Trophies for Mental Health IV

[Beyondthegrave07]

 

Hello, everyone!

 

This event will be a bit more on the serious side, but don't worry! It will be fun AND maybe you'll learn a thing or two about mental health and be able to spot a mental illness and help someone with it in the future or know where to go... or at least, that's the goal. The month of May is the official Mental Health Awareness month and wasn't sure if I was going to do this event again, especially with the decline in participation every year, but the issue is still important to me and want to spread awareness regardless. The event will operate very similar to last year, but before we get started with the details, let's revisit mental health and discuss what it is. Take notes; you may need it for the final exam (the trophy hunt).

 

 

What is a Mental Illness?

 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

 

"A mental illness is a condition that affects a person's thinking, feeling, behavior or mood. These conditions deeply impact day-to-day living and may also affect the ability to relate to others. If you have — or think you might have — a mental illness, the first thing you must know is that you are not alone. Mental health conditions are far more common than you think, mainly because people don’t like to, or are scared to, talk about them. However:

 

1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. Only half of them ever receive treatment.

1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year

1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year

50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24

 

A mental health condition isn’t the result of one event. Research suggests multiple, linking causes. Genetics, environment and lifestyle influence whether someone develops a mental health condition. A stressful job or home life makes some people more susceptible, as do traumatic life events. Biochemical processes and circuits and basic brain structure may play a role, too.

None of this means that you’re broken or that you, or your family, did something “wrong.” Mental illness is no one’s fault. And for many people, recovery — including meaningful roles in social life, school and work — is possible, especially when you start treatment early and play a strong role in your own recovery process."

 

That's right. It's more than likely you or someone you know has experienced a serious mental illness each year, and in this day in age where everything moves at a million miles a minute, it's important to always be aware of it with your friends, family, and even strangers.

 

How can I help?

 

There's a few ways you can help actually! One way is to always donate money to your local mental health association (MHA), spread the news of mental health awareness and have people realize that having a mental illness is okay, and let people know that the stigma that someone struggling through it is "weak" or is a lesser person is just simply wrong, and lastly, you can always just be there for anyone who you know struggles with mental illnesses and support and encourage them as much as you can.

 

The Event

Now, hopefully, you read through the stuff above and have a good understanding of how you can help so now let's get on to the event. The event is very simple, very chill, and should be an easy dub. I plan on having badges this year again, so if you enjoyed them last year, you'll like it this year. For your theoretical badge just have to do 2 things:

 

Earn a platinum or 100% on a game that tackles mental health issues or mental illnesses in some way, shape, or form. This can range from a specific character (such as Ethan from Heavy Rain or Ellie from TLOU2) to the entire game having a theme revolved around mental health (GRIS, Actual Sunlight, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, etc). However, games that use mental health issues as satire (Psychonauts) or is portrayed in a negative light/don't actually tackle the issues themselves (Joker from Batman Arkham games or Dead by Daylight) will not count. The goal of this is to learn something new or to see something in a different perspective, not to simply spot the obvious. I will be lenient on this rule but try to remember the goal of this before choosing. If you are unsure if a game fits, feel free to ask here. I will also count games that help with mental health if it is blatantly obvious like Flower or Aery. However, you have to explain how it can help others improve their mental health. It doesn't matter if you are starting a game from scratch or you have all of the trophies except one, as long as you pop it during May, it will count. Late sign ups are welcome, but you must earn the final trophy AFTER you join. It's not really participating if you sign up and are done instantly!

After you finish your game, post here and explain what you learned from the game or explain what illness your character had (if applicable). This is important too. I would like some real thought put into this event for those brave enough to participate. Simply saying, I finished Gris or I am Bread will not count. Explain how mental health was addressed in the game, what illnesses did you observe, did the person suffer from depression, anxiety, or something else? How did the character or characters cope with it? What were your thoughts on it as a whole? Could it have been portrayed better? It doesn't have to be a book, but some general thoughts or discussion on the game would be nice. Not just two sentences. Though, I realize not everyone is an English speaker so I'll be pretty lenient on this one. Just do your best!

 

DLC only will not count. Most DLC do not have enough content to warrant the discussion or the discussion is based more around the base game.

 

NOTE: Please post to let me know you are signing up so I can put you on the list. It's a lot easier to do it this year than have a bunch of lurkers try to join last minute.

