How to Write a Female Victim (if you've never met one) | Town of Light

[@MertKayKay]

Hello Folks! I had NO idea this would get the response it did at all. I'm stunned to see how many of you are coming by to see it. Thank you for being here! It feels nice to finally tick this off as I've wanted to discuss Town of Light for a while now. A few people have commented on my shirt. Now, this video is NOT sponsored by CoolShirtz, I got that shirt for my birthday, BUT they reached out to me recently and I will be doing a sponsorship with them soon. In the meantime, if you want to see all the CoolShirtz beauty, you can check them out at www.shirtz.cool/mert and use the code COOLMERTS for 10% off. Again, this video is not sponsored at all by CoolShirtz, but since so many of you are asking (on this video AND the Cobweb video) I figured I may as well share, since they make the best tees I've ever seen.

[@Veil9]

If you are looking for more games that (imho at least) handle mental illness in a fairly respectful and well-intentioned way, I would really recommend The Cat Lady by Harvestor Games. I would love to hear your thoughts on it! Might be good for a video if you wanted to cover more games that have related subject matter.

[@loneronin6813]

I always enjoy your video reviews and/or deep dives into games and their stories as well as their themes. You have a very in depth way of truly getting behind the subject matter and really understanding it in a way I think not that many people really do, especially when it comes to horror and your understanding of traumatic experiences as well as what best serves a game's narrative in addition to well thought out notes about what does or doesn't go too far in serving its point and purpose, as you also did brilliantly here. As I recall, the first video of yours I saw was your covering of Soma, and it was also my introduction to the game, and you struck me as incredibly profound (and still do) so I just wanted to take a minute or two to say how much I appreciate and enjoy the work you do. So, in summary, thank you for the effort you put into your videos as well as the integrity you show while doing it. As for how long you take, this kind of deep analysis takes time and I personally don't have any problem with waiting between uploads because I know it's worth it.

[@nont18411]

Hollywood: One does not simply writing a tragic backstory for a female character without sexual assault (or a male character without physical abuse).

[@chukyuniqul]

Myura-san, writing guts:both? Both is good

[@Nine_Crows_Down]

Stephen King. Literally very female character he writes has some core part of them to do with their sex and fertility. She's a strong woman; SA'd as a child, that's why. She's a normal woman with no trauma; is is a mother though, or pregnant. She doesn't have kids? That's because she's infertile or has been SA'd. She has no man or kids? That's because she's crazy and wants to start a family with a guy anyway Yes his female characters are people. But only like three different people.

[@feral_orc]

@@Nine_Crows_Down Carrie has none of that, tone it down with the lying. Her mom does.

[@sillycookie]

​@chukyuniqul I respect Miura-San so much for that, though. I had never seen a male character in manga (or maybe in media in general) who had been through something like that. When I found out what happened to him it genuinely caught me off guard and broke me. This big guy had been hurt so badly that any form of physical contact was a trigger. It really made me rethink of why so many men seem to be so attached to Guts aside from the cool aesthetics....its heartbreaking.

[@chukyuniqul]

@@sillycookie He represents many things close to our heart. Some good, some bad, some a power fantaasy and some all too real. But something that I think the story of the golden age arc shows which everyone can relate to is that even in spite of your wounds, even in spite of still hurting from them, you can grow past. You have a right to. That you can find your place and be treasured more than you'd ever know among people just for being, well, you. Warts and all. But for that you need to sometimes say "yes".

[@roachno.24]

as someone who has been in a mental asylum, i wish more games explored the horrors of the average staff member. i wasn't there long, and i was never assaulted in any way, but by the time i was let out my therapist had been refusing to see me cause i made her angry by saying i hated the place, i had seen a small girl tackled by 5 staff members at once, watched as someone begged and cried not to be put in solitary as they were forced in, then listened to them sob, had a staff member complain to me at length about how much she hated working with the mentally ill, and was let out at my lowest point ever, lower than when i admitted myself

[@st4rz.of.perdition]

yup it always baffles me when psych wards or asylums are used so frequently yet so emptily in media when the historical and modern reality often has much more horrific potential than "ouuu crazy people" and shock in the form of things like lobotomies/assault w/ no depth i was blatantly laughed at, allowed to hurt myself, allowed to be kept in the same room w/ a patient who would keep getting naked and getting close to me (they were extremely doped up and i dont blame that patient), i never received any sort of treatment while paranoid and in a full ocd episode in my 8 days of stay, kids hoarded pills to snort, kids called me slurs and threatened me w/ no consequence, and a kid had managed to off themselves under their care (not long before i was admitted) the way horrible things can happen to/around u in state hospitals or asylums while staff meant to protect and care for u ignore it, laugh at it, or directly contribute is horrific especially when ur already extremely vulnerable and have nowhere to go and no one who listens to u when ur begging for help, that feeling is visceral and has sm potential for thematic use outside the typical "spooky asylum shock horror" that is used a lot also historically speaking asylums were often tools of social cleansing- women who were "too vocal" or intellectual, disabled people seen as a burden, and of course genuinely mentally ill people that all faced treatment that many genuinely saw as best for them- why arent these things utilized? what about the horror of being sane treated as if u arent? or not being sane but knowing something isnt right/not helping yet being unable to do anything about it because u can barely manage to keep ur own faculties intact and everyone is telling u whats happening is whats best? in general i dont like the demonization of psych wards/asylums despite my experience because they are not always places of neglect or evil, but if we are to use them as settings for horror i feel there are so many ways to approach it that doesnt contribute to the shocking fantastical pop culture idea of these places nor the commodification/almost voyeuristic depiction of things like intense treatments, assault, and mental illness itself

[@calebh373]

I feel like the devs played Alice Madness Returns and then said, "We can do it better", and then proceeded to do it infinitely worse.

[@icravedeath.1200]

Yep, fucking love that game

[@danirodriguez3682]

Commenting in hopes that you see this while the game is still on sale on steam! I didn’t even know they added the game. I’m so happy I can delete origins

[@ladyzoe5734]

I really really wish male creators would focus on telling stories surrounding what men face in terms of sexual assault and abuse, and let women tell stories about what women face. I don’t think I can name a single game where a male is explicitly raped but I can name 20 where a female character is explicitly assaulted.

[@AlexisHiemis]

As a man who is a survivor, yes, please?? But maybe not in the Town of Light style where it's sensationalized and weirdly, grossly sexualized and exploited for cheap trauma. But the world is lacking in real and thoughtful depictions of sexual violence against men and also young boys and the damage it does and the fact that so many cis men feel so comfortable depicting sexual assault on women to 'raise awareness' always seemed gross to me.

[@AlexisHiemis]

@chandllerburse737 Yeah, thats the cartoon villain version of sexual assault on men. It's almost laughable how far from reality it is.

[@hexlart8481]

Yeah, male sexual abuse needs more attention. At the same time though I do think that it's ok for male writers to portray women's abuse and trauma, as long as they do so while listening to people who have actually gone through the traumas they are trying to portray. Its ok for creators to write outside of their bubble, but to do so effectively and with sensitivity requires them to listen to others and accept criticism when it is needed. It requires a certain acknowledgement that because the creator _is_ writing outside their bubble, they _will_ get things wrong. If that is acknowledged and handled well, it can result in a valuable piece of media. The problem really is that level of vulnerability and self awareness is really rare.

[@candy-ninja]

The only game that I can think of that explores male trauma from abuse and SA is baldurs gate 3. In my own opinion, I think the bd3 writers did a good job at treating it sensitively

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

No games come to mind, but the manga Berserk has a protagonist who is abused sexually as a child. It’s handled well, with our protagonist even talking to a loved one about the incident and trying overcome it. However… Berserk also has some scenes of sexual abuse on women that is also just there for “the edge” at times. So while the manga is very good, it’s not perfect. I still recommend it, just know that it has some issues. But it’s also bad ass as FUCK 🤘

[@Sammy-rk4cl]

Hearing a female perspective on horror games whos concepts or scares are themed around the exploitation of women and their trauma is always so refreshing. I really want to know if there's any women led horror games that actually tackle topics of trauma well without exploiting the abuse for fetish or a gross out. If anyone knows any good games please let me know :,)

[@heartcatchprecure]

silent hill 3 is a pretty great one as well as haunting ground. rule of rose is less specifically about abuse women go through than those two but still has that element

[@fluorescentgreys]

I gotta say, rule of rose really struck a nerve with me as a girl who was bullied by other girls

[@Sammy-rk4cl]

I adore Rule of Rose. I played a pirated copy when I was like 14 and it impacted me in a way I don't think any other game has

[@bellarmire]

The Cat Lady doesn't deal as directly with trauma as it does with depression, but it's a very interesting case. I believe it was made by a former psychiatric nurse. There's some incredibly dark things in there (inc. cannibalism and implied sexual assault) and it's mixed up with a supernatural plotline, but the central character is very complex and sensitively portrayed, plus the core relationship of the game is her friendship with another woman.

