Gaming the Mind Podcast

Listen to our panel at EGX 2019 about mental health advocacy in video games. There’s lots of interesting talk about how games can portray mental health well, the importance of games in raising mental health awareness, and also a whole lot about how the industry can improve and do more to take care of the people who create these games and put their own experiences into them.

We were joined by:

Vic Hood (games writer at TechRadar, runs the ReCharge group)

Marina Díez (game designer & developer of PTSD and Consent)

Rachel Clancy (developer of The Hero’s Guide To Gardening; Sky Women in Tech Scholar)

Laura Kate Dale (author of Uncomfortable Labels; games writer at LauraKBuzz.com)

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/gtm-episode-12.mp3

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gtm-episode-11.mp3

The release of Sega’s Yakuza spin-off Judgement was delayed on the PS4 after one of the game’s actors was caught in a cocaine scandal. It’s notable that as a result of this, multiple projects involving the actor in Japan were shelved or edited to remove him, and his career has been derailed.

In this episode, Don, Marcus and Sachin discuss cocaine use and the effects of cocaine. We also talk about the harsh penalty faced by this actor for his perceived indiscretion, but when we compare it to how western society treats drug users, we find harsh attitudes here, also. Drug use is a social justice issue disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.

We use the following sources:

Kotaku describes Japan’s harsh view on drugs (but are we any less harsh?) https://kotaku.com/why-japan-is-so-strict-about-drugs-1833286755

Kotaku reports on the actor’s arrest and subsequent fallout in terms of his projects https://kotaku.com/after-cocaine-arrest-sega-halts-sales-of-game-1833252934

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gtm-episode-10.mp3

[content warning – mentions of suicide]

In this episode Don, Marcus and Sachin discuss “games” which have variously been reported as the cause of suicides: but is there any known truth to such claims? We look at the phenomena of Blue Whale and the Momo Challenge – what they are, why ideas about them have spread, and what is the reality behind the scare stories. We then look at Doki Doki Literature club, which has been described in the media in a similar way to Blue Whale and Momo: again there is a lot of misreporting on this game, but there’s still a lot to say about the game’s depiction of suicide.

We also discuss the game Catherine, transphobia within the game, and whether there’s any right way to feel about it.

We read from the following sources:

School issues warning about Doki Doki Literature Club https://abc7chicago.com/education/gary-middle-school-issues-warning-about-popular-online-game/5129344/

Speaking to the artist behind Momo https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/03/06/national/social-issues/japanese-artist-behind-ghastly-creature-viral-momo-challenge-baffled-disturbing-hoax/

RTE describes the Momo challenge https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0225/1032886-just-what-is-the-momo-challenge/

An early report of Blue Whale https://news.sky.com/story/blue-whale-death-game-leaves-a-trail-of-misery-for-russian-families-10942187

An analysis of trans discrimination in Catherine: https://transgamersociologist.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/

Describing Blue Whale “hysteria” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-40960593

A skeptic’s view of Blue Whale: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/blue_whale_game/

(Sensitive content) The Daily Mail reports on Doki Doki Literature Club being linked to a suicide https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6214165/Parents-warned-sinister-manga-inspired-Doki-Doki-Literature-Club-suicide-dating-app.html

Violence in video games: does it cause violence in real life? And how do we morally feel about it? [content warning – mentions of suicide and shootings]

In this episode Don, Fai, Marcus and Sachin discuss a report of a bill in Pennsylvania that would increase tax on violent games, to raise money to keep schools safer. Is it a good idea? We discuss if there’s any evidence to justify such a tax. Then we talk about ways in which virtual violence could be wrong – from a moral perspective. Skip to 24:45 if you want to get straight into these topics.

Please note this episode was recorded long before the August 2019 Dayton and El Paso shootings.

