Mental Illness Represented in Games

[Igor-Rowan]

Not sure if it counts, but in Stardew Valley a new character gets introduced a year in and while he does act normally like most NPCs, if you get to know him you discover that he is a soldier back from the war. And the game doesn't sugarcoat that he has PTSD, he hates open fields, if given something he doesn't like he reminesces of his meals in the battalion and he freaks out when his wife makes popcorn (the popping sounds are like gunshots for him).

I liked that, it's not in your face for the sake of narrative and you only get to know that if you show interest in getting to know him. Why don't more games do that?

 

[maninahat]

Videogames portray mental illness all the time, but they tend to do so in the laziest, most crass, exploitative way possible. Either it makes mentally ill people the villains (any horror/action game that is at any point set at any point in an asylum) or it portrays mental problems in the most Hollywoodised, cheesy and inaccurate way possible. Think Far Cry 3 where in-between gratuitous Alice in Wonderland quotes, Vaz constantly tells you the "definition of insanity" whilst jabbering at you like a lunatic and acting like a psycho. Your character meanwhile goes through drug enthused psychosis, whilst he kills gangs of people, getting worse as the game progresses.

That said, games that do it better are things like The Town of Light (set in a real life asylum). Korsakovia features a protagonist with Korsakoff's syndrome. And I can't wait to try Hellblade:Senua's Sacrifice.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I never understood what it was about cat hoarding and crazy/homely women. I guess it signifies some type of personal deficiency, but why that animal and that type of woman idk. It's just an odd situation all-around.

To be fair, the title in that context is being a bit subversive in a way that is about as useful as calling a Zelda game 'The Cow Keeper' or an elder scrolls game 'The prisoner.' The story is something else entirely I'm unsure of how best to explain, but it couldn't have been made by somebody without deeply personal experience in such issues the way it intimately presents itself.

Cats are seen as more isolated, quiet, elegant, independent and seeking peace away from life's other creatures but also capable of fierce behaviour at times perceived as unpredictable. Perhaps there's something to relate to there when somebody's own problems lead to feelings of isolation and not being understood by others who consider them unpredictable amongst other things. Perhaps. However, it's not exclusively a woman thing despite the stereotype.

 

[HazardousCube]

I never understood what it was about cat hoarding and crazy/homely women. I guess it signifies some type of personal deficiency, but why that animal and that type of woman idk. It's just an odd situation all-around.

To be fair, the title in that context is being a bit subversive in a way that is about as useful as called a Zelda game 'The Cow Keeper' or an elder scrolls game 'The prisoner.' The story is something else entirely I'm unsure of how best to explain, but it couldn't have been made by somebody without deeply personal experience in such issues the way it intimately presents itself.

Cats are seen as more isolated, quiet, elegant, independent and seeking peace away from life's other creatures but also capable of fierce behaviour at times perceived as unpredictable. Perhaps there's something to relate to there when somebody's own problems lead to feelings of isolation and not being understood by others who consider them unpredictable amongst other things. Perhaps. However, it's not exclusively a woman thing despite the stereotype.

That makes sense. Being a bear, you are probably more familiar with the smaller breeds of wildcat. Do you see much fierce behavior from them, and if so, is it mostly when fighting over salmon?