[@fluorescentgreys]

@@bellarmire that’s on my To Play list! I’ve heard really good things about it

[@Densoro]

I'm so over people using, "This media is intended for _adults,"_ to dismiss criticism of their handling of objectionable content. It lets creators and fans smear _any critic_ as childish. "You just don't _get_ my art." "No, _you_ don't get the criticism." There's an enormous difference between, "I am too young to watch this so my mommy won't let me," and, "I am a grown-ass adult who knows this trauma intimately, and I don't think you did a good job 'raising awareness' of it." Fuck's sake, 45 year old war veterans get triggered by fireworks. Ten year old kids don't. Does that mean veterans are less mature than primary school children -- or does it mean they have more trauma? (The way people mistake tact for 'tiptoeing around children' is the same reason they throw a hissy fit if you ask them not to say slurs. "It's not because you're too young to use the naughty words. It's because you shouldn't call millions of people subhuman.") Your point about composite characters is so crucial, especially in a story like this. While plenty of people have complex trauma (ie. arising from multiple events), each event _increases the complexity required to write them well._ Writers like this struggle to write _one_ trauma with the appropriate gravitas. Handling multiple traumatized characters would've been hard enough. On top of all that, complex PTSD _is its own beast, more than the sum of its parts,_ and writers especially struggle to represent the effects of _that_ without defaulting to stereotypes. There's so little nuance to the traumas, too. They present the most obvious cases, not the subtle stuff that makes the victim wonder, "Am I crazy, or was that kind of messed up?" The stuff that's sometimes socially accepted -- sometimes by the audience, even! Are we 'raising awareness' that taking advantage of a 16 year old psychiatric patient in the bathtub is harmful? I think most people grokked that one already. The revelation about the cover art is especially unfortunate. On first impression, it looks like a sigh of relief, a moment of contemplation. The moment in the shower probably had elements of that, but as you say, the voyeuristic overlay on the entire game sours it. I'm glad this attempt was better than Martha, but I wish they'd talk to an actual survivor -- or better yet, let one direct their next game. also holy crap 31:32 your cat is gorgeous

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Densoro! I couldn't have said this better myself - and I completely agree. The Veteran comparison is especially apt, considering it is one of the only forms of PTSD that people with this attitude will respect, being that they 'earned it'. (can't emphasise those quotation marks enough) Also my cat says thank you! :D

[@Feversome]

As someone who suffers from mental illness, the MILK series (Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk and it's sequel, Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk) is a great example on how to treat mental illness with respect while telling an interesting story that doesn't end with the player "fixing" someone who suffers from mental health problems. Great vid btw, subscribed :)

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

You don't think mental problems need 'fixing'?

[@gobgab1080]

​@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl I think mental illness isn't something you ,as a normal person playing game should treat. It should be treated properly by mental health professional. Because there are so many niches and complications in this topics, you can make things worse and may end someone's life trying to 'fix' someone.

[@deepthinkerdraws8292]

​@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl It's very rude to treat someone like a work in progress, or a project to fix. That and mental heath issue most times can't just be a one and done, it's a daily grind to keep going and making it past the day.

[@natatatm]

@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl to add to the great replies you've gotten, a lot of mental illness (like many chronic illnesses) is about management not a fix. People with mental illness typically have brain chemical imbalances (or even brain damage caused by trauma) and there are some medications or coping methods that can help manage the symptoms of that. But, it's extremely rare to get "fixed" to the point where there are no lingering effects. Some of my therapists/psychiatrists actually cautioned me from using that sort of language because most mental health patients are playing the long game. Most do not find a magical medication that works forever and we have to continue switching as the former ones stop working. In my case no meds worked for me long term so I focused on behavioral coping methods. The term "fix" also sucks because it can make us feel more broken than we already do. I get what you were trying to say, but I think it's important to clarify different reasons why it's unhelpful.

[@dilloncooper600]

The milk series is soooooooo good. Even though they're super short, I'll be fondly remembering playing those games for a long time

[@izznt]

The content warning is like mental classism , like how on a rich resturant menu without prices , how its "if you have to ask you cant afford it" , they dont care what triggers you have, 'if you need to be warned , you cant handle it' is such a cold and uncaring stance , it 100% proves the devs of this game arent trying to educate or give respect to mental health or hardships from the past , they can barely respect current mental health struggles

[@izznt]

@@scapegoatmiller9110 exactly , I can handle most triggers , and Im a lot better now, but before trauma treatment I was avoiding dissociation and being triggered by S/A or rape mentions (see I'm so much better now) but like , some video they'll just say it can be triggering , with no clues as to if they mean murder suicide or xyz other valid triggers , and I can handle morbid things even then, but the anxiety of not knowing what it'd be, I'd just have to nope out of the video before I got a mental jump scare and dissociate for an undetermined amount of time (at least minutes , before I knew how to handle this , I had No idea how to get out of it so it was bad) in exposure therapy I learned that avoidance and invalidation makes trauma into cptsd, so avoiding avoidance is a good coping skill. Regardless though not everyone is at this point and to be told a vague warning enough to turn you away out of fear while under the guise of respecting the viewer is so unhelpful and invalidating.

[@nottoday9182]

I have a genuine question: what would a proper content warning look like? What is the best way to inform your audience without spoiling major plot points? Would it be preferable to have a detailed list of potentially upsetting things? I've been thinking about this a lot and I cannot come up with a good middle ground for those who need the warning and those who want to go in without warning. Maybe an option before booting asking the player if they'd like a list or not?

[@Snowstriken]

​@nottoday9182 the answer is who cares about "spoiling plot points" when it's triggering content.

[@nottoday9182]

@@Snowstriken that's the attitude that people have online for trigger warnings... The whole point is to think of everyone dummy. Including those that benefit from them and those that do not. You are doing the exact thing they are doing.

[@debbyyates4573]

​@nottoday9182 one trigger warning or more so content warning I appreciated was fear and hungers. I knew what I was getting into with a very vague idea of how things would play out. Also mentioning none of the topics are discussed lightly

[@ravengrey9709]

As someone studying psychology, I am always irritated by how games (especially this one) zero in on lobotomy use and sexual assault as the peak of horrors that are in asylums because it always feels like they are just going for the loudest, most shock inducing things to portray their "horror" even if it is more disrespectful then anything else. They never actually try to go into the deeper environmental horror that exists in asylums and the real horror that existed in the other (non-lobotomy) treatments used on patients. It's so irritating that no one ever uses the horror of asylums to critique what happened there and the ideology around mental illness that let it happen. None I have seen ever confront the terrifying fact that many of these doctors and nurses who worked there actually thought they were doing the best they could for these people because that's what medical science said at the time and how that defiantly effected their treatment of these people. There is just so much there that could actually be used to educate people about the asylums and their treatment of patients especially in a horror perspective, but with how games want to make this shocking focus (always around women as well) on asylums, it makes it impossible.

[@concerninghobbits5536]

I haven't played any of these games but if I had to guess I'd think that any focus on lobotomy would be either on the body horror element of the process itself instead of the aftermath, but also I'd guess that any effects shown would just be the stereotype of making someone into sort of a zombie. Where in reality from what I've read lobotomies had varied effects from patient to patient with almost all of them leaving the patient in a similar or worse state to before. The people who did seem to be dumbed down may have still been more aware of their situation and simply unable to express it (horrifying) or would've ended up in more pain and exhibiting even more of their initial symptoms which might lead doctors to simply write off the procedure as having failed and result in the newly worsened patient just being abandoned. All of this simply with lobotomies, not to mention all the other ways patients were "treated" and the stigma around mental illness as a stain on the victims character.

[@ddjsoyenby]

ikr there's so much promise untapped.

[@feral_orc]

God imagine physical violence against you being scary or something. It's almost like most people can understand the idea of these things being terrifying, rather than some obscure thing where maybe 5% of people realize what's actually happening. This is like expecting a thesis on psychoanalysis from a pulp magazine. It's made to be accessible, not obscure

[@ravengrey9709]

@@feral_orc Hey so, as a fem presenting person, I already get enough fear in the real world from knowing that people can be physically violent against me at every occasion so besides not needing to see that again and again in media, I also don't need to see it greatly mishandled in a game that is said to educate its audience. If the purpose of a horror game claims to educate on a topic (which town of light said it was doing) than it should actually educate by talking about little known but important parts of a subject instead of using grievous violence towards a young woman to show that its bad, especially if they are going to be disrespectful with those topics too. Im not expecting an academic breakdown on the failure of asylums but if a game claims they want to educate on the horrors of asylum care and even brings up a reknowned asylum to talk about, they better actually educate and talk about it instead of just going for the whole "oh lobotomy and [poorly handled] SA" route that every game has. You don't get to claim education then not even educate about the place the game occurs in.

