Games (and other fiction) about mental illness?

So I was thinking of how many CS games actually tackle the subject of mental illnesses, it could be a viable way of making other readers aware of the issues in the real world. As such it could help people with disabilities feel more accepted in society and help others to become more aware of them. So that’s why I’d like to see more games centred around the topic of mental illness and how others can cope.

Note: This is a discussion about CS games with this subject in mind. I expect a nice, fair and open-minded approach to this topic and try to be nice and polite during this whole discussion.

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You should check out Honey and Fire. The mental state of the MC and the other characters in the game is a pretty big theme. Good Intentions too, iirc. There’s also Betovering House!

So mental health as a theme definitely speaks to a lot of people here! Besides that, a lot of writers are pretty open about their mental health. I think the community in general is very supportive of making inclusive games.

I suppose an interesting question to ask would be, why is this theme becoming popular at this particular moment (all of the WIPs linked above are from 2018) instead of earlier or later? That’s not to say that the topic hasn’t been explored before now (Fallen Hero comes to mind, and there are probably others that I just haven’t played/seen), but it seems like the theme is more common now than it was a year ago.

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Counting spoons comes to mind

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thats…a sloppery slope…

while I agree with the op…one gotta be careful . Cose not everyone deal with mental illness the same way . And to certain degree , there are even some mental illness that can kinda be different because say the patient suffer from something else as well .

never push the envolpe because while it be nice…we arent in a flexible society . one could end up doing more harm then good down the line .

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I’ve been pretty open about my myriad of mental health issues, including narcissism, pyromania, kleptomania, explosive anger, severe depression, etc. Although the core concepts of my games don’t revolve around mental health, they definitely feature mental health issues in some of their themes and characters.

In my HG, The Magician’s Burden, and my WIPs, Mass Mother Murderer, The Enchanter’s Misery, and The Twisted Village, issues ranging from psychopathy, sociopathy, pyromania, kleptomania, schizophrenia, insomnia, depression, and explosive anger are addressed.

Whether I’m particularly accurate or tactful about these things is up for debate, though based off of my testers’ reactions, I seem to be doing a good job. I’m a highschool drop out, so I’m by no means professionally educated on any of this, but I do have my own personal experiences to go off of.

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Hello. My long time WIP, Monsters, deals with a great many topics, and mental illness of several varieties are very much in the scope of the story. Some are more visibly noticeable at present than others which need more written presentation to be properly developed in the story, and though I seek to entertain with my writing, I also seek to educate with presentation. There are the topics of sociopathy and psychopathy, anger management, depression, and a number of others. Including how people deal with these issues- for better and worse, in capacities outside of councelling. Much is still to be written, so at present I’m not sure how helpful the story would be regarding the matter, but eventually I do strongly seek to offer up a presentation intended to be as human as possible on the matter. The good and the bad of it all rolled into one. I intend to present each issue within the story in a manner that gives it proper gravitas. The best that I can hope for is that it can help someone in some way that needs it when they need it, but the story is massive and a long time in writing, and there are issues to be tackled in the story beyond mental illness as well. So… although I’m not sure that it’s there at present, I do hope to present a fair and open-minded approach to the topic you mention in the story as a whole.

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The City’s Thirst deals with PTSD, and Heart of the House has a lot about phobias and trauma. I strongly recommend both if you like the sound of their plots and genres!

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Speaking of mental disorders, it would be interesting if the mc had a split personality. (Idea for future authors & games)

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In that case would the MC be considered as two seperate NPCs or one (with the other personality being the game’s AI?) Would the game revolve around the MC being metaphorically trapped within their own minds or something? Oh, the sheer potential!

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You’re right! Imagine if there’s a villain, no one knows what they look like but they are widely known. Something happens and the MC’s involved in the plot. Twist in the end. The villain is the MC’s split personality! That would be so cool~

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lol go play Planescape Torment…

and you just spoiled the ending…:rofl:

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I wish more authors allowed us to play an MC with a mental illness, weather they be fucking insane, emotionally dead, depressed or suicidal, I always L O V E psychological shit and the few times I have seen this done on this site ive seen it done quite well.

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Grim & I tackles mental health in an indirect way. It deals with loss, grief, the healing process, and so many other things.

I don’t talk about the game much on the forums, because it genuinely felt so personal for me. I still think about it a lot, though I haven’t been able to bring myself to play it more than once, lol.

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I love learning about psychology! So many things to learn!

Though I only have a teaser for it so far, I’m writing a WIP called The Narcissistic Necromancer. The main character will obviously be a narcissist, and the main antagonist will be a psychopath. :slight_smile:

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Thank you very much, Carlos! I appreciate it! :slight_smile:

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I’ve been working on an off with a game about eating disorders.

Mental Illness is still a touchy subject, and things like ED’s seem to be very polarizing. It makes sense that most games choose to tackle these sensitive subjects indirectly-- it’s a scary topic to take on. I myself am a little too chicken to share something so personal to the public and risk receiving criticism.

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I had anorexia nervosa from about age 12 until around 19. I still sometimes struggle with those thoughts & feelings (though I definitely look the furthest thing from someone with a former ED!) I would definitely be careful with that topic, because it could turn into a guidebook for EDs.

That said, if it’s a form of catharsis for you, you should definitely write it! EDs are scary, troublesome, and miserable…you should do everything in your power to feel better :heart:

And, should you ever need someone to talk to, through the recovery process, I’ve been there :heart::heart:

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Yeah, this part is my biggest struggle.

On one hand, it bothers me that I haven’t yet found a media portrayal that hasn’t made me roll my eyes. I very much want to share my experiences because I feel like ED’s are misunderstood and stigmatized. Even in safe spaces it’s often looked down upon as ‘silly’. On the other hand… yeah.

Still, I didn’t ‘catch’ anorexia. I might share it one day, who knows. Not any time soon I think.

And thank you! :sunflower: I’ve been in a bit of a spiral this year, and it’s nice to remember I’m not alone.

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