 

Here is the previous event. It has a list of recommended games, games people completed, examples of descriptions people did for part 2 of the event, discussions made, etc. It really is a great read and would highly recommend reading it. Just don't plagiarize someone else's work please! 

 

 

However, that's not all...

 

Bonus: (confirmed with my artist!  )

 

I can acknowledge that some of you can finish a game in a day and be done with this event earlier than expected. Therefore, we will have a second part to this for those who really want to go the extra mile again. I'm going to try and not make this too obscure and make it pretty open. The focus this year is #TakeAMentalHealthMoment and to spend time with family, so any game where it has themes of family, brotherhood, sisterhood, etc. will be accepted. This can be something like Brothers: Tales of Two Sons to Resident Evil 7 (Family is a theme... a bit darker one, but it's definitely there). You can also do games like Final Fantasy X where family is an important aspect of the story or a game like Odin Sphere where they overcome family issues. As long as a group of people in the game can be seen as a family where they do something together or is an overarching theme in the game, it counts. Again, not making this hard. Just explain who the family is and how they act as a family if you are really trying to stretch.

 

The REAL Reason You Should Join:

 

I would be a terrible host if I did not put my money where my mouth is. I've been really disappointed with the turnout over the past few years and how I've had a steady decline of participants so here's my challenge to everyone else to make this exciting. Previously, it was based on rarity and the maximum you could get was a $4 donation... You know what though, THIS YEAR, I'll do $4 for anyone who completes the first part of the challenge no matter what the rarity is. On top of that, I will add a secret amount on top of this based on those who do both badges so don't think the bonus badges doesn't count! I'd tell you what the secret was... but that would ruin the fun for me!  

 

 

Feel free to pledge your own amounts if you want to donate. I want to make this completely clear as there was weirdly people willing to give me money to me for this event and the cancer event last year. I do not take money from other members. I never have and never will. I donate to an organization that supports mental health and advise others do a bit of research yourself with mental health associations near you or to national associations in your country. Message me or ask here in the thread if you would like suggestions or are having trouble finding somewhere to donate; I'm sure plenty of people here are willing to help.  We had a handful of generous members last year and hope to see others join in as well this year!

 

Other Donors (please thank them)

 

@Starrk_01

@ninjamonkee9900

 

Important: Please read!!!

 

When you post to sign up, please list 3-5 games on your profile that you would recommend others to play for the event. Whichever games get recommended the most will be considered for the badges.

 

For example, here's a few choices from my list.

 

House of Fata Morgana - Most characters experience abuse that clearly affects their mental health. Michel, Morgana, and Japaco especially. 

 

Nier Automata - There are several substories that deal with depression and all the characters go through mental struggles due to the bastardization of life.

 

Doki Doki Literature Club - One character suffers from depression and it's pretty in your face about it so it's impossible to miss. Though, this game is incredibly dark and if you struggle with playing through sad, creepy, or disturbing games, pick something else. 

 

Participation list:

Spoiler

@Beyondthegrave07

@kindajustin

@Starrk_01

@DrBloodmoney

@MattbluePT

@VersusCA

@Mori

@GuitaristZag

@ninjamonkee9900

@ruexnimbus

@MissShake

@Breakingthegreen ✔️ 

@Jeanolt

 

Anyways, thanks as always for reading and hope to see a reply from you! 

Edited Tuesday at 12:00 PM by Beyondthegrave07

[kindajustin]

Haven't been able to genuinely participate in this event since 2021 but the trophy hunting is back in full swing for the first time in a very long while, so I'm gonna try my best to contribute this time around.

I forget and I couldn't find the exact answer reading the post, I'm sorry if I missed it - can you complete a 100% for a game you already have the platinum for? I don't think so, but if it's yes that opens up another option for me. At any rate here are my game suggestions:

The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories - One of the best indie games I've ever played. To explain exactly why/how it relates to struggles with mental illness would potentially spoil the game, but the main character struggles deeply with depression and suicidal thoughts related to their life circumstances.

Nier Automata - Reasons already explained in OP are adequate for this game's inclusion.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet - The main character's best friend struggles with an inferiority complex and associated feelings of depression.

Valkyria Chronicles - Somewhat more juvenile storytelling maybe but the game features a fictional retelling of WWII and regular insight into the emotional toll that war takes on a person's mind, as well as illustrating the difficulty of navigating the gray area of how to feel about one's enemy.