[@AlexisHiemis]

This. Not to mention they never focus on the ways actual people with mental health problems actually live their lifes. Besides the cliche protagonist, nobody is a character. Even Amara is just a sex fantasy instead of a real person that has a real connection with the protagonist, because that would mean to see the protagonist as capable of actual real life connections, as unstable and chaotic as they might be. There is no insight into the life besides being tied down and horrible treatments and weird fetishistic depiction of shower masturbation. It just feels so hollow when the main character is only a collection of trauma. No real interests or dreams or ideas that don't circle back to the mental illness.

[@jettcode]

A lot women were interned because they were involved in the intellectual and/or political scene. But I imagine it's less exciting to talk about these women than about sexually abused teenagers. And these content warnings are so ridiculous, I'm glad you adressed the issue. When I see people saying "yeah but it will ruin your experience because of spoilers" well... A good story won't be ruined because of spoilers so if you're basing the quality of your story on how shocking it will be, maybe you shouldn't tell stories? If you can't respect people dealing with mental health today with proper content warning maybe you shouldn't try to "educate" people on mental health to begin with.

[@MertKayKay]

Absolutely agree. If you're going to have a weak content warning, you may as well have none at all!

[@felisazure1820]

You summarized it so well and I have been telling people this for ages! Content warnings that "spoil" a whole work just reveal that work had no substance to begin with.

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

Ok so about the masterbation thing (what a sentence oh boy), this was an actual thing, masterbation in women back in the ol “let’s poke the brain to fix women” was seen as a common sign of insanity, I am not joking you could get a lobotomy free of charge for having a little TOO much fun

[@MertKayKay]

can't have shit in Volterra

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

@@MertKayKay amen

[@niloofarrafatpanah2]

I find it hard to explain how it is to be a woman to guys around me and even the perception of being scared of catcalling is unfathomable for them, and I’ve seen them do that without a second thought that their behavior seems alarming 🤦🏻 and many of them have said if they were girls they would sleep their way to the top and, genuinely, ask why we don’t do the same

[@heresyisecstasy]

Men can absolutely sleep their way to the top if they'd like! They can sleep with those men in power, nothing is stopping them from trying. Oh, they're not attracted to those men in power? It hasn't occurred to them that neither are we.

[@ajthewildwolf]

You need better men in your life. The idea of basic consent seems to allude these ones

[@heresyisecstasy]

@@ajthewildwolf maybe men as a whole need to be better in general instead of us making men's problems the responsibility of women to "pick better ones"

[@nalcarya]

@@heresyisecstasy That's not what was said. Also op won't make the trash people she knows better by enduring their behaviour.

[@basicjenkins]

​@@ajthewildwolfspeaking as a brocoded dude presenting human I am willing, though not happy, to accept the fact that 90% of men are generally awful and that's a generous percentage. If you're under the impression that a woman is in any way capable of surrounding herself exclusively with good men then you are delusional.

[@UberNoodle]

One thing the Freedom O' Speech (TM) people never talk about is that other freedom we all have: Freedom of Association. So, if a private entity does not want to associate with you (because, for example, your behaviour violates their terms of service; and it's not discrimination based on a protected characteristic), that's ALSO a vital freedom which your individual Freedom O' Speech (TM) cannot violate. Besides, simply saying something is "Freedom of Speech" does not absolve one of responsibility or culpability for the content or manner of that speech. But surely if one demands that everybody ELSE "toughen up" in the face of their "uncomfortable" and "challenging" speech, they themselves should similarly toughen up in the face of the criticism they will most certainly receive.

[@MertKayKay]

Well said! Completely agree!

[@renalanf0rd]

Exactly. They cling to that reasoning like a security blanket.

[@brabhamF1]

Yeah, you have the freedom to say whatever asshole thing you want and I have the freedom to call you an asshole for it.

[@FrozenCampbellSoup]

They don’t just want freedom of speech they also want freedom of consequences. They poke the bear and complain when it attacks.

[@dangerszewski9816]

That is true, but isn't it freedom of association all the way down then? I choose not to do business with a console manufacturer that will enforce censorship. The developers are free to associate with fans that feel the same to put pressure on Sony to change their stance, and so it goes.

[@artificialdevil7828]

Depictions of heavy topics are subjective by nature. As someone who grew up in mental hospitals from a single digit age all the way to my mid-20's, I can find plenty that is relatable in Town of Light. Someone who has not been subjected to such dehumanizing, high-control environments might not see it that way though, and so I the mixed views on it from people who recommended that you cover it are super understandable. Ultimately, I believe that Town of Light can be both helpful and harmful to trauma survivors and it depends entirely on what the specific person needs. The brutal depictions do me good, personally. It offers a sort of catharsis that's difficult to explain, a sort of validation maybe? But to others, the way the subject matter is handled here can do a lot of damage and potentially even set someone back in their healing process. Which brings us to your excellent point on content warnings. I agree entirely that vague "this might disturb some people" is entirely unhelpful. Depending on how wide we want the scope to be, stuff that disturbs "some" people could be anything from genocide to an interracial couple. The safety and autonomy of the audience should always be prioritized over "not wanting to spoil" a plot point. If the knowledge that a specific type of content is present in the game - divorced entirely from the context in which it takes place - is considered detrimental to the narrative, you should probably rewrite the story. Anyway, thanks for the nuanced take and well-made video!

[@OvenFreshBread]

People like to make fun of fanfiction but it's probably the only form of media I know where content warnings are actually taken seriously and used very frequently. It still depends on the author of course but over the 10+ years I've been reading fanfic there's only maybe been 1 or 2 times where something upsetting or triggering happended in a story I read and it wasn't tagged accordingly. Sadly when it comes to movies or games the people making them seem to always have a very condescending attitude towards content warnings and act like the audience should just magically know if they can handle everything they put in the story. They don't understand (or don't want to) that someone could very easily enjoy the most brutal and disgusting stories and imagery wihtout any problems but have their entire day or week ruined by one single depiction of sexual assault.

[@danirodriguez3682]

I think this might also be because of the level of author/reader interaction and how things can be immediately updated and changed. Read something that you think needs a content warning? Then you can drop a comment requesting the author add one. If the author is still active, there’s a pretty good chance they will add one.

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

I never really found martha that egregious when it came to the gore, but I beg I a BEG can we just have a story about mental illness that can infact be scary (because fun fact- being mentally Ill, CAN BE FUCKING SCARY) but I just wish we were just stop being the fucking “OOOGA BOOGA MENTAL ILLNESS MAKES ME MURDER EVERYONE I LOVE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” Like can we just have a horror mental illness story that doesn’t even revolve around “mc who is I’ll kills people” Like even my favorite horror story about mental illness ends with the MC killing two police officers in a delusional state (cry of fear)

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

Only like, one person I can name that wasn’t “ooga booga mental illness makes me murder” is silent hill 2’s angela, SHE STILL MURDERS HER PA AND BRO but it isn’t for mental illness it’s because they litterally assault her

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

I will say, Martha is missing is strange, cause it feels like a early 2000’s mental health story like the story is laughably dated, not even talking gore I mean like it just feels tropey

[@hexlart8481]

I feel like there really is _so much room_ to explore how mental illness can be scary. Just to dive into some stuff I have personal experience with, I feel like there would be a lot a horror writer could do with time blindness. Especially in a video game setting since you can literally control the flow of time within the game environment. That sensation of time just slipping out of control and being unable to focus on or perceive it in a meaningful way, the frustration and self blame that come from missing important deadlines and large chunks of my life passing by in fast forward alongside the anxieties of when time slows to a crawl. The way plans in the future don't seem real until they are about to happen, giving me almost the impression of getting hit in the face suddenly by plans I've known about for months. It all seems like really _really_ ripe fodder for a trippy surrealist horror experience.

