of me) and covid not allowing us to reunite in person and play board games. Because of their support, I've gotten through the worst of the worst, and look forward to graduating college in June and (hopefully) landing a job and beginning the next chapter of life!

 

I've never told anyone my full story, but hope that someone on the forums reads this so you are reminded that you are loved and that you are not alone in this struggle, and you will get through whatever challenges are in front of you (like the completionists we often are!), and that my messages are ALWAYS open for those wanting to talk.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Im2Fast_4U
poorly worded sentence clarified

[Beyondthegrave07]

@Im2Fast_4U Thanks for sharing and I can definitely relate with the bullying and with teachers being assholes. I was weird in general and just never let it bother me. In my mind, those people were beneath me and as long as I didn't give them attention, I win. I also had a teacher called me "retarded" for struggling with my eyesight (an issue I've dealt with since birth), but I literally laughed it off with a few friends from the cross country team after school. Apparently, some of them shamed the teacher for it later which just made me laugh harder.

 

I don't know. I just always had the idea that words can't hurt me and no matter what people said or called me, it doesn't change who I really am. I know that not everyone can or could do that... I've always been the type of person who tried to look at situations from every perspective, not just my own. 

[Dr_Mayus]

2nd Persona character profile - Skull

 

Skull (Ryuji) is a character that was beaten physically, mentally and emotionally until all that was left was for him to act out. He however is a very loyal friend and once people start treating him as a friend he begins to learn how to trust again.

 

I knew a lot of kids like this both in school as well as through volunteering. I used to volunteer at a youth drop in and just talking and showing an interest in someone's life can make such a difference. I remember one kid (around 12) told me that "this was the only time he felt safe" and what can you say to that.

 

No one is born "evil" it is brought on through circumstance. We must show compassion and love early otherwise hate will fester and grow.

 

If anyone is interested you can check out a great place to volunteer here (this is the canadian site). Make a difference in someone's life today

 

https://bigbrothersbigsisters.ca/

[Beyondthegrave07]

Finished my first game! Time to add to the total badge count! 

 

But before that, I need to give you my reflection piece. There's a lot of different directions I could go on  with this game as it focuses on overcoming grief, suicide prevention, the importance of support systems, but I don't want to make this overcomplicated or write an essay so I'll keep this somewhat short and simple.

 

Anyways, the game I played was Brothers: Tales of Two Sons which focuses on two brothers who go on a journey to find a cure for their father who is detrimentally ill. The story in general is about how the younger brother is able to overcome his grief of losing his mother (he was unable to save her in a boating accident) to go on a journey to save his father. However, for my somewhat non-spoiler reflection, I'm going to focus on the trophy, "A Sad Tune." For this trophy, you must prevent a man from committing suicide and make him feel better afterwards. The poor man lost his family in a fire and has nothing else to live for. In a way, he feels trapped and does not think he has any other options except to kill himself because he has no one else to live for. However, the two brothers are able to prevent him from hanging himself and sneak their way into the burned house to find a music box which you can give to the man to play and to make him feel better and subsequently, earn the trophy. I think metaphorically, the music box is a symbol of hope. By playing the music box, the man realizes that not everything is lost and their are other options and knowing this gives him the hope he needs to keep living. He still grieves, but no longer feels the urge to die. I wish everyone who suffers from suicidal thoughts could find their own music box to hold on to and listen to in order to survive and keep pushing through. 

 

 

However, I think the most important part of this trophy is realizing the impact complete strangers can have on others who are struggling. As the brothers, you are given the option to save him and go one step further to recover the music box for him. You have no idea who that person is and have no idea what's he's going through. You just see in the distance that he's starting to hang himself. I think it's important to reach out to help others who are struggling to even if they are complete strangers. You never know what others are going through and simply reaching out a hand to help can go a long way. I guess what I really learned from this is if you ever see someone who seems down, ask them if they are okay and if there's anything you can do to help them. You never know how much power one person can really have. You may end up saving someone's life.

 

I think this was the a powerful moment in the game and an awesome trophy to include in the game.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Beyondthegrave07

[DrBloodmoney]

Okay, so I finished up my "Game 1" for this event, and have my little write up.

 

I'll probably do a more gameplay-specific one in my status updates later, but for here, I'm just focussing on the aspects pertinent to the event:

 

Hope It isn't too long, and is what was intended.

 

 

______________________________________________________

 

Twin Mirror

(Mental Health Event - "Game 1" write up)

Twin Mirror dabbles in quite a few aspects that are ripe for an event like this one, and attempts to explore quite a few aspects of Mental Health, and Mental Self-Care, but it's a curious thing - having finished it, I think most of the aspects in which it is specifically trying to address mental health issues, it fails, but in some of the lesser areas where is brushes on them in a more background way, it is actually quite successful and nuanced.

 

Plot

The protagonist, Sam Higgs, is a reporter. Or, at least, he was, until two years prior to the events of the game, when an an article he wrote exposed poor safety practices of the mining corporation that was the life-blood and primary industry of his Appalachian home town of Basswood, setting off a chain of events leading to the mine's closure, and the economic depression of the town.
The local economy collapsed, Sam became a social pariah, what we are told was an underlying mental health issue with Sam became more acute, his relationship with long-term girlfriend Anna broke down after an ill-advised proposal from Sam, and he left town in shame.