[Beyondthegrave07]

14 minutes ago, kindajustin said:

I forget and I couldn't find the exact answer reading the post, I'm sorry if I missed it - can you complete a 100% for a game you already have the platinum for? I don't think so, but if it's yes that opens up another option for me. At any rate here are my game suggestions:

No, DLC or extra trophies/content added does not count for the event assuming that's what you mean.

[Starrk_01]

I'll participate once again and also match whatever donation @Beyondthegrave07 is making (even whatever this "secret" amount is). Not 100% sure what game I'll do but I know there are some in the backlog or Extra that probably can apply, so I'm not too worried on not accomplishing at least one game.

 

Here are my suggestions from my profile:

 

Death Stranding - You can pretty much select any of the main characters and write a story about how they address their mental health situation (some good and some bad).

 

Concrete Genie - Main character deals with being bullied.

 

Celeste - A girl's journey up a mountain and dealing with issues from within herself.

Edited April 28 by Starrk_01

[DrBloodmoney]

Hey chaps and chapettes 👋

 

I'm down for another round of this one - not too sure what my games will be - I have an inkling that Open Roads, which I downloaded, recently might cover  the main event, but even if it doesn't, looks to easily be valid for the bonus round.

 

Not sure of others yet, but hey - something always comes up!

 

In terms of ones on my own profile that could be good for others, I tried to look for a few that are a little less well known, but would cover aspects of this event for sure - I won't specifically mention which areas of Mental Health / Mental Wellness they delve into, so as to avoid any spoilers, but suffice to say, I am very confident there is some meat there for discussion - as well as some ace games!

 

That in mind, I'd recommend:

 

 

Immortality

This game is amazing.

It's the most recent game to enter my personal top 20 of all time.

 

Goodbye Volcano High

A really good, hand-animated narrative Visual Novel / rhythm game with some dope music.

 

Laika: Aged Through Blood

A really great hyper-violent Mad-Max-esque post-apocalyptic Trials-meets-Hotline Miami game.

 

(minor warning on this one - the narrative in this one is EXTREMELY bleak, and very, VERY dark and nihilistic.

Out of over 800 games on my profile, I genuinely think this may be the most dark and disturbing narrative of all of them.

It's a very good game, but in an event like this one in particular, I do want to stress that this one is pretty severe, so be warned!)

 

Norco

The best Adventure Game I've ever played, and one of the best written games ever.

 

Afterparty

A really funny, yet quite astute and smart dissection of a number of mental-wellness issues, that plays much like Oxenfree

 

 

 

Anyways, good luck to all, see you around once I figure out my games proper!

[MattbluePT]

Won't have a lot of time during May for this event, but I can't miss it for the first time.

Count me in!

 

My recommendations from my played games are:

 

- Life is Strange;

- Celeste

- Lost Words: Beyond the Page

[VersusCA]

The games I will play for this event are:

 

Main game: Unsure as of yet. I play a lot of sport/strategy games which are generally not good for this haha. Two early contenders are Silent Hill Downpour and Deus Ex Human Revolution, but I will take a look through more of my library later!

 

Bonus: Resident Evil 7.

 

Suggestions from my profile:

 

Disco Elysium - You play as a detective and resolving their mental health/existential dread issues (or not) is actually a major part of the game. Coping with trauma in a healthier way is one of the keys to the game's better endings, but you can also opt to push the character toward denial. One of the side characters is fairly emblematic of what being a friend to those in need looks like.

 

Celeste - I bet this will be one of the most recommended games and really for good reason. So well-written and clever in how it deals with depression and self-doubt. Unlike Disco it's scripted toward a bit more of a wholesome/happy ending, but definitely an important and earned one.

 

The Medium - I must admit it has been quite some time since I played this so I don't remember it especially well, but it did deal quite prominently with grief and trying to resolve it.

 

[Mori]

I'd like to join as well. Recently went back to NieR Replicant and started from scratch again which would be my main game. As bonus game I might do Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

 

Games I'd recommend:

 

NieR Automata

Hyper Light Drifter

Gris

[GuitaristZag]

Grave, do I even need to say anything?

 

Put me on that damn participants list.

 

And yes, I'm going off the beaten path yet again.

 

Also, some recs:

Life Is Strange

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Life is Strange: True Colors

Sifu

Celeste

Gris

What Remains of Edith Finch

A Memoir Blue

The Cruel King and the Great Hero

 

[ninjamonkee9900]

Always in for this, and I will match the donation to my local mental health organization.

