Depression Quest, by Zoe Quinn, is a video game playable on browser. It is a piece of media designed to, as the article “Writing New Bodies” puts it, “give readers the chance to analyze and accept their emotions and thoughts with relation to a fictional character” Nair et al., by playing as a young adult struggling with depression. The player must make decisions about work, life and relationships while also keeping their mental health in check, seen at the bottom of the screen as a status update after each decision. As the player progresses through the game, various choices may be unlocked or blocked off entirely depending on how the main character’s mental health is doing, simulating how depression symptoms can shut off one’s ability to function. Throughout Depression Quest, the player has a choice to make. Will the protagonist stay isolated with their depression or will they reach out to people around them for help? This choice is pivotal in the protagonist’s recovery, and if given the right help from their friends and family, can recover throughout the course of the game. However if this help isn’t given, the protagonist will spiral further into depression, implying rightly so that one, isolation can occur even when one is surrounded by other people and that two, isolation can be a powerful factor in mental health. 

Link to Depression Quest: 

http://www.depressionquest.com/