At the outset of the game, Sam is returning to the town for, ostensibly, a brief visit, to pay his respects to his old best-friend and co-worker at the local paper, Nick, who has died in a car crash.

At the insistence of Nick's daughter 'Bug', he begins investigating Nick's death, which she is convinced can't have been the accident it has been reported as, and throughout the game, uncovers a plot involving a drug ring, an opioid crisis enveloping the town beneath its parochial veneer, and corruption in the police and local business owners.

 

It's a decent, if predictable and short mystery. On the visual front it is nicely done (if this is the visual and lighting quality we can expect from future, DotNod fare, the Life is Strange 3 is something to look forward to,) but in the gameplay side, it is pretty lacking, and there are some significant issues I took with the actual game mechanics.

Here though, what we are most interested in is the handling of the mental-health related aspects, so I'll focus on those from now on.

The stuff that doesn't really work

The majority of where the game fails to represent the conditions it invokes, are almost all around the protagonist, Sam.

 

As far a Sam goes, if feels like DotNod is desperate to show he has some sort of mental health condition, but throws so many different aspects of different conditions into the mix, without ever really focussing on, or really exploring any single one, that it becomes a bit of a wash in terms of learning anything.

 

Depression

Yes, Sam seems to have at least a mild depressive condition, but it is never really represented terribly well, as the player has choice. They can choose to say the depressed sounding response or not, and so really, it gives little insight into how crippling depression can be, and how overwhelming it can be.

Also, Sam's depression has a very specific and clear reason. He is depressed about specific incidents. That is, of course, perfectly valid - a lot of people who suffer from depression have catalyst events that begin, or massively exacerbate the issue - but I can't help but feel it would be more impactful if his depression was more clearly shown to have been an underlying issue all along, prior to the events of two years ago. That would show it for what it is - a condition - rather than what it is sometimes misunderstood to be - a reaction.  

Here, flashbacks from before the publication of Sam's article and abortive proposal of marriage, tend to mostly show him as happy and relatively well adjusted - a little socially awkward, but not markedly so, and so it feels more like he is just very sad and guilty than actually depressed. we have to rely on being told depression is an issue, rather than actually seeing it.

 

You

No, not you - "You". 

 

"You" is Sam's alter ego - a clean cut, bespectacled, polite version of himself, who appears in-scene during many parts of the game, offering council to Sam as he makes decisions. The game presents "You" as a kind of 'voice of social reason' and primarily his advice is what would steer him towards more pleasant, if less factually revealing, social interactions.

 

It's worth noting that, while it might be tempting to view "You" as some kind of attempt at evidence of a very serious mental condition such as Schizophrenia or Multiple Personality Disorder - "You" is, after all, a sort of 'Anti-Tyler Durdan', appearing to Sam and conversing with him, invisible to everyone else - but I don't think that it should be. 
For starters, if it were an attempt at showing a serious mental condition like those ones, it fails ludicrously, but also because - I don't believe that is DotNod's intention. 

 

"You" is more of a gameplay and narrative device than a visual representation of a disorder, allowing Sam to vocalise his thoughts to us, the players, with a bit bore animation and life, and it's a device that works fine in that context. 

Sam is fully aware that "You" is not real - he is aware of what he is, when he himself created him (in reaction to an overheard conversation by his parents, discussing sending him to special classes to help his lacking social skills,) and crucially, what "You"'s role in his own life is and has been.

 

Sam seems perfectly capable of heeding, or ignoring, "You"'s advice, so frankly, "You" is not really evidence of anything more than Sam's inner equivocations in difficult situations - something that everyone, neuro-typical and neuro-atypical alike, experience daily.

The Mind Palace

Then there is the 'Mind Palace'. 

 

When in difficult situations, Sam can regress into his 'Mind Palace' - a kind of mental fugue-state, in which aspects of the real world are represented, bound in jagged crystalline forms floating in a void, and in which time stands still. Sam has time to analyse different aspects of his thoughts and make decisions about what to do.

 

The idea that he can be overwhelmed by situations, and 'shut-down' for a moment, regressing into a mental safe-space and planning his actions with careful though before acting is interesting, but it is used in a muddled way. 

 

Sometimes, entering it seems voluntary, and is used for Sam to analyse factual data, and becomes a sort of Arkham Batman 'detective vision'.

Sometimes it is when he is recalling some significant memory of his past, and when he wants to order such memories in his mind, and make sense of current events through them.

 

In these instances the 'Mind Palace' mechanic is presented as as sort of 'super-power' - or, at least, as a visual representation of his sharp mind and ability to rationalise things.

 

At other times though, entry to the 'Mind Palace' is shown as involuntary, and resulting from high-stress situations.For example, when Sam discovers a body, and is panicking.

