We’re one year old! How time flies.
So, it’s been a year since I published my first article on the site. We’ve come so far since then. I got to talk to some amazing developers as a press member at EGX, I met some of you guys, we have over 1,800 views and nearly 1000 unique visitors. 50 articles, dozens of comments and a small dent made into the stigma surrounding mental health in the gaming community.
Thank you all for your support. It means the world to me that I get to do this every week. So to say thank you, I reached out for some questions from you guys and well… here are the answers! Stay safe everyone.
What is your favourite psychological trope/story in video games? And your least favourite? (@AgtFLAMINGO314)
Surprisingly for a computing student, I’m not a fan of how video games tackle Artificial Intelligence. Gaming as an industry has just beaten the life out of the question “can machines feel?”, to the point where it makes me wince to see it. We get it, you want to stay up to date with technology. But they just don’t understand how it works – it just goes into a revolution story that feels half hearted and forced.
I also hate when games depict those with mental illnesses as “unstable” or “dangerous”. It’s calmed down a lot more recently but there are still the occasional characters in games that make me want to pull my hair out because WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT. Our mental illnesses do not make us any less human and if one more developer turns someone with PTS into a serial killer, I’m going to become one myself. (Yes, I see the irony.)
Favourite trope? When it comes to psychology, I have always been fascinated with the thinking behind mythology. How those stories come to form beliefs and understanding, to create entire communities dedicated to its worship and understanding. Any game that tackles those beliefs, that challenges them and makes them all the stronger from it, is good with me. As it shows how we as a species can grow and adapt, whilst holding on to what makes us unique.
Either that or social psychology. Compliance and conformity especially, hence why one of the games series I have a soft spot for is the Orwell games. Dystopian future or not, the power of social influence cannot be denied.
Other than games, what do you find most helpful when relaxing? I.e. books, films or music etc, and any favourites? (@Ode_Ollie)
Often, what I do whilst relaxing will vary dependent on what kind of mood I’m in. Mostly, I tend to do various tasks that involve using my hands. Be that building LEGO, drawing, writing something or even cleaning, I like to physically do something and be able to see the results.
The rest of the time, music is a big relaxation tool for me. If I’m at home, then I grab my guitar and try strumming along to whatever I’m listening to. Otherwise, I have set playlists built up. Be it drowning out the negative thoughts, reliving warm memories associated with specific tunes or just allowing myself to think over the actions of the day, my noise cancelling headphones have become a major support mechanism to me.
Plus, reading is my jam. I’m a big book worm. Regardless of mood, a good book is something I can always lose myself in.
Do you know how many of us, as well as your work, have helped? (@Ode_Ollie)
I will never really be able to comprehend how my work has impacted people, because I barely understand how it has changed my life as it is. However, whether my articles have reached one person or dozens of people, I don’t regret starting the site. Any difference I can make, is worth the effort.
1 YEAR W H A T??? (@RupertLitterbin)
I know right? I got an email from WordPress the other day congratulating me on the anniversary of creating my site and nearly dropped my phone on the floor. So much has happened in the 365 days since I published that first piece. I left EGX Rezzed last year, determined to start my own site and to open those channels of communication with my fellow gamers. To see how far I have come, with the amazing support of those around me, is insane. I’m probably in the Matrix. That’d explain it.
How do you deal with crowds of people at events like EGX and other conventions, especially with travelling to and from said events? (@MaxVelocity7)
Anxiety is a major issue when it comes to being able to attend gaming conventions such as EGX and Rezzed. Crowds are always going to be there. On the journey there, during the day itself, on your way home at night, even when you’re hunting for something to eat or queueing for the bathroom! Personally, I’ve never liked crowds anyways, so London isn’t on my list of favourite places to be, especially during the busier times. Heck, I don’t like going out in Cardiff during game day because I know just how insanely hectic it’ll be.
However, I can’t avoid crowds forever no matter how hard I try, so I’ve got my coping mechanisms for dealing with them. Let me lay out some of my techniques for you:
- Plan The Journey – Know exactly what train you are getting, what time it leaves, what route it takes, what stops you get off at and so on. If you’re getting the Tube, make a note of the line you are taking and what direction it’s going so you can get to your platform without getting lost in the crowd. Put it in a note on your phone, for the way there and the way back, so you have one less thing to worry about.
- Have Distractions – I have my noise cancelling headphones. As noise is a big anxiety stimulant for me, they act as a barrier between myself and the stressors, as well as being a big indicator to people to LEAVE ME ALONE. Some of my friends have stress balls or putty that they fiddle with. Others have wristbands. Find what makes you feel safe and bring it with you.
- Quiet Spaces – Thankfully, conventions are getting the message that quiet spaces are needed so those who get overwhelmed can decompress somewhere safe. They are not always marked on the little map they give you, but they tend to be in small tents/past a curtain or doorway, with beanbags and spaces to sit in the quiet. Don’t feel bad if you need to use it. You deserve to enjoy the convention to and if you need time out, take it.