 

I plan to platinum Sea of Stars. This may be a bit tangential to mental health, but I have played about a third of the game, and I am finding a lot of interesting themes around confronting adversity, the pressure to perform and follow strict instructions even to your detriment, trying to navigate a predetermined fate, and navigating failure. I think all those issues directly affect ones mental wellness. I would be interested in others' perspectives who have played this game if it feels like it touches on mental health in an appropriate way for this challenge. I was struck by it, but happy to adjust if something more obviously connected to mental health is stronger. There are lots of amazing indie games out there that deal directly with mental health, and I can easily pivot.

 

For my game relating to family, it has to be Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I played through the original, loved it, and was moved by it. I was excited to play the remaster, and what a great excuse to reengage that beautiful game. 

Thanks for keeping this going, and I am happy to support such an important cause!

 

There are already lots of great games in this thread for games about mental health. 

Celeste is excellent, and I played that for this event a couple years back.

Gone Home is an interesting walking simulator with a great, minimalist story that keeps you guessing until the end.

Dredge would be amazing - that game is a gaslighter's dream

i Saw Black Clouds is an FMV game. It can be hard to watch in some ways, but has some interesting ideas.

Sea of Solitude is incredible, and is very heavily connected to mental health and navigating mental illness.

Plague Tale and It Takes Two could be good games connecting family.

Good gaming!

 

Edited April 29 by ninjamonkee9900
Added games for others to consider trying

[Beyondthegrave07]

20 minutes ago, ninjamonkee9900 said:

Always in for this, and I will match the donation to my local mental health organization.

 

I plan to platinum Sea of Stars. This may be a bit tangential to mental health, but I have played about a third of the game, and I am finding a lot of interesting themes around confronting adversity, the pressure to perform and follow strict instructions even to your detriment, trying to navigate a predetermined fate, and navigating failure. I think all those issues directly affect ones mental wellness. I would be interested in others' perspectives who have played this game if it feels like it touches on mental health in an appropriate way for this challenge. I was struck by it, but happy to adjust if something more obviously connected to mental health is stronger. There are lots of amazing indie games out there that deal directly with mental health, and I can easily pivot.

I actually think Sea of Stars is a great example to use. It's not "in your face" about it, but there is definitely a few mental health aspects you could explore like you mentioned. Can't wait to read the write-up! Should be an interesting one. 

[ruexnimbus]

I was thinking of starting Blue Reflection soon for my own mental health and was wondering if it would qualify for the main event? It is about learning to live a normal life and what it means to be normal. The underlying theme of Blue Reflection is that no one else can ever understand your feelings and each of us must come to terms with our own unique selves. 

[Beyondthegrave07]

12 minutes ago, ruexnimbus said:

I was thinking of starting Blue Reflection soon for my own mental health and was wondering if it would qualify for the main event? It is about learning to live a normal life and what it means to be normal. The underlying theme of Blue Reflection is that no one else can ever understand your feelings and each of us must come to terms with our own unique selves. 

It definitely would work! I'm almost positive someone used it before in the past.

[MissShake]

I'm definitely in! It might finally be time to do the remasters of Life is Strange

[Mr_Bandicoot93]

3 minutes ago, MissShake said:

I'm definitely in! It might finally be time to do the remasters of Life is Strange

Better play the originals. You getting mental problems from the visuals of the remasters 

[MissShake]

19 minutes ago, Mr_Bandicoot93 said:

Better play the originals. You getting mental problems from the visuals of the remasters 

 

I've already played the originals, so remaster it is!

[Mr_Bandicoot93]

4 minutes ago, MissShake said:

 

I've already played the originals, so remaster it is!

Then I hope you have more fun with it then me 

[Breakingthegreen]

I'm ready to dive into these topics again, and a big thank you to Beyond for hosting. Some game recommendations? Sure thing!

 

Ghost Giant: Play as the ghost friend of a boy who's life has been impacted by the mental health of others and is struggling to process it and needs your help to support him through this tough time (PSVR 1 only).

 

Chicory: A Colourful Tale: The world has lost all colour and chicory isn't able to fix it, so it'll be your job to heal the world, and yourself... I mean that pressure has to be immense... 

 

Spiritfarer: A game all about grief, or is it up to interpritation? Either way you'll cry.