 

Here, it is no longer a safe space, but a nightmare, are represented by some of the game's worst, least fun, and most ludicrous moments, such as running through an endless hallway full of mirrors branded with 'negative' words, which you need to avoid smashing, and find the 'positive' ones, which you are supposed to smash through, or one in which multiple versions of "You" are walking, and you need to identify the one waving at you, in an attempt to represent...
...I don't know what. 

I've spent enough time considering those moments, and drawing a blank, that I am comfortable saying that I don't think I'm the issue. I don't think the problem is that I'm not smart enough to understand what DotNod is trying to say. I'm pretty sure the issue is that DotNod doesn't understand what DotNod is trying to say.  

 

The 'Mind Palace' concept is messy in its implementation, and muddled in its use, to the extent that is is hard to read as an accurate representation of anything mental-health related.

Its relationship to "You" is also a bit all over the place. 

"You" seems to be inextricably tied to the Mind Palace, as he is often giving advice within it, suggesting it is his 'domain'.

 Towards the end of the game, however, a major decision is required in which Sam must choose between "You" and the 'Mind Palace', suggesting that they are opposing forces - the 'Mind Palace' being the refuge for Sam's overly analytical, socially-awkward tendencies, and "You" being the socially-aware, emotionally mature counter-balance.

 

Social vs Analytical

That brings us to the game's primary dichotomy - the friction between the 'Social' and the 'Analytical' sides of Sam.

The game essentially posits that in order to solve the mystery, Sam needs to be 'Analytical', but to be happy, he needs to be 'Social'. It's all a bit black and white.

 

Sam - we are told at least - tends to be dogged in his pursuit of the truth, whatever the cost to his personal relationships or the well-being or good feeling of those around him.

That suggests a possible ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition.) This is an interesting avenue - however, his ability to identify what he could be saying that would be socially-acceptable, and simply choosing not to in pursuit of his end goal does not really marry with that.

People with ASC are not electing to be rude, they simply have difficulty identifying when what they are going to say will be, or picking up on emotional or social cues indicating they have been. 

 

Sam is able to make the decision not to be - and simply chose not to, which is more in line with something like Borderline Personality Disorder than a Spectrum Condition, but Borderline personality Disorder is simply not possible to show accurately in a game from the protagonist's point of view, where choices still lie with the player.

 

The idea of showing someone with ASC in a narrative focussed game is an interesting one (and one I have a vested interest in, as the father to an Autistic son,) however, there is still a massive inherent problem with doing so using the protagonist in a choice-based game.

 

If the player is being presented with the choices of what to say, then they are able to decide not to say the socially awkward, inappropriate or unintentionally offensive or hurtful thing. The autistic person in real life is not - and it is borderline offensive to suggest that they are. People with ASC are not choosing to be rude by missing the mark socially, any more than you tripping over a stone is you choosing to fall down. 

 

For the record, I've been wracking my brain, trying to think how such a game could actually represent the difficulties of someone with ASC to a neuro-typical gamer, and I think it might be possible:
If the dialogue choices were presented just as they are here, but sometimes, after choosing one, the text dissolved away, and changed to one of the 'rude' choices the player didn't intend to make, (hence taking the decision they made and altering it to one they tried not to,) it would actually be a better way to show the effects of AS conditions.

The player would be trying to say the 'right' thing, but an outside force (in this case the game, substituting for the condition,) would be twisting what you meant  into something that is offending the character you speak to without you meaning it to, or having your response coming out all wrong. 

Would that be frustrating or difficult for the player?
Yes, of course - but not half as frustrating or difficult as dealing with social interactions can be for someone with an ASC, ad it would stop what is happening in Twin Mirror - us being told there is a mental health issue with Sam, but not really showing or representing it.

 

 

 

Okay, that all seems like I'm really ragging on the game, (which I enjoyed some parts of, but we are dealing with a specific part of it here, and a part I didn't think was well handled,) but lets look at

 

The part that did work:

Loss and Grief

The one area of mental health and mental well-being that I think the game is most successful in exploring is actually the part they do with the lightest, but most nuanced touch, and not with protagonist Sam, but with everyone around him - the widely varying spectrum of ways in which different people react to loss.

 

Loss is the primary running theme of the game, and by showing so many different ways in which it has affected people, and how they handle it - sometimes well, sometimes not - without commenting on them overtly - it actually, almost by accident, gives us some things to learn, or at least to think about.

Every one of the townsfolk is dealing with loss in some way.

 

There is the obvious loss of Nick - Sam's old friend, who's wake he is attending.

His daughter, Bug, is grieving, and feels unable to accept his death, and her relationship with her mother - Nick's ex-wife, is at rock bottom - also owing to a loss: Her mother is an addict - a victim of the opioid epidemic that has sprung up n the wake of the town's economic collapse - and so Bug feels she has lost her too.

 

The loss of the mine, and with it, the town's economy and identity has crippled many people financially. 

 

Some - the group of ex-miners met in the bar at Nick's wake, for example - remain angry and bitter, still pinning blame wherever they can find it - in this case on Sam for penning the article that brought the situation about - and that bitterness blinds them to the reality that is highlighted by Anna's father (also an ex-miner, who was crippled physically, and is in a wheelchair after the lax safety standards at the mine coast him his legs) - the mine would likely have closed regardless, and Sam was right. The safety standards were being ignored.

