How to Represent Mental Illness in Games

In this 2019 GDC session, Dr. Jennifer Hazel gives a detailed overview why the topic of mental illness is so important, and how to begin implementing realistic portrayals of mental illness in gaming.
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[@machonacho8855]

As someone who suffers from OCD, I very very very much appreciate the language bit about not saying “I am a bit OCD.” It is a horrible mental condition and it feels like you’re an invisible butt of a joke when others say it, immediate turn off.

[@cameronschyuder9034]

Yeah, they could say they have obsessive-compulsive tendencies or just that they can be obsessive (which connotatively implies the compulsion aspect as well imo). Not as easy to say than OCD, but more accurate and hopefully less harmful

[@theroughpatches]

Thank you Dr. Hazel for taking the time to talk about this and spreading mental health awareness. People often wrongly correlate video games with having a negative effect on mental health, especially with teens. The truth is that there are some video games that can help those with mental illnesses, especially video games that accurately and warmly present those topics.

[@jenthro]

I feel like Night in The Woods could be somewhere in here as well. For me at least, the way it dealt with themes of depression, derealization, childhood trauma and anxiety felt surprisingly realistic - especially for a game with such a cutesy art style and seemingly lighthearted atmosphere. While I didn't personally experience every single one, seeing characters go through those things not only made me empathize with them even more, but was, in a way, uplifting. It showed me that there are people out there with the exact same problems, who feel just as hopeless and lost as I sometimes do. And I think that's what it's all about - giving comfort to those who so desperately need it.

[@jakee15000]

Probably one of GDC's best talks to date. I'd wager that this'd be useful for basically anyone: book writers, screenwriters, artists, even ordinary people that either deal with these sorts of issues themselves or want to be more aware of those that do. Absolutely essential viewing!

[@LilayM]

Honestly, I did not expect this talk to be half as good as it was (nice, concrete tips, too!). This lady is real effin passionate about it and it's great

[@Lunareon]

Thank you for this excellent guide, the examples were awesome. Representation is such an important thing, because there is still so much stigma and misconceptions around mental health. I agree games are an excellent medium for exploring this subject because of the high level of immersion. Games make it possible to literally experience the world from someone else's perspective, and that is a powerful tool for building empathy. The longer format of video games is also ideal for exploring complex and difficult subjects. There is no need for tired, misinformed stereotypes, when proper representation can be so much more effective.

[@mnmlst1]

This is an amazing and important talk. The negative and harsh comments just show how talking about this is important.

[@MartinGP_3dfxlegacy]

Very interesting session, thanks!

[@rpm381]

Wonderful talk thanks for sharing

[@carolinebitterly8973]

My favorite GCD talk to this day. Thank you 💯

[@matejhes5988]

An amazing meaningful talk about things that need to be said outloud. Thank you for this

[@Nov-5062]

Video games and movies usually represent mental illness as some sort of a super power. It honestly kinda soured my experience with Senua's Sacrifice and completely ruined the movie "the perks of being a wallflower" for me.

[@Mikefiser]

Hellblade doesnt make psychosis into a superpower, come on. It is more about being able to achieve their goals despite having psychosis.

[@prithvib8662]

Lol not at all. Hellblade is always putting you at odds with the characters mental illness. It's not something that benefits you in any way in the game. You're succeeding in spite of it, not because of it.

[@Nov-5062]

@@prithvib8662 the way I see it this whole journey is fueled by her psychosis. Those magical portals to different worlds, those beautiful sights. Mental illnes isn't magical in any way. It's not that I'm offended by this or something, I just don't like how it is represented as a cool thing.

[@anzhel3268]

Thank you

[@dankeseb4825]

Great talk. Thank you so much

[@estousemcriatividadepraumnome]

I think some people hating on this should really try to focus on their own mental illness before complaining about this being a subject being talked. I really don't get why some people like to complain about this kind of thing, it's not like she's forcing you people to play games like this. You can still enjoy being a guy shooting people for fun in a game, while still acknowledging that some people like games that focus on more subjective, and maybe inclusive, things and be cool about it.

[@peremoyaserra2749]

This is great

[@Sibula]

It was a great and very important talk, and I'm sad to see how negative the response seems to be in the comments...

[@MAUD_IFY]

comment section is proof of why this topic is important

[@penguinlover2274]

As someone who suffers from Anxiety every day and panic attacks occasionally, the games shown are not the ones I'd play. They honestly seem like they'd induce an attack for me. It seems like they are educating neurotypical folks, about these issues, rather than helping anyone actively suffering. But maybe that was the goal? Or maybe it helped others. The point about giving a transferable skill, I don't think it's true. I am not sure what the devs wanted to achieve, but personally for me, I don't want games to be in-your-face or preachy about mental illness. I like when games have life changing philosophy inserted subtly, when we didn't go looking for the lesson. I understand that's just my personal preference. Thanks for the talk. It wasn't my thing, but thanks anyway!