 

Gnosia: One character in particular has a very traumatic history that when mentioned causes him to spiral, and the co-lead's mental state doesn't fair too great either while being trapped in an Among Us groundhog day.

 

[ruexnimbus]

I forgot to add recommendations. I don't have a lot of plats to speak of but from my list I would recommend:

• Death End re;Quest (denial and repressed memories)
• Sword of the Vagrant (obsession and wrath)
• Clea *very short (anxiety and futility)
• Blue Reflection: Second Light (empathy and masochism)
• Deemo Reborn *difficult (repressed memories and grief)

Looking forward to getting started tomorrow.

[MissShake]

Oops, I too forgot to name some recommendations for this event!

1. I Was A Teenage Exocolonist: Many characters struggle with their mental health. One deals with a significant loss and the game shows how this affects their mental as they age, one is trying to live up to the expectations of society and handles it poorly, and many more. This game was sort of perfect for this event, I used it last year!
2. Boyfriend Dungeon: Many of the dateables have their own struggles to work through. One is dealing with fame and the pressure it comes with, one has to deal with the pressures of his father, and the main villain is a character that is rejected and this leads him into spiraling.
3. When The Past Was Around: This game is a point and click that follows a woman as she comes to terms with the loss of someone she loved dearly.

[Starrk_01]

I have figured out what I'm playing for both games and they are both going to be in the same series.

 

Mental Health is going to be Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (thanks to @GuitaristZag for recommending) and the family one is going to be Life is Strange 2.

 

I'll report back once I get Before the Storm done.

[DrBloodmoney]

Hi chaps / chapettes,

 

so I think I have the games I’ll be playing for this event:

 

Main Game: Kentucky Route Zero

Bonus game: Open Roads

 

Can anyone who’s played it confirm if KRZ is a good enough fit for the main game?
No spoilers required, just a quick “yes”/“no” if there is at least some mental health issues in there that could be discussed afterwards!

 

[Beyondthegrave07]

52 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Hi chaps / chapettes,

 

so I think I have the games I’ll be playing for this event:

 

Main Game: Kentucky Route Zero

Bonus game: Open Roads

 

Can anyone who’s played it confirm if KRZ is a good enough fit for the main game?
No spoilers required, just a quick “yes”/“no” if there is at least some mental health issues in there that could be discussed afterwards!

 

Can't say for myself, I've never played it. I can't remember if anyone ever used it for the event either. 😅 Hopefully, someone else can hop in and help.

 

I think for myself, I'll probably play Abzu for Mental Health (relaxing game that improves mental health) and Legend of the Dragoon for family (Lavitz and his mom have a very heartwarming scene).

 

I tend to find games that improve mental health difficulty to articulate so I may switch it out with something easier if I come across anything. 

[Jeanolt]

I totally forgot about this so I bump this thread up. Thanks for continuing with this, I don't really know if I will have time to sign up but I'll comment here if I do. It's the reason I joined the site.

 

I obviously recommend Life is Strange, Gris, Celeste, Coffee Talk, Lake, Sea of Solitude and This War of Mine.

 

A recommendation though, the game list is only in the first ever event from 2021, so the link is a loophole, sending you to the 2023 event, which sends you to the 2022, which sends you to the original. Maybe you could copy the original list and put it in this newer description of the event.

Edited Monday at 11:48 PM by Jeanolt

[Beyondthegrave07]

1 hour ago, Jeanolt said:

I totally forgot about this so I bump this thread up. Thanks for continuing with this, I don't really know if I will have time to sign up but I'll comment here if I do. It's the reason I joined the site.

 

I obviously recommend Life is Strange, Gris, Celeste, Coffee Talk, Lake, Sea of Solitude and This War of Mine.

 

A recommendation though, the game list is only in the first ever event from 2021, so the link is a loophole, sending you to the 2023 event, which sends you to the 2022, which sends you to the original. Maybe you could copy the original list and put it in this newer description of the event.

Yeah, I meant to fix that when I had a chance. 😆 

 

Every year I seem to be getting a smaller turnout.

 

Maybe the event doesn't resonate with members as much as it did when when we were starting to get into the post-covid Era, maybe the members interested in these events no longer are on the site, or maybe people just aren't seeing the event because it's not very active. I don't know. It is a bit disappointing regardless of the reason.

 

I'm cool with a smaller group, it just makes the donation a bit... lackluster,  and I end up donating more than what was actually completed for the event. Oh well, the topic is still important to me so I'll keep chugging along...