Mental health representation in video games

[yuyuhakuso]

what i do like video games it's not afraid to show how and what mental health affected to their character, the way mental health represent in video games are more resonant for we as the player, since we will playing with character, and witnessed the reason why they act like this.

My favorite example of this was Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII
many thing happened to cloud life, it set by piece to piece that led him the way we see in the games, how he's insecurity, dream, and trust that he make to people he care, was destroyed one by one, when zack died and leave him a legacy just a moment after wakes in coma, or when he failed to fulfilled his dream and promise to tifa to become a first class soldier, that he even embarrass for meet her again, or witnessed his mother died because sephiroth, the people that he always see as role model/hero.

that led Cloud suffers to mental problems that caused by his traumatic experiences including PTSD, he also have Dissociative Fugue State and identity distortion that he project zack identity to him (other reason its mako, but it really close to this), since cloud make a tough persona, and never try to talk about his problem, it just get worse and worse.

cloud is the man

still many example of this, like sunny (omori) basically the theme of xenogears and xenoxaga, futaba (persona 5), kotone/makoto(p3p, literally this game explaining two different way of depressing, i like kotone more since it show what happened when you masking to much, and it can see to other people that seems happy and normal but was constantly have the same thoughts with people that have depression (smile depression), and squall (ff viii).

In short, these popular characters are great, but they already populat. so If you know of any other interesting, lesser-known characters, please feel free to share.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I don't think it's all that well done, but the main character in "Fahrenheit" suffers from a variety of PTSD-induced issues that affect the gameplay and can end the story if left unchecked.

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

Omori

 

[Majora Fi]

From beginning to end, the game is a flashback recounted in a therapy session (with occasional tests for the doctor to assess your condition).

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

From the top of my head:

Psychonauts.

Spec Ops The Line.

I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream.

The consuming shadow.

 

[iamthemilkman]

Spec Ops The Line.

The "bad" ending to that game is still so fucked up and amazing.

 

[MrSoFarAway]

The first Hellblade - never played the second. Main character suffers from psychosis in an dantesque scenario.

 

[KamakoKamako's icon]

The first Hellblade - never played the second. Main character suffers from psychosis in an dantesque scenario.

I hear that game makes incredible use of audio to try and mimic the feeling of schizophrenia, or at the very least an overly chatty inner monologue.

Other games that try to address MH in some way: The Batman Arkham games, American McGee's Alice, The Suffering, Condemned 2, Silent Hill. All of them take stabs at the topic with varying degrees of success.

 

[electro56]

the cat lady, she is a very tired and depressed person who needs a break

 

[Emerald Flowsion]

Suda51 storyline in Super Fire Pro Wrestling (1994) comes to mind.

Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special follows Smith Morio — named after British rock band The Smiths and their lead singer, Morrissey — as he progresses from pro wrestling hopeful to superstar and eventually champion. The game was originally envisioned as having multiple endings, but late in development, Suda instead decided to take agency away from the player and settle on just one ending in which Morio, distraught over having given up everything for success, dies by suicide. Human Entertainment apparently received a ton of hate mail over this ending following the game’s release.

 

[tht009]

Lone Survivor (or Super Lone Survivor, an updated rerelease) has a neat mental health mechanic that rewards you for doing self-care stuff like playing video games, feeding a stray cat, watering a plant, etc. even though it's a struggle just to survive, let alone live well and make healthy choices. Your ending is partially determined by how well you take care of your mental health and your attitude towards violence, among other things.

 

[Rocket2049]

american mcGee's Alice and madness returns is entirely about the main characters mental health falling apart.

Spoiler

she burned her house down and killed both her parents, and the rest of the game is her having a psychotic breakdown and murdering everyone who hurt her in any way, she's at the insane asylum at the end of the game, there's no other endings