Void Heart: The Experience of Otherness in Hollow Knight

Void Heart: The Experience of Otherness in Hollow Knight

Those who know me well understand that I dearly love insects and other creepy crawlies, enjoy Dark Souls 1 and Super Metroid more than most games in existence, and have a deep and abiding appreciation for cute things. So, when I first played Hollow Knight, a Metroid-like game with an isolated and moody atmosphere and a fabulously cute art style, where all the characters are bugs, I had high expectations. Even so, I was blown away. It’s a fantastic game; fun to play, fun to watch, and fun to think about. There are story and thematic elements, though, that I think will miss a lot of its audience, but caught me square in the chest. Spoilers for the game will follow below.

[Editor’s note: No, really, spoilers are in the next paragraph. —Zora] (more…)

Mental Illness in Video Games: Doki Doki Literature Club and The Cat Lady

Mental Illness in Video Games: Doki Doki Literature Club and The Cat Lady

Content warning for discussion of depression, self-harm, and suicide. This article is dedicated to Marissa, who kindly gave me the games.

Mental illness is a complicated thing. People affected by it don’t need me to explain that. As society is becoming more open about discussing mental health issues, it’s important we look at another facet: the portrayal of mentally ill people in media. Often, it’s not great. Instead of being compassionate and accurate, we get harmful stereotypes and misinformation about certain illnesses. Luckily, there have been good depictions in media recently, such as Ilana from Broad City finding unique (and humorous) ways of dealing with her seasonal depression. (more…)

Being Sayori: Doki Doki Literature Club and Understanding My Mental Health

Contains spoilers for Doki Doki Literature Club and discussion of self-harm, depression, anxiety, and suicide.

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Why I Game: Gaming Helps Me Manage My Mental Illness

Why I Game: Gaming Helps Me Manage My Mental Illness

When I finished playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, I began considering why I game so much. My gaming has especially picked up since I left my PhD program to write and moved across the country to where my husband is doing his graduate work. I’ve dedicated over 150 hours into Breath of the Wild. I’ve played the first 13 chapters of Path of Radiance at least four times. I’ve beaten New Super Mario Bros. U, played through most of the first Pikmin and Pokemon Sun, upgraded my house fully in Animal Crossing, played all the levels in Pokemon Snap, and seen the betrayal in Tales From The Borderlands. Among other games, of course, and not even counting all the board games and phone games I’ve been playing. (Check out my new favorite phone game if you haven’t already!) I’ve gamed more in the past few months than I have in years.

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