Unable to get past their bitterness, they have all turned to drink and violence, and it has rendered them unable to try and move on to other industries. 

Anna's father, on the other hand, while still wistful for the past, is more resigned and accepting of the current state of things, and had come to terms with the town's demise to some extent.

 

Anna, who was dating Nick at the time of his death, is grieving his loss, but seeing Sam is also bringing up a lot of memories, and she is forced to wrestle with the loss of that relationship as well, one destroyed as much by circumstance than by the two people.

 

There is a group of down-and-outs living on a kind of trailer-park commune, run by a woman called Lynette, where a lot of ex-miners and addicts are living, and each of them is trying to deal with their own loss. Lynette deals with the loss of the town's financial safety nets by doing something positive - using her own land to create one for others - while some of the inhabitants are dealing with their lost livelihoods and lives less well, becoming angry, violent or, on some case, addicts.

 

One of the principal characters, who turns out to be behind the drug ring, is dealing with loss too - the loss of the community spirit that the town had in the boom-years has left him cold and uncaring, seeing the town he once loved and fought to protect as a lost cause, and driving him to the conclusion that making a profit off its misery is the only viable solution.

"If someone's gonna profit, might as well be me."

There are many more characters throughout the game, all of whom show some slightly different reaction to their own personal micro and macro losses, and it is in these aspects that I think I can say there is some meat on this bone, and something to learn. 

Summary

While I don't think there is a huge amount to really learn on the subject of mental health in Twin Mirror, there is some.

 

Like other (better) DotNod games before this one - Life is Strange 1 & 2, it is not the big story moments that stick with me the most, but the little ones - the small lines here and there that can have poignancy, and resonate a little more than maybe they were ever even intended to.

 

For all that I ragged (justifiably, I think) on the muddled, sledge-hammer-like approach to Sam Higgs and his relationship with "You", there are a couple of poignant moments.

Taking him as simply the 'better angel' on Sam's shoulder, there is one moment I really liked:

 

When Sam is trying to just get on with his investigation, and get to the 'real' business of fact-finding, "You" is negging him, trying to get him to show more compassion to Anna, this simple exchange did catch me off guard, and, in context, make me genuinely think about the way I sometimes shake off my own internal conscience and better angels when I'm focussed on something too hard:

Sam -  
"You're not helping."

 

You - 
"Yes I am."

 

Sam - 
*pause*
"Yes. You are."

 

(It works better in the game than here)

Is it much?
No...

...but it did something for me, and that's worth a shout out.

 

______________________________________________________

 

 

 

Anyways, that's all I got!

 

 

I'm considering which game to do for my "Game 2" - one related to companionship - and thinking about Concrete Genie?

 

I know nothing about the game, but the cover art makes it look like it would be suitable? If someone can let me know, that would be great - Full disclosure, I was gifted a VR headset recently, and I know there is a VR component to that game so that might be an excuse to try it out as well ?

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[Cerlayjux]

I'm in

[Beyondthegrave07]

@DrBloodmoney Very nice writeup! I'll mark you down when I get a chance!

 

Concrete Genie will definitely work for Badge 2. It'll make a lot more sense late in the game why it really works so don't fret if you are scratching your head halfway through.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Beyondthegrave07

[DrBloodmoney]

1 minute ago, Beyondthegrave07 said:

Concrete Genie will definitely work for Badge 2. It'll make a lot more sense late in the game why it really works so don't fret if you are scratching your head halfway through.

 

Magic mate, cheers - been quite looking forward to that one, and since I came into possession of a second hand VR recently, it seems like kismet!

 

That'll be my Game 2 then, I shall report back when done! ??

[JourneySilvers]

I finished my game! A small trigger warning: death is indeed involved, as this is a horror game. If you aren't comfortable with dark subjects, maybe skip this post, though I won't explain anything in extreme detail.

 

Spirit Hunter: NG

Kubitarou of Kintoki (Kaneko)

 

Spirit Hunter: NG is a horror visual novel that involves the main character (and some allies) encountering specific spirits. After learning of their past and unfair deaths, they can figure out what's holding the spirits back and successfully exorcise them. The spirit centered around in chapter 2 of the game is called Kubitarou of Kintoki. (Kintoki being the town it haunts.) 

 

As the characters eventually learn, the real name of the spirit they're looking for is Kaneko, and is actually the spirit of a young girl. In her lifetime, she suffered from oxyopia and systematic obesity, which led the town to ostracize and shun her as a child. As a result, she did not receive an education, and grew up isolated and alone. Due to her isolation, she attaches herself to a stuffed bear and calls it her little brother, and fully believes that this is the case. When this bear is eventually destroyed, she understands it as death, and grieves for it. 