[@Strawberry_Cubes]

@@hexlart8481 I know there’s sooooo much unexplored territory, it feels like most modern game interpitations of mental illness is “mc is fine, suddenly mc finds something traumatic, they murder someone, go to jail”. Hell even omori a game that litterally has you play as a hikkiomori (a condition a lot of disabled people are in) is just like “oh yeh not only did Sunny murder his sister but he also can just leave his room after many years of not being able to ya know it’s fineee”

[@kylebear8101]

I think the best modern game we have so far is about that guy who’s kid is known for singing. The show of anxiety disorder in it is really done well-

[@criminalsen2441]

Definitely seems a little bit like torture porn with a classy, 'sensitive' coat of paint to me. Maybe that's a bit harsh but, like you pointed out, it ignored several details (the presence of male patients, the work regimens etc) in lieu of sexual assault and lesbian sex. Those arent the kind of things you'd focus on unless you were trying to grab the attention of a certain kind of audience. And like. I know a game needs to sell copies but uhm yah. Circling back around to 'why choose this subject then'. Anyway great analysis as usual

[@bearhugzfam649]

Random but I agree re content warnings and love Stray Gods because they do it right. They basically have a "click here for content warnings" button, you click it and it lists things like suicide, character deaths, etc. and then you can click on each one for more information. Even then they don't name characters, so you can find out that a major character dies during X portion of the game without knowing who it is, thus avoiding spoilers for the story even if you need the TW for character death. The do it right.

[@twindrill2852]

I Was A Teenage Exocolonist also explains their content warnings in necessary detail.

[@cherrylimeali4393]

That's such a great way to handle content warnings, especially without compromising spoilers.

[@nont18411]

When I heard about “Martha is dead” for the first time, I thought it was a new Batman and Superman game.

[@basicjenkins]

I genuinely had the same reaction! I never even realised it was a game till I started watching. I thought the chapter title was a BvS joke but my god what an atrocious sounding game.

[@honestlynotsponsored]

I just found your channel about a week or two ago and I've really enjoyed the deep dives you've done on topics like this. I really appreciate the combination of your dry wit and no-nonsense advocacy for the irl people that harmful media throws under the bus.

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you! I really enjoy picking them apart and I'm glad you like it too :D

[@brabhamF1]

@@MertKayKayhitching on this comment, but the same for me. I found your content by accident (having autoplay on, ending on your 13 reasons why videos, a topic I was trying to stay far away from), and I genuinely like how you explain issues women face, in such an honest but not condescending way. It’s really refreshing.

[@renamon5658]

If you preordered the game the town of light it comes with Renée's diary which gives you more lore on Renée.

[@BroKenYaKnow]

that's a terrible way to distribute lore based content

[@SatyrToon]

They legit put story information behind a paywall. The fuck.

[@BroKenYaKnow]

@@SatyrToon literally the worse kind of paywall too, pay me *before* you even see the game

[@SatyrToon]

@@BroKenYaKnow and people later on cant get it because pre orders only happen before release.

[@no_genius]

It’s free DLC on steam now

[@SamuraiMujuru]

As far as games depicting mental health goes, I'd love to see a video on Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, especially given the documented lengths Ninja Theory went for accuracy.

[@MertKayKay]

I do cover the game briefly in my video on the Blair Witch (I think, or The Medium), but maybe it does deserve it's own video! :D

[@nont18411]

King Kong: “You’re letting him kill Mothra.” Godzilla: “What does that mean? Why did you say that name?” King Kong: “Find him. Save Mothra.” Godzilla: “WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?! MOTHRA, WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME? WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!!!!!”

[@snigeling]

why is this so funny

[@UberNoodle]

Yeah, that was hilarious

[@marksutcliffe6355]

Your idea around progressive disclosure of detail around content warnings feels like a genuinely good and well thought out means of giving everyone what they need! Having access to the right level of detail depending on the cognitive accessibility needs of players with varied mental health considerations is just something that doesn't happen right now, and you've so clearly demonstrated how cynical and unnecessary that shortcoming is with a bit of thoughtful design. More accessibility in vidyogams pls! 👏

[@MertKayKay]

MARK

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

That's an option that Ikenfell had, actually. You could have a detailed trigger warning before every possibly triggering scenes. Not only is it a great idea, it helped make the game feels welcoming (that, a d all the accessibility options). It shows that they really care.

[@supertoxicgamer]

Just your video on Martha is dead has made me hate that game! so disrespectful and thoughtless at times

[@JozefLucifugeKorzeniowski]

youre totally right about intelligent use of these subjects being helpful to people trying to overcome trauma. ive read a few books that incorporated elements of my personal traumas in thoughtful, intelligent ways that have honestly helped me get my life out of a self destructive rut. and reading the passages which shed a new light on my memories felt like if the warm sun was begining to rise on a multiple years long freezing cold night. it is relieving on a transcendental level. but of course thats only if these subjects are explored with empathy, insight, and perspicacity. we dont live in a world where most approaches of these topics will have that. most often it is going to come from a base greedy and ignorant place and that is going to be infuriating to experience. i dont know that this fact outweighs the potential good of when these subjects are explored correctly. so while it is blamed and deplorable when people mash traumas into their fiction because they dont know how to write with powerful subtlety, i dont know what, if anything, there is to be done about it.

[@MertKayKay]

Thanks for sharing Jozef! First of all, I love the way you write, I really felt that warm sun. But second: I feel like it's so common for us to gain perspective of our own trauma through the media we consume - and so few people acknowledge it. It's how we connect to other people, and that's why it's so important that it's done well! And it's why we can't be silly with our tropes >:(

[@marocat4749]

How the hell didnt they at least leave files of other patients all over the place. That way you could include them, as like readable files if you want.

[@TheGallicWitch]

I'm grateful you talked about content warnings and how they could be so much better in giving players agency. I personally react pretty badly to explicit scenes of sexual assault, as I have C-PTSD from my CSA, and I have to rely on the internet, websites like isthedogdead or forums. But it's often a choice of being completely spoiled the story if I want to avoid something very traumatic for me, or risking my own mental health for the sake of enjoying a first playthrough. Anyway, I've been watching your channel since your Dying Light video and I really enjoy how your perspective and opinions are often very different from the consensus. Even when I disagree with you, you're super interesting to watch and you have a great way of scripting your arguments that make them an enjoyable experience no matter my own opinions on the matter. This video was very interesting as well, in a similar way to your Rachel Foster and Martha is Dead ones. I would have liked to see you explain what the branching paths were but in the context of how you presented this video, I understand why you didn't. I hope you have a great day!

[@jillybear3241]

I mean, the game seems… fine. I think I‘m just sick of every slice of women’s suffering when placed in a movie or video game being categorized under „horror“ even though the thing these audiences see as the „scariest and most horrifying thing that could ever happen to me“ is a lived every day experience for women. Modern women. Women they see every day. And don‘t get me wrong, I love a game thats about the horror of the female experience (chillas cafe game, silent hill 3, etc.) but I just get the ick when it‘s made by people who don‘t *get it*. This game just feels- like Martha is dead- also just woefully exploitative of the female experience. Not nearly as bad, but definitely in the same camp. I don‘t know much about this dev team, but I am assuming it was made by mostly men.

[@basicjenkins]

I played this and trust me, beyond the incredibly insensitive, problematic and melodramatic plot it is also a deeply, profoundly boring game.

[@jillybear3241]

@@basicjenkins I kept thinking that the whole video. I was like "thank God this is a mert vid this game seems INCREDIBLY boring"

[@basicjenkins]

@@jillybear3241 right?! I should've just waited for the video. It's one of the rare games where when I got to the end I was like "Oh my god, I lost part of my life for this."

[@kylebear8101]

@@basicjenkinsthat’s why I want to get all the achievements. So I never have to touch it again. And I can trade it in for something else (have it on ps4)

[@Iban-Underground]

I think the thing that's been bugging me with Merts content lately finally really made itself known in this video. For a time now, she's been connecting back her video essays on video games back to real world places or ideas, but seldom does the proper research or leg work to see these ideas to fruition. The Volterra asylum here is a massively good example on this. It's clear from turning to google myself, Mert only googled the name of the prison, then clicked on the first two links that google recommended. That's the depth of her knowledge on the subject, and she lampshades this fact before quickly moving on from it. But it's frustrating. My partner and I took 10 minutes to do a little research on the asylum, and we found a treasure trove of information on the subject. 20 more minutes and we both had little fascinations about the asylum and it's residence. (My personal favourite being artist NOF4). I feel like this research would have greatly benefited the video and overall analysis of this game. Plus it would go onto teaching people more about the subject, like the original game intended. My secondary issue also stems around the way she talks about SA and trauma. It feels like she has good intention, but that her knowledge is lacking on how different people face and process these issues. It isn't talked about widely so our common understanding is still limited. Yet there are great resources out there for understanding these issues. It sucks that she misunderstands some characters clear issues just because she doesn't personally know. Due to her platforms growing size, I have been wanting to say something for a while as people really connect with her work. She owes it to her audience and her own writing to do more research on these subjects to understand them. As having someone talk about them is great but spreading misinformation is harmful to those effected by this and how people understand these topics. Also, been digging the coolshirtz merch recently. Good choices!