We read from the following sources:

PA lawmakers debate video game ‘sin tax’ during state’s esports month: https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/pennsylvania-video-game-tax-1203128774/

Joakim Sandberg discusses the stresses and impacts of being lone developer: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-08-tearing-down-the-lone-developer-myth

This study by Andrew K. Przybylski and Netta Weinstein found no association between use of violent video games and aggressive behaviour in adolescents: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.171474

This xkcd comic beautifully illustrates the dangers of not saying ahead of time what your study is looking for: https://xkcd.com/882/

Disturbing clips were posted of a player attacking suffragettes in Read Dead Redemption 2: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/nov/07/red-dead-redemption-2-game-criticised-over-killing-of-suffragette

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/virtual-violence-22sin-tax22-and-morality.mp3

Can people develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following exposure to traumatic media? [content warning – trauma]

In this episode Don, Fai, Marcus and Sachin discuss a Kotaku report of a Mortal Kombat 11 developer who said they were diagnosed with PTSD after working on the game. We discuss the traumatic effects media might have, and also talk about Facebook content moderators who have also reported mental health issues after having to look at disturbing content.

We read from the following sources:

A developer of Mortal Kombat 11 discusses being diagnosed with PTSD: https://kotaku.com/id-have-these-extremely-graphic-dreams-what-its-like-t-1834611691

Facebook content moderators discuss the disturbing content they deal with: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/25/18229714/cognizant-facebook-content-moderator-interviews-trauma-working-conditions-arizona

And we look at the Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry, specifically the chapter “The Unintended Consequences of Disaster-Related Media Coverage” by Pauline Lubens, and E. Alison Holman. The studies we mention are covered in this chapter.

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/gtm-episode-8.mp3

Wraith in Apex Legends hears a mysterious voice that helped her unlock her powers and tells her what will happen in the future. So is she mentally unwell? Who decides?

In this episode Don, Sachin, Fai and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss characters who hear voices: Wraith from Apex Legends, Legion from X-Men, and Lain from Serial Experiments Lain. What do they have in common? The voices are real! So are they mentally unwell, and why they still portrayed with mental illness tropes? And what does “real” mean anyway?

We read from the following sources:

About Legion the FX show: https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/marvel-legion-tackled-mental-illness-with-intelligence.html

About biblical Legion: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23858255

About how different cultures view “hallucinations”: https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/40/Suppl_4/S213/1874317

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/gtm-episode-7.mp3

[content warning – this episode features mentions of suicide and abuse within the context of the game Yume Nikki]

In this episode Don, Fai, Andrew and Sachin (mental health doctors) and Hammy (medical student) discuss the experimental horror game Yume Nikki and use that as a base to discuss the Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori, and what dreams say about our minds.

Read more about Yume Nikki here https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-horrifying-legacy-of-yume-nikki-the-homebrew-game-that-became-a-phenomenon/

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/gtm-episode-6.mp3

In this episode Sachin, Don, and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss:

– Gamer burnout: What is burnout and can you experience burnout from video games? (check out this article for more https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/mby89y/millennial-burnout-gamers ). They also discuss this article on millennial burnout: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gtm-episode-5.mp3

In this episode Sachin, Don, Fai (mental health doctors), and Hammy (medical student) discuss:

– Celeste: how does it portray anxiety in main character Madeline and how is the game’s attitude to mental health reflected in its design? (Check out this article that describes how a tough game like Celeste can be soothing: www.polygon.com/2018/2/8/16961386/celeste-stress )

They also discuss difficult games in general, and how “easy modes” are sometimes viewed negatively.

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gtm-episode-4.mp3

[cw – suicide]

In this episode Sachin, Don (mental health doctors), and Hammy (medical student) discuss:

– Silent Hill 2: how does it use symbolism to portray trauma and mental health issues, and does it do a good job? (see article www.inverse.com/article/27660-sil…nami-pyramid-head for more)

They then discuss games where all players work together for a common goal, and what exactly is the essence of a Metroidvania game.

We’re all a bit ill for this recording and so we discussed what is the chicken soup of games – the game you play when you’re not feeling well.

Also mentioned was the Hooked Exhibition, which remains open till January 6th (london.sciencegallery.com/news/hooked)

https://gamingthemind.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gtm-episode-3.mp3