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• 1 2023-12-04T15:16:47+00:00 Depression Quest 12 Page 2 visual_path 2023-12-04T21:02:24+00:00
  

  The mechanics and interactive form throughout the interactive story game "Depression Quest" consists of limited options that lead to different pathways and endings. Throughout Depression Quest, players are forced to choose between the options the author lays out for them. The author crossed out the better options the player may want to pick. These crossed yet readable options give the player new ideas but do not allow the players to pick them, which correlates to little agency. As stated in Adventure Games: Playing the Outsider (referring to walking simulators), "Their stories lack any player agency; they simply make you trudge from destination to destination to pick up nuggets of story." (Reed et al 122) and that is precisely how Depression Quest feels. Players are given the list of options but are only allowed to pick a few, sometimes even just one, which directs the player specifically towards one path, taking them from different sequences but only permitting them to choose specific nuggets of the story, even though you can encounter different paths. However, this is an accurate representation of what mental health is like. A person may have multiple different paths available but may only feel worthy of picking a certain one even if they acknowledge their other options are still present. The interactive game Depression Quest is a work of fiction created to spread awareness and reach out to players who are facing depression and show them that there are always options, even if some are "crossed off" or aren't visible to the person struggling.