[@samwich9498]

Yeah, I was SA'ed as a young teen and processed it via being hypersexual. To some who don't understand trauma, sometimes processing can seem contradictive to what happened to them.

[@basicjenkins]

I hated this game. I played it in its entirety and by the end I was honestly just profoundly confused because I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell it was even trying to say. Like what was its overall message? Big pile of nothing. Edit: speaking as male presenting person with bipolar disorder my take away from it was "Lobotomies are bad? I'm aware." So I was really excited to see your video pop up so I could get a different perspective on it (cus ain't no one I know played this trash other than me).

[@GoblinWife]

Thanks MertKayKay, great video as always :) I have a couple of personal thoughts I’d like to share. Both myself and my wife have been in-patient at hospitals for mental illness, and the thought we were born only a handful of decades from treatment like that depicted in Town of Light is a personal nightmare for me, to which I have lost no small amount of sleep. Not that long ago, just being a queer person would have been enough to lose your freedom and autonomy. So, the idea that developers would dangle the depiction of a lesbian relationship in front of gamers as a voyeuristic lure into gawking at the suffering of people who have been incarcerated for the crime of being mentally ill is as disgusting to me as it is unsurprising. In my opinion, LKA doesn’t deserve any benefit of the doubt when discerning their motives for creating a game like this. Thanks again for the video, I don’t envy the task of sifting dross like this, but I do appreciate it :)

[@frederikbuttenschn7562]

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Cat Lady, and it’s depiction of mental Health sometime

[@strayiggytv]

Same. I found that game better than most in the way it handles things. Definitely not perfect but also not as explorative as it could have been. It felt very personal somehow.

[@frederikbuttenschn7562]

@@strayiggytv I agree. I struggle with depression and anxiety, and while I found the overall tone to be a little over the top and on the nose, some parts felt very realistic, sincere and empathetic to me.

[@jodieg6318]

As a historian the thing that I hate the most about history being used as a reason to portray so much brutality onto a character, most often in a titillating manner, is that its not being used as an honest look at history and what circumstances of society and cultural mindset let to said brutality, but more or less as torture porn. I am convinced that someday, someone will make an RPG of The Rape of Nanjing and call it "realism" and wave the free speech flag to justify it.

[@cooldragon1990]

I haven't watched the video yet but I would like to thank you for your views. I loved watching you talk and rip The Suicide of Rachel Foster a new one and I loved hearing your views. I did get slightly confused at first and thought you were talking about and ripping What Remains of Edith Finch a new one so I was a little upset because i had seen a playthrough of the game and it seemed pretty good and thought I was blinded by what I didn't understand at the time before realizing they were two entirely different games altogether. I will probably watch/listen to this later while doing some chores to take my mind off things, lol!

[@MertKayKay]

That's alright Dragon! :D Thanks for watching my stuff, and I'm super glad you like my videos. It's nice to know I'm helping you do your chores

[@emilycrow8278]

It sounds like this ran into the issue of "people that have never been assaulted, made a story about assault." Much like "I Spit On Your Grave" or "Last House On The Left." Which although shows the brutality, it's as a service to a dark gripping story, and not an actual exploration of the cluster---- of emotions that follows it. At least it didn't go the way of Sucker Punch.

[@UndeadGirlCyber]

Just replying to say... yeah, damn, Sucker Punch, what the frick. The older I get the more headache this movie gives me retroactively.

[@emilycrow8278]

@@UndeadGirlCyberTeenage me thought it was very good and awesome. I actually just liked the cool samurai robot fight and omg watching the movie as an adult is... it's something

[@deedeedan8681]

​@@emilycrow8278I had the exact opposite experience with sucker punch where I thought it was terrible and exploitative when I was younger but then ended up deeply relating to the story to the point of tears while falling love with the aesthetics and concepts as an adult. I guess to each their own 😂

[@epkurnissheoway]

I used to have the DVD for sucker punch I remember seeing it when I was younger and not understanding it like at all but thinking it was cool It really is such a strange film from what I remember

[@randomnerd3402]

My dog had to be put down a few days ago so seeing an upload from you is oddly comforting

[@SnuSnuDungeon]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Always remember that the life of your dog was a happy and fulfilled one because of you ❤️

[@randomnerd3402]

@@SnuSnuDungeon yeah I know, just sucked seeing her being really sick in her last days.

[@MertKayKay]

I'm really, really genuinely sorry to hear it. I can't imagine how it felt and I hope you're coping alright :(

[@facepalmvideos1]

The thing I remember the most about Town of light is some writing award lovingly modeled and shoved into my face in the first 10 minutes of the game. Like, guys, you didn't even begin to try to impress me, maybe chill with patting yourself on the back a bit? Also, holy shit, I didn't realise that this is the Martha devs. They switched from le empathy for the mental illness to the depraved torture porn really freaking fast, lol

[@coltonwilkie241]

Here's a step by step guide on how to make a psychological horror game in 2023 Step 1: Have no knowledge on mental health issues (very important) Step 2: Make bad characters or if characters are just too hard to design and you're feeling lazy just have them be nothing more than voices in the protagonists head. Step 3: Make the protagonist stupid, we can't be having our main character be smart or anything. That would ruin the game. Step 4: Throw in some pedophilia and rape for good measure because when all else fails at least you can stand up and proudly say your game features a sex offender or two and rape. Step 5: Profit.

[@callmecrookedjack7441]

My idea for trigger warnings is: something vague like the start of this game, but WITH THE OPTION to click “more detail” if needed! For example- some people are afraid of spoilers, and don’t need content warnings, so they would be able to proceed without those warnings, but those who need them could read more at their discretion!

[@АлинаРахимова-ч5з]

I was hoping that you will make a video-essay about this game as soon as you brought it in "Martha is Dead"-video-essay. And finally it's here! Thank you!!! About content warning - I agree, because vague phrases give you too much space to assume not so graphic content, and make you think, that you are ready to see these scenes full of blood/gore/SA/other stuff, that you assumed, but never considered that things will be shown in such horrid detail. About the story - you may said it, I might forgot, but I think, that in case of this game developers came up with the location first, and then came up with story.

[@supertoxicgamer]

i cant think of a single horror game that handles sexual assault well but then again the fear of the brutality of it maybe wanes when we treat it respectfully.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

I'd argue that Silent Hill 1 and 3 do a good job, given that both stories involve the forced impregnation of a minor, though the way they handle the subject is mostly through metaphor and symbolism. I'd say that 3 does a better job because Heather has more agency as the protagonist and the game extends the idea beyond her victimisation and focuses the conflict on her right to abort the baby and reclaim ownership of her body from the religious fundamentalists and predatory men who see her exclusively as a means to achieve their goals.

[@basicjenkins]

I would love to hear your thoughts on Actual Sunlight. If you want a game that really captures depression not only through its narrative but also it's mechanics then that's the game to go for.

[@Killgore-ip2yq]

@MertKayKay critiques are the best. It's like everything I like in KZbin analysis and especially those in these narrative focused games.

[@MertKayKay]

Aw thank you Killgore!

[@divineeye147]

with Town of Light I can't help but be reminded of Alice Madness Returns, Rule of Rose and Fran Bow with similar concepts and settings but this game is suffering from poor execution, insensitivity and sad gameplay :( Also when it comes to content warnings I feel like if people actually considered them a part of their artwork they would probably implement them with more care but idk

[@roland4623]

it is beyond me how you ever managed to finish a take without stopping to pet that cat beside you. i'd never get much of anything done again.

[@MertKayKay]

I edit all those bits out 😎

[@aquadiamond5499]

Never clicked on a video so fast! Love your videos and been waiting for this since you talked about Martha is Dead

[@MertKayKay]

Aw welcome Aqua! This'll be a doozy for you hopefully :D

[@yidingliu8663]

One of the things I liked about The Town of Light was how it did not rely on cheap jump scares. One of the disappointments for Martha was Dead is how the devs turned to cheap marketing tricks.

[@creationzikaz4836]

When a developer picks a razor blade as their logo you know it's going to be edgy.

[@creationzikaz4836]

'Maybe maybe I'm dead' without a comma in intro text isn't what I'd call putting your best put forward.