 

In the town of Kintoki at the time she was alive, there were two trees, worshipped as holy and sacred figures for the town. There was an old children's rhyme at the time that stated you could make a wish to one of these trees if you "Head to the Great Tarou of Kintoki on the 15th night". Kaneko, suffering from what I personally believe to be a form of psychosis, jumbles the meaning of these words and believes that she has to offer heads to the tree to get her wish. She decapitates the heads of farm animals and offers them to the tree, but grows frustrated and angry when her bear is not fixed, and ends up chopping the tree down. This is an extreme taboo for the town, and she ends up being killed for it.

 

I believe she was suffering from a form of psychosis, because she displays very extreme behaviors exhibiting hyper fixation and delusions involving her stuffed bear, along with disorganized thinking and speaking (her confusing the meaning of "head" in the children's song). I feel like the tragic outcome of her death could've easily been avoided, had anyone looked out for her or sympathized with her. For Kaneko, reality was very very different from what everyone else perceived it to be, and I feel like mental illnesses in general do that to many people. Anxiety and depression can cause people to view their surroundings as hopeless or terrifying, when no one else around them sees it the same way. I know its over said, but getting help from others is vital if you feel this way. If Kaneko had someone looking out for her, and understood her view of reality, they could've helped her in a way that was meaningful to her. 

 

As it turns out, in the story, helping Kaneko pass on peacefully was as simple as sewing her stuffed bear back together and returning it to her. That would've been all it took to prevent her tragedy as well, and it was because the small group of spirit hunters stopped and listened to her story, and imagined things from her perspective, that she was able to be at peace. 

 

I think we can apply this to real life as well. Listening and trying to understand someone can do a lot of good. 

 

 

[oxford_wolf007]

I finished Ikenfell! Wow, this game was fantastic. I really recommend it to anyone, especially if you're a fan of old Gameboy games! Honestly, it took much longer than I thought it would. I expected maybe 10 hours, but it took me over 25 hours to get the plat. I started to follow an X-box guide about halfway through to make sure I didn't miss any of the special gems. Turned out I missed one anyway and had to backtrack ? Anyways, sorry for the huuuuuge post. I really, really liked the game! ?

 

The gameplay reminded me of a combination between Pokemon and Fire Emblem. You have (sort of random?) run-ins with enemies for battles (Pokemon), and have a bunch of different spells you can hit the enemies with (Pokemon/Fire Emblem), and you move around on a grid during the battles (Fire Emblem). The one thing I struggled with was, when playing on normal mode, in order to get the maximum amount of damage/dodge, you need to press the X button at the exact right time. When you master the combat, it really works well. But whenever you get a new character, new move, or battle a new baddie, you have to re-master the combat for each move. This almost inevitably results in getting you walloped until you get the timing down, which was frustrating. At the same time, you definitely cheer when you get a good dodge or a good hit on an enemy, so it's also rewarding.

 

There are ~tons~ of accessibility options, so you don't even need to deal with the combat system if you don't want to. I used it to finish the side quests and the last battle. I had a hand injury at the time of doing those, so I really appreciated it.

 

I really think this game fulfills all of the different criteria for this event: It deals with a lot of mental health issues; you have a team of 6 people, so #YouAreNotAlone definitely fits, and also, if you use the accessibility options, its a very non-stressful, enjoyable game!

 

Before I delve into the mental health aspects, I just wanted to comment on the representation in this game. Being a hetero cis female, at the end I was just like, are there ANY hetero cis people in this game (I meant it in a good way!)??? It just made me chuckle a bit, as nearly everyone is LGBT or identifies as/uses non-binary terms, which was awesome! The vast, VAST majority of the characters were female (or at least present as female), which is something you never seen in video games. There were also quite a few black characters as well. This game really had some great representation, and nothing takes away from the story, but makes it even better. I absolutely LOVED Gilda and Perty (and I guess someone else did too ?). Ima is also a boss. Really, all of the characters are great in their own little ways.

 

Now, for how this game deals with mental health:

Spoiler

The Headmistress

The headmistress of Ikenfell is a great witch, and she helped destroy a terrible monster in the past, but in the process, all of her friends were killed. She carries a serious case of survivor's guilt, which may have also given her anxiety and/or depression. She is highly protective of her students and obsessed with keeping everyone safe, mainly because she doesn't want anyone else to die. She is truly haunted by her past. Because she is so devastated by what happened, and constantly stressed out/anxious/depressed, she ends up using blood magic (a dark, dark magic) to remove her negative feelings, and puts them in a cauldron. However, this ends up creating more problems, generating a giant monster that the student team has to destroy. This part of the story seems to mirror self-medicating (alcohol, illicit drug use), and shows that use of these things and avoidance is not the solution to your problems, but in fact, creates issues for others. She also starts hallucinating at the end of the game due to her grief, and you have to defeat her to make her see the truth.

 

Maritte

You start playing the game as Maritte, an Ordinary (no-maj, Muggle), who is looking for her sister Safina, a witch who goes to Ikenfell that disappeared. You meet a bunch of Safina's friends, who never knew Safina had a sister. Maritte battles with not feeling like she belongs during the whole game, even when she also ends up having magical powers, and her sister's betrayal really hurts her. Actually, Safina's lies and betrayals end up hurting everyone. A big theme in the game revolves around if hurting other people for your own reasons (good or bad) is worth it. Maritte ends up having a panic attack, and giving up her powers because she doesn't think she belongs in the magical world. Everyone comes together to support her, though, and because they were all hurt by Safina, Maritte sees that she is not alone, and regains her powers.