[@Ijustworkherem8]

Lack of citation on their statistics would’ve been nice but is a fine talk

[@ollllj]

i throw in a - Mind Scanners - Papo & Yo (mostly alcoholism) - name-forgotten, monochrome, flood of tears, giant crow, divorcing parents, school bullies, breaking up. - Dont-Starve (sleep deprivation hallucinations, but actually more cosmic-horror than psychology)

[@mluby7828]

Good talk. Given the myriad disclaimers and the doctor even correcting herself ("I shouldn't have said that"), the moral statement at 50:04 felt jarring: "Psychopaths want to harm others. They know it is wrong and they choose to do it anyway. *That's a bad person*." Perhaps the doctor was just overemphasizing the difference between psychosis and psychopathy discussed earlier in the talk, but it was still surprised she'd describe anyone as a "bad" person, particularly someone with a mental disorder (however dangerous to themselves or others).

[@arsantiqua2483]

No need to be. I never met a psychopath who wasn't very proud of it. To be a bad is the essence of being a psychopath. If you google for it you can check it for yourself. They have entire forums where they celebrate each other as the next step of the evolution and claim that they are apex predators. They aren't technically. Rebels/black sheep/dark empaths (how ever you like to call them) often prey on them in similar ways that psychopaths prey on the innocent. But well, even that isn't making them unhappy as they see them as a kind of super psychopaths and claim them as one of theirs. They fail to see that later indeed prey on the guilty only. It is a very different way of thinking. I mean how many neurotypicals exactly would feel thrilled about being the prey because it's a nice change of your usual routine? Chances are you would be a lot more concerned about your mortality than about the thrill of meeting another interspecies predator. Also: psychopathy or antisocial disorder isn't a mental illness but a personality disorder. So it isn't a reaction to something but indeed a survival strategy that differs from the standard neurotypical one: use any chance you get without regret, breed fast and often, die young(er). They have to be evil by definition. You can't seize the moment fully if you are wasting precious time thinking about morals. It would only slow you down if you have to make decisions in split seconds. Especially in combat. Speaking of: the neurotypical brain too is capable of things that are not so normal at all. It is especially good at playing down threats and shrug them off. Neurotypicals are at their best when they feel safe (just like psychopaths are at their best when they are in danger). You can see it when a house is burning. Instead of running, people start searching for their valuables. A psychopath, an empaths and possibly most Aspergers would never come up with such an idea. So I like the fact that she isn't falling for her brains cravings. I don't like antisocial behaviour as a term for exactly that reason. Mostly it's an attempt to render something harmless that should be taken much more seriously. Most of the Cluster Bs should be taken way to lightly. Rather strange too right? One should think neurotypicals would be a lot less relaxed about being someone's prey.

[@MonhooGameDevlogs]

Wonderful, Just what I need

[@idunno402]

Step 1: Make it be an indie platformer...

[@mdh_masalewale8681]

r/gamingcirclejerk tier content down in the comments, gonna be fun seeing gamers seethe because a social issue is being dealt within the medium which they claim to call 'art'

[@mdh_masalewale8681]

​@@NeoHCgbz would you say then topics like mental health should not be represented in mediums like movies or TV Shows, Bojack Horseman, for example? There are a WHOLE lot of people who got better with their mental health because of that show. No one is saying video games should be your 'problem solver'. But having better and healthier perspectives about your mental health issue is a massive step one for betterment, and that can absolutely come from the art people consume. This entire panel was about dealing with 'mental health issues responsibly' in video games. If Bojack Horseman had an episode which showed depression as inaccurately as possible and in a way that might encourage suicide to a depressed viewer, then won't you think the writing is irresponsible? If you consider video games to be as equal of an art form as movies or TV shows, then you have to believe this.

[@HGHsChannel]

I can't believe the amount of negativity in the comments

[@ayoz3823]

That was really useful

[@StefanDieWaldfee]

This talk is done by a medical professional with normal hair color, not a keyboard warrior. She's talking about games like Stardew Valley, Celeste, God of War, Hellblade and Life is Strange. It's a real good talk 👍

[@rafateivfik]

There's nothing wrong with a different hair color.

[@StefanDieWaldfee]

@@rafateivfik In combination with this topic, it has become a red flag for many people.

[@hr7343tgh]

phil fish did a a good job

[@toocrowdedatthebottom1209]

tip 1: never compromise what feels right for your game

[@sternteacher2092]

2:50 how can multiple people be the most important person in the world?

[@7th7andwich]

GDC used to be good now a bunch of preachy crap like this

[@quotenuschi]

The inmates have taken over the asylum.

[@mangaas]

How to get people to unsub.

[@Suggo]

What's wrong with mindfully representing mental illnesses in a creative project?

[@ilieschamkar6767]

@@Suggo nothing, they just want to be enraged about everything, even when it's free and they can turn it off

[@mangaas]

@@Suggo people are tired of being inundated with this nonsense.

[@smort123]

This is not an airport. You dont need to declare your departure.

[@boiboi7717]

@@smort123 this is not twitter, you don't need to virtue signal

[@Fakejord]

Oversocialised drivel ruins yet another brilliant medium 😔

[@iirosiren5120]

There should be more black gay woman games in my opinion, the games would tell stories aboat black gay women.

[@frogery]

noooo you can't use video game to explore uncomfortable topics nooooo

[@rafateivfik]

@@frogery Why are you destroying my comfort media with... with... politics? >:( I just want to play my apolitical games like Fallout

[@ShinTurrican]

@@frogery I don't think anyone says you can't or more importantly, shouldn't do that with games. I think people take issue with when some people say games should do X, Y and Z because their ideology says so. In other words, propaganda.

[@CheddarGetter]

Nah

[@capnfapn]

Woman moment

[@hate_spreader]

Why