[@berilsevvalbekret772]

Now Imma be honest. I don't care for horrifying shit in videogames , movies , books etc. They don't disturb me. If I find something distressing I just don't interact with it. *That being said* ; it should be common fucking courtesy when you claim to put extremely delicate societal issues in your choice of media you at least put the work in to not shit the bed. You wanna put , grotesque history of medicine of all kinds? Horrific amount of sexual assult , sexual violence , racism , sexism , historical atrocities etc? By all means do it! But for fuck's sake do it in the way movie Nightingale did. With GRACE. Not collous disregard or fetish bait.

[@IlyTheVampire]

I doubt this will ever come up again (unless you decide to make LKA your nemesis, which, fair), but in case you ever need help with something in Italian, I would be more than happy to lend a hand. Also, I'm still confused by the weird decision not to use Italian names for characters in these games. I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point (I think I made a similar comment for Martha is dead), but if you're setting a story in the first half of the 1900 in Italy, you have to use properly Italian names. Renée is distracting. Amara is distracting. It gives the impression that it wasn't made by Italians. Like in an episode of Orphan Black where you see the document of the Italian clone and she's called "Aryanna" and... yes, I guess in modern days maybe you could spell that name like that, but who would do that??? Does that make sense? Like, I remember borrowing this book from the library when I was in middle school: it was printed in the 40s, and it was a play by "Guglielmo Shakespeare". Back then it was *a thing*. I know it's a small detail, but it's so frustrating.

[@Kintsugi23]

What I've always found weird is that none of the LKA characters have last names, just initials. Giulia K, Renée B, etc

[@toolatetothestory]

Tbh, and I will write this before watching the video so my opinion won't be influenced just yet, I found Town of Light quite interesting. It has, however, been... quite a few years since I last saw anything about it. More from a "How far mental wards have come to be better and actually help people, contrasted to how they used to be, basically prisons for people who didn't commit any crime, but nobody wanted to care for either" standpoint, than a "women are victims blah bli blup we have seen this a billion times before" point. My experience in mental wards has been... Not great, but people around me definitely tried to help. They just couldn't really figure out what was wrong with me either, and trying normal therapy on someone undiagnosed autistic doesn't quite work as it should. I also did research on lobotomies before (which, if I remember right, was also in the game), and it is possible to continue living on after one. Interestingly enough, for some people, lobotomies actually helped with their chronic pain. It is a really fascinating thing to read about, despite the horrors of it as well. Trepaning as well. Anyways. It... is simply the truth that mental wards were rough in the past, even at the best of times. When Ozamu Dazai spend his time in the asylum, in 1936, he described the feeling as "Being no longer human", because that is how the patients were treated. Within, and from the outside world. How far we have come... And yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Because some still refuse to learn from the past, and sometimes, conditions are still terrible. Maybe not as dirty anymore, but still as heartless. Sometimes, you still have the feeling of being "less than human", so to speak. I think in that context, the game tells a story that we shouldn't just write off or forget. A story we shouldn't let repeat.

[@Hibernation-Library]

There is a difficult line in Horror media between something "Scary" and something "Horrifying" and I think a lot of marketing misses or misrepresents that. Both can make great horror but some people only vibe with one or the other, and its hard to articulate and also advertise the nuance in the two.

[@AmeNyappy]

I just have one thing to say about Silent Hill “content warning” it’s vague, but I think it is especially because it came out in the late 90s early 2000s and let’s be honest regulations were a different thing back then, also most viewers wouldn’t give it a second thought when it came out, since the social context wasn’t so aware of the different types of violence, specifically against women, that were being portrayed in the story. Sorry if this came out as messy it’s been a while since I don’t use English for writing…

[@juneclemments4996]

I was just happy that the main character had sexual expression (although seemingly deeply informed by trauma and nessecity) because so may of these games have characters which are completely removed from personal sexual expression as if to make their SA more 'impactful' because they're 'innocent'. Its such a shame that this was a pro for me because honestly it should be the norm to understand people as whole with SA experiences rather then constructing humans around a SA experience to make it more 'horrifying'

[@nyxcharliechaos]

100% agree on the bit about content warnings just being "this game isn't for everyone lol viewer digression is advised" is really crap, as someone who wants to make their own video game one day and is currently working on a comic I intend to warn people beyond just this isn't for everyone, my comic includes depictions of violence which will be warned at the start of the chapter of it's consistent through out that chapter, with topics such as abuse/sa/sh having a page specific warning telling the reader to skip to the next update if those topics are triggering to them, same with my game the opening will warn about things in a more detailed way, especially because while I'm aware that those topics usually don't bother me if I'm in a bad headspace topics like sh can be triggering and playing a game with that not knowing before hand can be harmful, the vagueness of most just makes me think "ok so blood and gore" because I find that's usually what the warning's are about, I wish more games that tried to cover heavy topics gave a bit more of a warning, i know does the dog die exist but if it's a new release there won't be a page on it yet making that idea just not work. tldr; I agree that games need to give more specific warnings and I intend to do that with my own games/comics

[@MertKayKay]

Love this! I think it's amazing you're considering this early, too. It means you'll start strong and your readers will appreciate it!

[@lukekebell3146]

No fair! This just popped up & I gotta go work... 10:30 cant come fast enough! I'm gonna watch this when I get home tonight

[@MertKayKay]

Have fun at work Luke!!

[@lukekebell3146]

​@@MertKayKay ok I just finished watching 😂. When you said this was made by the Martha Is Dead folks I was a bit on edge. Thought it was gonna be far worse than what we got. Mabey it's just me but if they cut back on the sexualisation, narrowed down the MC's mental instabilities & added a few more characters (especially to spread out the mental health problems) this could have been alot better. Perhaps even having it set during her incarceration so we can have the blurred lines of living through the events & her delusions? But I'm not sure if this Dev Team would be able to tackle. Fantastic review as always. I was so tempted to sneak away on shift to watch it but I waited till I got home lol. Btw have you seen a game called "Killer Frequency"? You are a radio host who is put in charge of the emergency line as a serial killer is terrorising the town. The plot is pretty good & the ending blew my mind. The fate of the called is 100% in you're hands tho.

[@MsUnamusedNerd]

I couldn’t get into this game. Probably because I’m not into walking simulators, but I just found the whole thing so boring and not at all worth a replay. I don’t mind when stories include dark/touchy, subject, materials, but…. I just cant with this game. Yes, I am aware of that SA did happen in mental asylums. Whether it’s patients abusing each other or doctors were abusing patience. Also, where that there was inhumane “punishments” like pulling out all of the patients teeth if they have a habit of biting orderlies. The ending also irritated the hell out of me where she gets lobotomized. I don’t know if there are different endings that are happier in comparison and honestly I don’t care. I’m never replaying it ever again.

[@AlexisHiemis]

I really strongly agree with your opinion on content warnings and I get so frustrated when these vague warnings pop up. Like, just say you depict rape, you had the balls to make a graphic rape scene, now don't be squeamish when it comes to admitting you did it. I also don't buy that it spoils the plot at all. When rape is a plot point that explains everything, your narrative is just shit. I feel like Town of Light is basically exploitative. Exploitative media has always tried to show itself as educational and shedding light on difficult topics. When you look at it, they never tackle the hard questions. They just go "really makes you think, huh??? Anyway, those women sure are having a lot of sex, right??" and go on to do the next game where being mentally ill means hearing voices and talking to inanimate objects.

[@phantasmrain]

Really enjoyed watching all of this. You are always fantastic!

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Rain :D

[@chelscara]

35:26 slightly different but when I got an abortion, I ended up not needing one because I miscarried the day before. Even though it was what I wanted, I suddenly had feelings of being broken or a failed woman for losing the pregnancy naturally, even though I knew logically that’s not how it works. So again, very different set up, but that feeling of “even if it’s what I wanted, this isn’t _how_ I wanted it” is important

[@MertKayKay]

Chel 🥺 not to be too specific, but I completely understand how you felt. Having the choice taken from you is something you have to grapple with for a long time. Thanks for sharing 💝

[@oneofnone7947]

Thats how i learned about Martha as well then your video cleared up how abysmally it was

[@l.p.5703]

There is this common need from writers to create the most “traumatic” story to give a narrative depth and gravitas. While the developers might not gratify themselves sexually with this content and fetishization, there is still another type of gratuitous self gratification that is equally as gross and self serving. Great break down and critique.