 

Perty

Another character that really stands out is Pertistia (Perty). You don't find out until later, but she and Safina were best friends before Rook and Petronella (Safina's current best friends) came to Ikenfell. Perty and Safina got into all kinds of trouble, culminating in them going into the dark dimension that they use as a passageway to get between places. There is a monster there. Perty got attacked, and has a terrible scar across half her face, which she normally hides with a spell. She also suffers from insomnia. She had to leave for a year because of the attack, and when she came back to school, Safina had her new friends, who she was up to the same shenanigans with. Perty was not only hurt by Safina emotionally, but also worried about Safina's new friends being injured. She was angry at Safina for putting them in dangerous situations, when she knew the risks. 

 

When Maritte comes to find Safina, the group has to go back through that dark passageway again. You don't know at the time that any of the above happened, but Perty has a panic attack when the monster swipes by the group, indicating that she has PTSD from her previous attack. The group is trying to escape and help Perty leave, but Perty she freezes and shouts not to touch her. Maritte preemptively apologizes, then moves her so that they can escape. Afterward, Maritte apologizes again for touching Perty without consent. This was a nice scene to have, showing how consent is important, even in emergency situations. The student team eventually goes on to beat that monster, and Perty faces her fears.

 

General final spoilery comments

ALSO THE MIRROR ENEMIES, HOW COOL WERE THEY----I could go on forever about this game because it is just SO GOOD. The ending was really amazing, and showed how everyone healed and grew from their experience, with the support of others. It was a nice touch at the end, when they showed the epilogue, that each person went off to do something with someone else by their side, showing that in the end, no one was alone.

 

[DrBloodmoney]

14 hours ago, oxford_wolf007 said:

{snip}

 

Loved your write up - and cheers for the recommend - I'd never heard of this game, but just added it to my wishlist on the strength of your post ??

[InfinateEternity]

I've been away from serious gaming for a while. (Work tends to do that to you). But, this event sounds like the perfect way to get back into the swing of things, especially as it's for a good cause! I'll have to take a look at my games and see if I have any that I could finish up for this. If not, I'll find a new one. But, either way, thank you for thinking of this event. My family has a history of mental health struggles. So, any events that are geared towards increasing public awareness about the impacts of mental health conditions on individuals and families is always appreciated!

[Han_the_Dragon]

Well, since I don't need to write a lot, I will do some generalization...

 

I think that trying to group stuff, I would say that I learned about extreme desperation with different causes, but that ultimately would lead to the annihilation of the character in some way (suicide, suicidal actions, or "voluntary memory loss").

 

Several spoilers from quests/story (but I will still keep it vague)

Spoiler

 

For example a character was trying to get stronger and stronger so that he could defeat his "enemy", but since even by getting stronger he was still losing, he ultimately challenge the enemy to a fight to the death (I think that I can see some OCD traits in this too).

 

Other case is someone that learned that his friend was killed and wants to avenge him, but in the process learns that it was he who did it, and then remembered that he had done it multiple times, going crazy in the process (total psychopath...).

 

Two people were also were injured and running away, and in the process they decide that's better to "lose their memories" to give up running, but when 1 loses their memory the other says that's OK, because he wanted to "improve physically" the other so that they could continue running (psychopath / conditioned sociopath relation, I think).

 

Someone was also doing EVERYTHING they could to improve and keep safe their community, but when everything fails they decide to give up living (memory erase or death).

 

 

Really liked the game, but made a mistake of getting 2B upskirt trophy to soon when working on the bad endings.. that was the one to be my platinum screenshot.. failing that, tried to get the X ending name (time to relaX) on the platinum, but end up with a black screen.. Quite nice game, and if someone plays the game doing sidequests along the way, the endgame grind is minimum, I think that I didn't even had to grind for 2 hours, all the extra time after getting the first 5 endings was to clean up ssidequests, not to grind. took me almost 59 hours to plat, and was quite a nice experience!

 

Ghost of Tsushima would work for the bonus? (He's technically accompanied by his horse the whole game...).. I'm now evaluating what will be my next clean up game..

Edited May 9, 2021 by Han_the_Dragon

[Dr_Mayus]

Still working on my Persona 5 Royal playthrough but yesterday I got to see my brother again and asked if he wanted to help me finish Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken as the PS3 version only has couch co-op. So after over 9 years of starting this game I have finally platted it and am using it for my Bonus Badge.

 

#322-Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken

 

I live alone and while that has always been "fine" before, since COVID started it has become very hard at times. I am also now working from home and I didn't realize how lonely I actually have been this whole time. There were weeks sometimes (during all the lockdowns) where the only people I would see were the cashiers at the grocery store or someone I pass on my walk. Manitoba has entered a new lockdown but at least this time if you live alone you can have one designated visitor and I decided to choose my brother as it was the best fit (as other people have other people they see). Getting together to talk, watch movies or in this case play a game really helps as we all need real human contact (and not just over the phone or chat).

