News Hellblade

[Go Hungry]

Hey, it looks like there is a video game in development that is trying to convey the effects of mental illness through the gameplay. A viking woman who watched her family die is trying to function despite suffering from severe psychosis and PTSD. From reading the development interviews it looks like the creators were trying to avoid sensationalism and consulting with a lot of psychiatric professionals.

I guess I should put a bit of a trigger warning here because the video trailer sorta made me cry.. But it looks really interesting. I was always thinking that eventually games would try to tackle serious issues as the industry matured. Looks like somebody is giving it a shot.

Hellblade E3 trailer.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

FWIW I didn't find anything in it triggering, in case others are wondering whether to watch it or not.

I'm sort of on the fence on this one. I think its good to get issues out there and understood by the masses. But, on the other hand, its a game, a fantasy....how much of fantasy world would actually translate into people understanding mental illness? That is, people know a game isn't real, so would this actually help much in having real world mental illness be understood?

 

[Go Hungry]

I see your point... I was hoping that if possibly some people could sympathize with a character who is ill, then it might lead them to be more considerate of those who are ill. Little stimuli can have a subtle yet big impact sometimes.

Plus I've just always wondered about this sort of thing. If there was a way that media could give, not an accurate depiction, but a solid metaphorical representation of mental illness. (not sure if this is one, exactly.)

And the trailer doesn't really state one way or the other, but there is a possibility that every part of that fantasy world is depicted as "just" a part of her delusions. I think it would be neat, if what we were really seeing was the story of an ill woman trying to make it through the wilderness toward help, and all of this horrifying stuff is only happening in her perceptions.

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on it... :)