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17 games that help you understand depression and mental health

Mental illnesses are often a burden for those affected, which can affect many areas of their life, whether work, relationship or privacy. For outsiders, these difficulties can be difficult to comprehensible.

Also in many video games psychic health is discussed in one or the other kind. This does not always happen in the best way, not infrequently, clichés and stigmata are replicated especially in horror titles. Some games have also made themselves the goal of discussing mental illness not only differentiated, but also for persons who are unaffected by themselves.

Of course, this is artistic interpretations and no game can cover the entire spectrum of a disease, but the following titles create the difficulties of depression, anxiety and other diseases.

Content warning: The articles of Mental Health Week deal with different aspects of mental health and sometimes include examples of negative emotions and unhealthy behaviors that can cause negative reactions in some people. Please be careful with texts that potentially contain triggering topics for you.

* Important note: * If you have depression or self-destructive thoughts: you are not al1. Please get help. For example, in the German Depression Help under 0800/33 44 533 or free advice centers.

Games about depression, anxiety and mental health

Celeste

That's why it's about: In Celeste, Protagonist Madeline tries to climb the name-giving Mount Celeste, but must put on the way but always her self-doubt. The crisp Jump & Run passages demand us a lot of skill, but thanks to assist mode but also suitable for platformer newcomers.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health around: Madeline suffers from Anxiety and self-doubts, which are displayed in the game of a dark mirror version of it. She does not have to defeat her inner demons simply, but rather learn to close peace with them. Moments such as Madelines panic attacks in which we have to hold a pen in balance so they can calm down, make their experiences experienced.

Why Madeline's challenges make you a great protagonist, describes our Author David Whey here:

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Celestes Madeline shows: We should close peace with ourselves

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Night in The Woods

  • Genre: Adventure
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, PC
  • Mental Health topics: Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Abuse

It's about it: As a 20-year-old Mae we return to our hometown after we stopped studying. Here she does not just have to try to build on her old life and ancient friendships, but also to fathom the mysteries of the city.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health around: Night in The Woods addresses the difficulties of growing up. Mae feels aimless and alienated from her old friends, who all have to fight with their own problems. Only gradually, the characters come back to each other and learn to trust. Night in The Woods does not want to heal anyone through the power of friendship, but shows that it can help not be alone with their own problems.

You can learn more about the game here:

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Night in The Woods combines sadness and humor perfectly

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Psychonauts 2

  • Genre: Platformer
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, PC
  • Mental Health topics: Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis, Addiction

It's about it: In the Platformer Psychonauts 2 we slip into the role of supernaturally gifted RAZ, who could fulfill his dream to join the psychonaut. The secret organization can penetrate into the heads of people to seek information there, or solve mental problems. In order to find a mole of psychonauts, RAZ also has to jump back into different mental worlds and solve puzzles and platform passages here.

This is how the game with Mental Health is about: Psychonauts 2 Publisher The constitution of the characters through their mental worlds. In the head of a character suffering from anxiety, we have to complete a gameshow under time pressure or defeat a panic attack in the form of a monster by slowing it.

More about how psychonauts 2 mental illnesses with empathy wants to make tangible, is here:

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So Psychonauts makes 2 psychological problems playable

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fractured minds

Genre: Puzzle Adventure Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, PC Mental Health topics: Anxiety, Depression, Paranoia

That's why it's: Fractured Minds is a short puzzle game in which we seem to fulfill simple tasks to advance. But even simple activities like opening a door can be battle if we just do not find the right key. The game wants to show how it can feel to live with mental illness and how the perception of the world can be distorted by them.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health: Fractured Minds was created by the then 17-year-old developer Emily Mitchell, who even suffers from heavier Anxiety and wanted to make this feeling understandable in a game. Fractured Minds leads us through six short chapters, which shed through one aspect of psychic disease such as paranoia or anxiety by distorting everyday places and actions to distorted images.

Child of Light

  • Genre: Roleplay
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, PC
  • Mental Health topics: Depression, grief

It's about it: The 2D-RPG tells in fairytale verses the history of the young Princess Aurora, who ends up after the loss of her mother in a kind of dream world and save a kingdom. On the way she meets new companions, denies round-based battles against monsters and grows in their duties.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health: Child of Light deals with grief and depression presented by a fairy-style deep sleep, in which the princess after the death of her mother expires. In a kind of dream world, the girl has to learn to believe in itself and to cope with her grief.

What Remains of Edith Finch

  • Genre: Walking Simulator
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, PC
  • Mental Health topics: Depression, Anxiety, Paranoid Schizophrenia

That's why it's about: In the Walking Simulator What Remains of Edith Finch we explore the now abandoned house of the Finch family and find out how to find out what was from the individual members of our family. Because they all died of unnatural death, which keeps the family for a curse.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health: Edith Finch never appeals directly to Mental Health, because though many of the characters suffer from different diseases such as depression, paranoia and trauma, none of the family members understand something about it. They believe that premature deaths are a curse.

Instead, we learn more about the problems of the characters by reorganizing the minutes, days or even months before their deaths: about Walter, who, after the trauma about the death of his sister 30 years in the basement or Lewis, who is completely in daydreaming Loses to escape the monotony of his work in the fish factory.

Gris

  • Genre: Platformer
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS
  • Mental Health Topics: Trauma, Loss

It's about it: In the platformer Gris we control the name-giving heroine through a 2D world in the hand-drawn watercolor look, releasing platform puzzles and experience an emotional story without dialogues. In the course of the plot we learn new skills and bring color back to the world.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health: In Gris, we go through the five phases of mourning after the protagonist has suffered a severe loss. At the beginning of the game, Gris loses her voice and the world around her is gray and drag. Only gradually, we can bring color back to the world and give Gri's voice as she learns to process and accept her loss.

Disco Elysium

  • Genre: Roleplay
  • Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, PC
  • Mental Health topics: Trauma, Depression

Therefore: In Disco Elysium we should investigate a murder case as a detective with alcohol problem. This is not just easier to suffer from amnesia and have lost our service weapon. So we explore the open city of Revachol, holes NPCs to climbs and dive into the abysses of the human soul. Incidentally, struggles are none, our actions have a certain opportunity to succeed according to our abilities and are erased.

This is how the game goes with Mental Health: Disco Elysium treats all kinds of serious topics such as racism, murder or sexual violence, but also places us in front of the weaknesses of our detectives: the drug abuse, the underlying trauma and depression. There is no easy way to complete with these problems and sets setbacks as well as in reality.

More games about Mental Health:

  • Life is Strange: True Colors (Themes: Trauma, Loss)
  • Sea of Solitude (topics: Loneliness)
  • Dear Esther (topics: Depression, Suicide)
  • Limbo (topics: grief)
  • Child Words (Topics: Different)
  • The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne (topics: Anxiety)
  • Actual Sunlight (topics: depression)
  • Depression Quest (Topics: Depression)
  • When The Dark Comes (topics: Depression, Anxiety)

There are more articles from our mental health theme week here :

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Games that do mental health right more on the subject

Themed Week Mental Health: What awaits you & all articles in the overview

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Of course, no video game can replace professional help or communication with those affected. This merely is to make the challenges of mental illness tangible, so they were interested in understanding a little better and affected can feel seen.

And if you just want to make a bit more encouraging content, you will find our list with playing here, which just make good mood.

An important request: Since our articles from the Mental Health Week are more sensitive topics that have partially requested us a lot while writing, we ask you for a friendly and understanding comment culture at this point. Thank you and have fun reading!

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