One of the main reasons I wanted to do a game based around mental health is to raise awareness for younger people, to show that mental health issues don’t mean the end and that they can be overcome with help.
Celeste was one of my main inspirations for the idea, it is a 2D pixel art game that is based around the developers struggles with mental health issues. (Clayton, N. 2020), and the game itself is about the protagonist’s own battle with their mental health issues. It is based around the protagonist, Madeline’s, climbing a mountain whilst battling with her inner demons to reach the top. It tells an engaging and emotional story of Madeline’s struggle to come to terms with her issues, which in turn spawns a dark manifestation of her inner self which tries to stop Madeline from reaching the mountains summit. But as time goes on, Madeline shows that she isn’t going to stop, and she continues up the mountain despite the dangers she will face.
I think it is an excellent game that shows no matter what a person is going through, things can be overcome with determination and the resolve to continue forward regardless of not knowing where you may end up.
From the research I did in my proposal document, (See here) it shows that younger people are less aware of the issues that they may be facing than adults. And even when they realise there is an issue, sometimes it can be too late for them to do something about it. And this is why I wanted to create a game based around mental health, to show that having mental problems doesn’t mean that you can’t live your life. I want to try raising more awareness to a younger generation, from which the research I undertook showed that many of these issues materialise from the ages of 12-24.
I have suffered from mental health issues in my time, and it took me a while to realise that I had them. And until I could admit it to myself, then there wasn’t really anything that could be done about it. Any number of people can tell you that you need help, but until you can admit this to yourself then you won’t be able to move on.
REFERENCES:
(Clayton, N. 2020), Celeste creator confirms that yes, Madeline is trans, [online], PC Gamer, Available at: <https://www.pcgamer.com/celeste-creator-confirms-that-yes-madeline-is-trans/>, [Accessed 14 January 2021].
(Steam, 2018), Celeste, [online], Steam Store, Available at: <https://store.steampowered.com/app/504230/Celeste/>, [Accessed 14 January 2021].
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