[@bearhugzfam649]

So it's hardly a horror game, and forgive me if it's a little "going with the trends", but have you considered diving into BG3, specifically into Astarion's story? Spoiler space for those who don't want to ruin anything 'cause I know it's still a new game but > > > > > > > His storyline deals with enslavement and autonomy including mind control vs CPTSD/the "slave" mindset once freed, sexual trauma and intimacy issues, physical abuse including scars, identity issues after trauma, all sorts of good stuff, but also it goes a little bit meta to not only comment on the character and his relationships but also our relationship as the player with said character. With how many people relate to him and his story and some of the statements he makes, it's almost like they tricked us into caring about him then had him realize he was worthy of love and redemption, which is lovely but has been done before. However, there's also options to further re-traumatize the character through pressuring him into sex or by sexualizing him, both of which are called out either by the character himself or by the dev team (there's a quote floating around out there about how completing a certain path with him is "a failure on the player character's part to see him as a person instead of a sexual object, something like that. Pissed off a lot of the horny fangirls). Just, yes, I love the character and would enjoy watching you sink your eloquent teeth into him, no pun intended, but also the way the game calls you out for being part of the "but they're hotter when they're broken" trope made me think of you specifically, it seems like something you'd enjoy and appreciate personally but also could commit to a video better than most. Desperately hoping you will xD though I understand if it's not your thing, apologies if I missed the mark x great vid either way and I hope you have a spectacular day

[@mothman69420]

MERT YOU'RE BACK! and finally I get your take on the possibly connected town of light!! Its a great day for the serfs

[@MertKayKay]

Mothman I'm here and I'm full of beer

[@mothman69420]

@@MertKayKay and I love that for you, queen

[@JordanLittle-bb3yq]

On my own youtube channel, I was planning on playing through this game and recording a play-through of it the same day. After I beat the game, I just didn't have the stomach to go through it a second time. This was a great video BTW! I can't wait to see what you make next!

[@ptlemon1101]

Wow, Town of Light is much better than Martha is Dead, which isn't saying much, but it's weird how they regressed so much, even though some of the issues were already present here. I just wanted to give a little correction, one of the medics you mentioned, the one who created lobotomies, it's A. E. Moniz, not Moriz, full name being António Egas Moniz, and he's from my country, Portugal. In the tenth grade, when I was in the course that could lead to Medicine, we had a field trip to the place where he practiced and the place where lobotomies were perfomed. We also had access to footage of a lobotomy being performed (I guess they wanted to build future doctos stomach for operations). He won a Nobel prize with this and since we don't have many Nobel prize winners, his talked a lot and has a statue in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon. Eventually, the medical community realized lobotomies weren't actually that great and some familiars of the people who were lobotomized called for the removal of his Nobel prize. The field trip didn't want to hide the "brutality" that goes into making a lobotomy but also wanted to make clear that it was uncharted territory and Moniz meant well, that he did wanted to help people, hence why he practiced Medicine. In a ironic twist, a schizophrenic patient, perhaps afraid of a lobotomy, in a fit of paranoia, got shot 8 times. He did survive and managed to recover, although wheel chair bounded. A famous patient of his was the portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, who perhaps fearing madness, because of his peculiar style of poetry (he created multiple personalities, their backgrounds, names, jobs, and styles of poetry), went to him. Moniz, however, found nothing abnormal in him. Even if lobotomies today aren't well regarded, his work was the basis for several advances in cerebral studies, so he wasn't totally worthless. However, many horror stories, at least for the patients, are created when we want to make advances on Medicine. Always for "the greated good". Anyways, sorry for the big text. Good video as always. Cheers!

[@liselotteline8596]

I always thought that criticizing the medical and practices from the past through the lens of today's perspective is cheap. It would be more interesting to reflect on the risks and benefits of practices like lobotomies, electroshock therapy, etc. within the time period it was common. What were the alternatives? How would critics, back then, try to help people with mental illness? Would other options be less risky and intrusive, or were they as cruel, but lesser known, so they don't have the negative stigma? Most media that deals with this kind of topics just leave me with the empty message of lobotomies=bad side effects. Like not shit, I was aware that messing with the brain might cause issues. But they never offer a unique perspective from a real patient and let them tell their story. After the lobotomy, the patients just kind of die mentally in their story, but there are interviews of lobotomy survivors that go into detail how their life changed for the better or worse. Instead, storytellers just treat the protagonist like a subject that is written off because of the lobotomy, the same way mentally ill people were written off back then. Like they can't have an inner life and aren't worthy of continuing their story. It just ends. And I can imagine that a lot of today's medical practices will be regarded as cruel and too intrusive in 50 years, because we found better methods. Chemotherapy or brain surgery are extremely risky, intrusive and have a lot of side effects, patients suffer from. Doctors and surgeons are aware of that. They know their methods are extreme. But that doesn't mean they disregard the wellbeing of their patients, just to cure them. They just don't have that many options. So they choose the methods that available. Horror media will probably portrait chemotherapy, like evil doctors poisoning their ill patients. Or treat brain surgeons like they're mad butchers, because they're using scalpels instead of lasers and nanobots.

[@fluffywolfo3663]

*sees title* *sees comments* ooooh, this one's gonna be a gross one.

[@jekyll4251]

love these reviews they make me laugh but also think more critically abt games like these than I usually would

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Jekyll!

[@modernmusic52]

I really do hate vague trigger warnings. I have to specifically google and search through things or ask people if things are safe. "This may contain disturbing content" can mean 100000 different things. I hate getting hit in the face with stuff thats gonna make me have a panic attack with zero warning. And the complete lack of empathy or care for anyone with trauma because edgelords are cool now

[@lurkinlikeaboss]

Best way to do this and shortcut it is to Google -game name- parents guide, it gives you a quick breakdown of things that will help you understand whether its something you feel comfortable with and you don't have to read through a dozen articles or review pages

[@brockmadden9510]

Brava! Awesome work. Btw, your cat is adorable. Do you have two? 🧐

[@MertKayKay]

Hello Brock! I do indeed. Seffy is the seal-point Ragdoll, she is 4 years old. Widdy is my new black Ragdoll kitten, she is about 6 months old. They're both lovely and they playfight all day. Is that your dog in your pfp?

[@MrsKeeker]

Thank you so much for your analysis! I love your honest dissection of how trauma is represented by video games and similar media. Keep up the insightful and thoughtful work!

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you Mrs Keeker! :D

[@joeymag593]

I've had this in my Steam wishlist for aaaaaaages and never bothered getting it, but your review makes me think maybe I'll give it a look.

[@MertKayKay]

Always worth checking these things out yourself! B) I hope you enjoy it (if it's possible to enjoy this kind of thing)

[@CarsonZXY]

The problem is that if you think that this isn't still happening, you're wrong. I was tortured for a week last November in a mental health ward in Massachusetts, USA because my rapist convinced a judge that I was a clingy gay man, and that was just a taste. My roommate was taken from her parents at a young age and never rehomed. She has been made to eat stale food off of a padded floor that she had just taken a shit on because they hadn't let her out of that room in 2 days. This happened before the age of 14. This does raise awareness of an extant problem in the way we handle the mentally ill once they are in the system. It's a constant cavalcade of missed opportunities because some corrupt asshole decided to put that shit on you. My roommate's best friend can tell when they're about to get sectioned because their workers will start suggesting functions they should go to. They were told to attend a Halloween party instead of visiting their family, and "increased agitation" was put on their DMH record when my friend told them no. USA's DMH is just this. Drug dealers use orphan kids as mules. Pimps peddle mentally ill kids to large donors, it goes on. Your criticism is fair, but not on the grounds that this isn't happening anymore.

[@maddiehunter1336]

i know esrb ratings exist but i don't understand why warnings are only put in the game AFTER you have presumably already bought and started playing it. like, if you have a physical copy would it kill you to put a list of warnings on the packaging, or in the description if it's a digital copy? i would be pissed if i blew 60 or so dollars on a game i couldn't even play.

[@MertKayKay]

Yes! There needs to be a better way to communicate this.

[@mercuryn8983]

I haven't played this game so I can't say if I think this was the developer's intent irt education, but while many places have outlawed asylums, people in psychiatric hospitals still face horrible treatment to this day. The UN has actually called involuntary psych hospitalization torture. The fact that asylums are now illegal in Italy doesn't necessarily mean that mentally ill people aren't still treated terribly when we seek treatment. People make the same argument about asylums no longer existing in the US to say that treatment nowadays is completely safe, but I can tell you from personal experience that it isn't always. Unfortunately lots of people still experience abuse at the hands of psychiatric professionals (including some of the things depicted in the game)

[@becuaseimbored3481]

2:19 I am vehemently anti-censorship, and I hate being a hypocrite about it but even I think Sony was being pretty reasonable. And it was only censored on the PS4/5 version so to qoute blizzard..." Do you guys not have computers?"