 

I decided to pick Rocketbirds as my Bonus Badge game as I wanted something that actually made me game with someone in the same room as me. For some reason Rocketbirds on Ps3 is the only one in the series that only has couch co-op so it has taken me almost a decade to actually plat it I find this really sad though as back in the day I used to go to a buddy's house after school, buy some snacks and hang out together playing Goldeneye, Secret of Mana, NFL Blitz or whatever other game we wanted to try out. Now if I want to play online I have to log in and game with a bunch of randoms...and that just doesn't have the same feel

 

So COVID has really affected people's mental health and I hope the people on here have some real life connections as digital connections an only take you so far.

 

Stay safe, and let us hope for a brighter tomorrow.

[Beyondthegrave07]

18 minutes ago, Han_the_Dragon said:

Well, since I don't need to write a lot, I will do some generalization...

 

I think that trying to group stuff, I would say that I learned about extreme desperation with different causes, but that ultimately would lead to the annihilation of the character in some way (suicide, suicidal actions, or "voluntary memory loss").

 

Several spoilers from quests/story (but I will still keep it vague)

  Hide contents

 

For example a character was trying to get stronger and stronger so that he could defeat his "enemy", but since even by getting stronger he was still losing, he ultimately challenge the enemy to a fight to the death (I think that I can see some OCD traits in this too).

 

Other case is someone that learned that his friend was killed and wants to avenge him, but in the process learns that it was he who did it, and then remembered that he had done it multiple times, going crazy in the process (total psychopath...).

 

Two people were also were injured and running away, and in the process they decide that's better to "lose their memories" to give up running, but when 1 loses their memory the other says that's OK, because he wanted to "improve physically" the other so that they could continue running (psychopath / conditioned sociopath relation, I think).

 

Someone was also doing EVERYTHING they could to improve and keep safe their community, but when everything fails they decide to give up living (memory erase or death).

 

 

Really liked the game, but made a mistake of getting 2B upskirt trophy to soon when working on the bad endings.. that was the one to be my platinum screenshot.. failing that, tried to get the X ending name (time to relaX) on the platinum, but end up with a black screen.. Quite nice game, and if someone plays the game doing sidequests along the way, the endgame grind is minimum, I think that I didn't even had to grind for 2 hours, all the extra time after getting the first 5 endings was to clean up ssidequests, not to grind. took me almost 59 hours to plat, and was quite a nice experience!

 

Ghost of Tsushima would work for the bonus? (He's technically accompanied by his horse the whole game...).. I'm now evaluating what will be my next clean up game..

Yeah, Tsushima will work. You do a lot of missions with Yuna and others so it counts. The ghost is most definitely not alone!

 

@Dr_Mayus, I'll mark this down after you do game 1.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Beyondthegrave07

[Han_the_Dragon]

6 minutes ago, Beyondthegrave07 said:

Yeah, Tsushima will work. You do a lot of missions with Yuna and others so it counts. The ghost is most definitely not alone!

Nice! (Nier Automata and Ghost of Tsushima were the last 2 games that I had started and were really bothering me, because I had games this good left halfway! So, this is next!)

[oxford_wolf007]

@DrBloodmoney Glad to hear it!! The only reason I heard about it at all was this website. I was lurking, and someone had posted it as an "If you like [this game] (I don't remember what it was at the time), you should try Ikenfell." And boy, am I glad I did!!

[DrBloodmoney]

30 minutes ago, oxford_wolf007 said:

@DrBloodmoney Glad to hear it!! The only reason I heard about it at all was this website. I was lurking, and someone had posted it as an "If you like [this game] (I don't remember what it was at the time), you should try Ikenfell." And boy, am I glad I did!!

Best (and worst) part of PSNP Forums - the ever expanding nature of (and tyrannical enormity of) my wishlist ?

Edited May 9, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[Cerlayjux]

I just finished Steins;Gate 0 and it definitely has some dealings with mental health. The game is a sequel to steins;gate that branches from the ending where The main character fails to save someone he loves and ends up unintentionally killing her. Instead of trying again he just gives up and this game explores that word after the fact. Okabe Struggles with severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD throughout the game, so much that he has to take medication for it and it really is just sad to see. Mainly because in the first game Okabe is a very eccentric self ascribed "mad scientist" and to some extent it is kind of endearing. But here that is all stripped away and you can really tell that past events have taken a toll. 

 

Also for the bonus I finished The Walking Dead. Lee and Clementine are companions throughout the game so it should count I hope. 

[Dzware]

I just finished Limbo for my first badge in this event. 

 

First off, I just want to say that I really enjoyed this game and definitely recommend it to everyone. Even besides the mental health aspect, I really enjoyed playing it and getting the 100%.

 

As for the story in the game, it has been pointed out by @rangers_lead5278 earlier in the thread that it's very open to interpretation and I think it is also intended to be interpreted differently by different people, as such there's no single correct explanation to what happens or what each aspect of the game represents. You can clearly see as I took away a few different things from the game than rangers did

 

I personally find it quite hard to immediately have an idea about stories like these, so initially I didn't come further than recognizing a couple significant points, but after looking some things up, talking about it a bit with others and thinking some more, I think I can give my (partial) interpretation of it. I'll go into more detail in the spoiler tag below, but for now I can say I think the main character has PTSD and depression as main mental health issues.

