Fantastical Learning

Introduction- Fantasy & Therapy

Depression Quest is an interactive story game developed by Zoë Quinn and written by Quinn and Patrick Lindsey. It is available on platforms such as Linux, Microsoft Windows, MacOS and was created on February 14, 2013. The game was created with the intention of demonstrating what depression is truly like. It gives players the opportunity to play as someone who is living with depression and place themselves in their shoes. Players can play through various scenarios that allow them to see what depression is really like first-hand by going to therapy, handling relationships and attempting to reach out to loved ones about the struggles that the main character is facing.  The work interacts with players by allowing them to navigate through depression and pick the options they see most convenient to the main character. Throughout the course of the game though, options start being crossed off and becoming limited and there are less and less options to look from. Options begin to become limited with the intention of showcasing what depression is really like. The work connects to the theme “Fantasy in Therapy” because this work of fiction was done with the intention of spreading awareness and is able to reach out to players who are facing depression and showing them that there are always options even if some are “crossed off” or simply aren’t visible to the person struggling.

Everything is going to be Ok is an interactive story created on October 17, 2017 (There are many sites that state different dates)  by Nathalie Lawhead. It is available on various platforms such as itch.io, GameJolt, Indiegames.com, PC Gamer, Wired, Steam, Microsoft Windows, and MacOS. The game is recognized as an interactive “’zine” because of its unique formatting and style. It utilizes a collection of different “happy” elements like bright colors and an “aesthetic design” with the intention of underlying dark topics like depression. There is no specific way or order to play it, and there aren't direct options to choose from. The options in this game are more like pathways and every image you click on its 2000 computer-like design will show you a different path. Everything will be OK showcases itself as a dark comedy but as the players continue to interact with it its dark themes begin to unravel. Although its themes are not fiction, its use of bunnies and fantasy characters make it a work of fiction and fantasy, and its dark themes being shown through happy and vibrant colors show the struggles of depression, and its demonstration of the idea that not everything is what it seems correlates to the way mental health can be, by showing how therapy can be seen in interactive works of fantasy.

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