[@fattiger6957]

Wanna make a sleazy horror game in modern times? Just dress it up as something pseudo intellectual and convince the anti-woke brigade to fight for you. It really feels like games like this are like the exploitation movies of the 70s, just painted with the veneer of "art" and "the exploration" of somesuch horrible subject matter. And that's not an indictment of sleazy horror. I like old exploitation movies and novels, but I find it incredibly stupid that creators are treating their sleazy products as something more profound than they really are.

[@elegantcat1496]

Jake the dog in the background really didn't want to hear all of this... Anyway keep at it, loving the content

[@drf6377]

We need more voices like yours. Not the ones who defend media that target women especially with horrific violence claiming that its just 'free speach'. Best reading into the game ever, and the easiest, quickest subscribe I've ever clicked

[@liliallen1632]

omg your cat is so so cute. great video as always 💖

[@nomi_101]

Yayyy, im working right now so im happy to have something to listen too from my favorite youtube right now

[@aidaowo4773]

just wanna say with every vid im just so glad i found you, i truly appreciate your eloquency and insights and just you as a person. thank you for all the work and cool t-shirts you give us!!

[@MertKayKay]

Aww Aida thank you! :D

[@renamon5658]

Renée might be a ghost. Thank you for covering the town of light

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you for being here as always Renamon!

[@Pvale777]

Amazing video, though I didn't expect any less from you. Edit: Oh shit, I didn't expect a reference to Lucifer Valentine

[@MertKayKay]

That's Mr Valentine to you and me

[@_xkikix_]

I remember this game vaguely, i think i played it a year or so ago as one of those random sale games i like to spend my nintendo points on. All i remember is how beautiful the art in this game was, and just how much i hated the story. at some point it just felt like meta exploitation to me, and it left me with a terrible feeling after finishing it. i know it's not unrealistic, unfortunately, but these stories about women going through abuse and trauma without ever healing from it feel terribly ill intended to me. so i guess i fall into the category of people who didn't enjoy it at all.

[@ballistachicken]

Wonderful video as always, Mert. You're so thorough and so good with your words. So glad I've had the privilege of being here for most of your channel growth

[@MertKayKay]

Lenore you're going to make me emotional ; - ; and thank you! I can't believe the channel has grown so much, and I've always appreciated seeing you pop by.

[@ballistachicken]

@@MertKayKay It's become one of my favorite traditions now, you posting a new video and getting to say hi and thank you!

[@Blargle42069]

Man, as someone who’s afab AND has sexual trauma it’s always so disheartening when people really seem to only ever wanna touch the topics of SA and CSA at all is for exploitative purposes. So many of them don’t even bother and use it as either shock value or to fetishize it. I can’t believe I have to do fucking everything myself

[@rainydayjules]

Oh I’m so glad to see someone talking about LKA games, besides bobvids I don’t see nearly enough people calling out the studio’s games besides “omg it’s so gross!!!”

[@ForgottenSouls36]

Piping up with my perspective as someone with not DID, but OSDD-1b (which is essentially DID without dissociation between alters) - internal communication (that is, communication/conversation between alters through heard voices or otherwise that doesn't rely on external sound or tools) is a very common phenomenon, but there's also plenty of cases of systems who cannot communicate internally and have to talk to one another using external resources. (typically notebooks) Internal communication tends to be more common in systems who have been in therapy specifically catered towards systems, since that often aims to break down the dissociative barriers that often prevent such things.

[@VincentDraw]

It's kind of horrible to realize (after reading some of the comments from people studying psychology etc), that my country was having a huge case 10 years ago about keeping a patient extensively tied up to her bed for years. Something no one would believe in this time. Only 10 YEARS AGO, huge wtf. Eastern Europe at times is seriously depressing place to live in.

[@ninjaGrim1]

I do enjoy a nice video essay on video games

[@NgaMarsters]

hmm I might actually look into providing a example of providing a good content warning similar to what you discussed at 51:50.

[@woon6ah]

thank u for the video mert queen 💕💕💕💕

[@MertKayKay]

Thank you for being here Woon!

[@archivaltea3403]

No offence intended, but your accent perfectly lends itself to this type of video game criticism

[@MertKayKay]

I'll take what I can get!

[@takke9830]

I agree with your criticisms of the content and how it's depicted badly, however I really disagree with this notion that art has to baby ppl with sensitivity to difficult topics. If you seek out material with content warnings, what do you expect really? To some extent I feel like ppl are asking art to baby sit them and it just seems silly to me. resources like "does the dog die?" exist for a reason. but I don't think artists and developers have some paternal duty to baby ppl sensitive to content such as this. and I say that as someone who does rely on content warnings because of trauma. If i ignore the warning, that is then my own responsibility. I can't get mad at the creators for not giving me their story script to read through essentially just so I know if it'll trigger me. There is a line where responsibility moves to the consumer and I believe that this is it. Artists do not owe you paternalism. They do not owe you to hold your hand like you're a 12 year old. Most of these works are for adults for a reason. And the least ppl playing these games can do is take responsibility to some extent like an adult. You knew what you were getting into. You knew you could get triggered. where is that self criticism? Why is it all the developers responsibility? Seriously. this is why I can't stand all this performative moral grandstanding discourse anymore about media. Everything that isn't perfect and doesn't babysit the audience is deemed to be called out for being "problematic" or whatever while there is nuance to things actually being stigmatizing causing harm and ppl deeming the choice to focus on dark topics on it's own immoral as if art for adults can't be anything else other than peppa pig level "this is bad kids! don't do it!" like give me a break. We are adults. and we can't expect everyone making art to bend over backwards to perfectly cater to our personal sensibilities. Like darker topics. We aren't being tied down and forced to experience these things. Horror media is known well for being disturbing. and we know that from the start. So please stop dragging this: "you have to treat me and my sensibilities like I'm a toddler incapable of making any decitions! And don't you dare depict anything I find personally distasteful!" into reviews. I don't think it is adding anything. Hate me for that take if it upsets you but as an artist myself I can't stand ppl trying to restrict our works just cause they can't act like adults. If I make a horror centric work you cannot expect it to hold your hands the entire time and making sure you won't get upset. You signed up for it. you sat in the horror house rollercoaster knowing there's a bunch of scares there to surprise you and you consented to ride it. If you didn't enjoy your ride or if you got sick from it or whatever sure that sucks but nobody forced you in. you didn't know what scares are in there but you are aware that it's a horror coaster. You had agency and responsibility. and although you're ofc allowed to be upset for having a bad experience, you can't blame the ride operator after riding it for not telling you every scare you were going to get. And neither would it make sense to expect it beforehand cause it'd probably ruin the ride.

[@izznt]

"Guys , paraplegics are never gonna get out of those chairs if we don't get rid of ramps so they have to use the stairs" That's what you sound like to everyone who does understand what you don't.

[@sonofgotham3696]

this post is EXACTLY what ppl need to hear. it makes 0 sense to go into a horror game and expect to not be put off. I don't understand going into games like this and worrying about stigmas or making sure u arent offended. Like bro.. content warnings are literally made for ppl like her. Its not the artist's responsibility to make sure u aren't offended. And who TF wants a horror game to be so clean? There's other games for that. These folks aren't built for these types of games. Horror is ugly and that's what they intend to show, point blank period. They're looking wayyy too far into this.

[@takke9830]

@@sonofgotham3696 thank you!

[@takke9830]

@@izznt first of all, i‘m actually disables so f off with this ablist bs, second of all, no. It does not equate in any of this. It is HORROR MEDIA what do you not understand? And if you have trauma and triggers you are responsible fot them. I don‘t give a damn if that upsets you because as a disabled person with trauma I know how the fu*ing world works and content warnings are by far more of a help than most „accessibility“ in public spaces are. If you get triggered from literally everything get help. Be a fu*ing adult please! I beg you to take responsibility into your own hands. Art isn‘t for everyone. And if you seek out horror ignoring warnings you will be at fault if you get triggered. Stop trying to make every fu*king stranger be your damn baby sitter. Nobody is responsible for your own safety more than you yourself are. And if you can‘t handle this then go into a treatment clinic and get treated if you seriously can‘t handle anything. Your trauma is your reaponsibility. And warnings exist for a reason. Stfu and take care of yourself for once!

[@CraftianMods]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Masochisia. Another indie horror game, only a few hours long and yet it's the only game to ever get under my skin back when I played it around early 2016. It's... a lot.

[@-chippedstars-2889]

Sombra's ult callout took me so offguard ive been playing too much overwatch. I love your videos, especially the essays. I'm absolutely fascinated by medical history, but I think I'll pass this one, thank you for the actual warnings (better than LKA would ever do).

[@MertKayKay]

Sombras are the bane of my life (I play Zen). Who do you main? :D