 

Spoiler

The main character has a sister who died and he himself finds himself in limbo between life and death. The main goal is to get out of limbo by going through a journey that represents the personal growth of this boy and overcoming his issues relating to his sisters death.

In the beginning the main struggle is against a spider, for which he keeps trying to run away from. I think the spider represents the trauma that is haunting the boy.

A bit later he's mostly attacked by tribal men, this ties into the previous section as he feels guilt over her death. These men could either represent people in the boys life blaming him or his paranoia about others seeing him like that (which I think is more likely). Maybe also that he feels isolated with his feelings/experience.

After a section where he sees his sister for a brief moment and he tries to reach her and he can't, the world turns much more gloomy, turning from a forest with plenty of life in it to a very sterile and industrial like setting. This setting represents his depression. He's completely alone and often in dark places, with the world spinning all around him at times.

In the end, with the final jump of the game, he breaks through the 'barrier' and finally reaches heaven. This is the point where he overcomes his inner demons and finds his inner peace, so he can in the end be reunited with his sister in the afterlife.

 

It's not a complete interpretation of the game, and I'm sure if I think longer about it and/or play the game again (my later playtroughs I was too focussed on not dying to pay too much attention lol) I will discover new things or even change my mind, but for now I hope that my current thoughts are clear enough?

[Starrk_01]

 

Just finished Concrete Genie for game #1. This deals with the main character being bullied by other kids. The way he escaped his loneliness/being bullied is through his artwork and his drawings, which comes to life at the beginning of the game. One of the things I found interesting is the setting of the story. Your entire environment at the beginning of the story is empty town/island which I saw as a representation of the main character while being bullied and when his artbook gets taken.

 

I won't go much into the 2nd part of the game, but I also saw how you can't just look from your own perspective when it comes to your life. For an example in the game you realize as the story goes on that even the bullies had their own mental health issues they were trying to deal with (admittingly in the incorrect way with wrecking havoc and bullying others). This ranged from anxiety, separation, and grief, but by the end of the story you see how they even grow as characters and reflect on their actions throughout the game.

 

I'll be working on my 2nd game (Moss) and hopefully finish it up in a week, just depends on how I feel.

[Beyondthegrave07]

7 minutes ago, Starrk_01 said:

 

Just finished Concrete Genie for game #1. This deals with the main character being bullied by other kids. The way he escaped his loneliness/being bullied is through his artwork and his drawings, which comes to life at the beginning of the game. One of the things I found interesting is the setting of the story. Your entire environment at the beginning of the story is empty town/island which I saw as a representation of the main character while being bullied and when his artbook gets taken.

 

I won't go much into the 2nd part of the game, but I also saw how you can't just look from your own perspective when it comes to your life. For an example in the game you realize as the story goes on that even the bullies had their own mental health issues they were trying to deal with (admittingly in the incorrect way with wrecking havoc and bullying others). This ranged from anxiety, separation, and grief, but by the end of the story you see how they even grow as characters and reflect on their actions throughout the game.

 

I'll be working on my 2nd game (Moss) and hopefully finish it up in a week, just depends on how I feel.

Yeah, it's an interesting contrast of how the main character deals with mental stress (through art) and how the bullies deal with it (by picking on others). I think the game does a great job showing sympathy for the bullies and really makes you think about putting yourself in their shoes before judging someone because you never know what someone is going through.

[GuitaristZag]

So, for my game, I completed Gris. 

Spoiler

 

The overarching narrative deals with grief, specifically, as we later learn in the secret ending, the main character is trying to overcome the loss of her mother. 

 

Throughout the game, you are unable to die, which I interpret as a both positive and negative metaphor. While you are unable to easily escape grief, you are able to withstand as much as you believe you can. 

 

For much of the game, there's an incredible sense of atmosphere and solitude, until the forest chapter, where a small creature helps you, as in real life, it gets to a point where you can't do it alone.

 

I also see the birds as a manifestation of the main characters thoughts. The neutral ones are red, and do no harm, simply continue the story. The black are negative, hampering progress, while the gold are positive, lighting the way. 

 

The heavy ability serves as a manifestation of anger, as well as an ability to withstand anything and keep moving forward.

 

I feel the gravity chapter revolves around the idea of turning your world upside down for a new look at life.

 

Through it all, the score is soaring and powerful, conveying all the emotions intended, without a need for dialogue. 

 

Overall, the game deals with loss, the grief that follows it, and the journey to overcome said grief and rise above it all.

 

On a more personal note, I was diagnosed with OCD a couple weeks prior, making the concept of mental health ever more present in my life. 

 

I know this is a more interpretative response, but hopefully it counts, looking forward to completing Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons for the second challenge

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by GuitaristZag
Typo and added spoiler

[Dr_Mayus]

@GuitaristZag the little eyeball is the spoiler tag (next to the emoji icon)