- Friends – If possible, meet up or go with a friend. One that is aware of your anxiety and can act as your bodyguard from crowds when everything gets too busy. Make sure you define a signal or a phrase that’ll alert your friend if you aren’t okay and don’t feel bad if you can’t cope with everything all the time. They’d much rather have fun with you, than be playing alone. Trust me.
- Breaks – Giving yourself time out is so important. Conventions are insanely busy, hectic, over-stimulating and anxiety inducing. It’s easier to handle if you take regular, short breaks. Be that getting lunch, a coffee or just sitting down for a bit. Decompress and relax. You deserve it.
Favourite piece you’ve written so far? (@Fr0do_Baggins)
Hmm. Favourite piece so far. Considering I’ve written fifty articles now, which is an insane number to say the least, to choose my favourite is easy. It’s got to be the piece I wrote on GRIS, which was my favourite game of 2019 in the end. A short, beautiful experience whose soundtrack can bring me to tears if I’m in a mindset. You lose yourself completely in the experience and experience the protagonist’s journey as your own. There’s a reason why it is also the longest article I’ve written for the site thus far. However, as amazing as the game is, that’s not the reason why it is my favourite article.
GRIS was a journey. A journey of grief, loss and depression. It is one that I am very familiar with and one I think a lot of us will be forced to take during this current crisis. It was especially key to me working through my own grief, as I played the game and wrote the article about a month after the death of my grandfather. I still feel that ache of loss when I see finches on the bird feeders or butterflies fluttering around the buddleia, but it is no longer that painful stab that it was before. GRIS helped me understand the difference between torturing myself with my memories and keeping them as reminders of who Papa was to me.
What would be your desert island games? If you had to choose 8 and only those eight to play again, what would they be and why? (@Ode_Ollie)
Haven’t thought about the desert island scenario in a long time, so this is a good question! Here’s my list for you, off the top of my head:
- Animal Crossing – They’ve always been my go-to relaxation games, which means that I associate it with a sense of calm and peacefulness that I don’t always get in my daily life.
- Professor Layton (Miracle Mask) – As much as I’d love all the games in the series to come with me, that’d take up the entire list so instead, I’ve gone for my favourite of the main storyline, with cutscenes and a storyline that still make me well up on the 50th playthrough.
- The Walking Dead (Telltale) – CLEMENTINE IS MY PRECIOUS BADASS CHILD, NEED I SAY MORE?
- Assassins Creed Syndicate – The Frye twins are all I aspire to be in life, if I was more flexible and in greater physical condition. Also, I have the same reaction as Evie to a dress.
- Spiderman PS4 – I just love being able to swing around the city and the combat is so satisfying to chain together with the aerial movement. It’s like a beautiful ballet of violence.
- Octopath Traveller – Honestly, I just love the game. Being able to jump between all the character’s stories and to punch ginormous pixel art bosses in the face with my PET SNOW LEOPARD, is satisfying as all hell.
- Stories Untold – Essentially my favourite storytelling experience of all time, especially for the text adventure fan within me.
- Spyro The Dragon – 99% of my childhood memories are tied to this game. I still play the original with my mum from time to time. We’ve 100%’d the first five games (before it went all fighter combos) at least 30 times.
The best thing about creating MindGames? The hardest thing about it? (@Ode_Ollie)
Best thing? Oh, that’s an easy one. It’s the community behind it. I never expected the outpouring of support that I have received from everyone. The fascinating insights and points that you all take from my writing, often astound me, as they aren’t things that I thought of at the time. Honestly, your comments and responses often make my writing seem a lot better than it is 😛
Hardest thing? I think it is talking about my mental health. Ironically, encouraging conversations about mental health and supporting one another, is why I made the site in the first place, but when it comes to my own mindset, I often feel ashamed or insecure. That’s exactly the feeling I’m trying to tackle, so it’s always a bit of an internal struggle when I’m writing about topics closer to my heart.
How can you do so much and continuously create the most wonderful content and be this amazing a person and not let the quality slide? (@Ode_Ollie)
First off, you’re an absolute angel. You have supported me tirelessly since the birth of Mind Games and I can never thank you enough for that. Also, my LEGO Statue of Liberty looks great, thank you again for that. Hopefully the world looks favourably on us at some point in the future and we can hang out!
I’ve always understood my greatest enemy is my own mind. Being busy is my main method of coping, of being able to manage that anxiety and those negative thoughts that linger at the back of my mind. Especially at this key point in my life, with my graduation and starting a job and finding a place to live, plus all the usual young adult drama that comes with it, having something to distract you is so important.
Part of that distraction is routine, and I’ve managed to cement Mind Games into that routine. It gives me a chance, once a week to speak candidly about how I am feeling, how the game of choice touched me on a personal level and to connect with you all as best I can. Personally, I’m rarely “happy” with my articles, as I set myself very high standards. However, if I feel an article isn’t of the quality, I expect from myself, then I don’t release it.
Trust me, there are so many drafts and redrafts in my documents folder, including pieces on games that I never actually released. I refuse to let quality slide because the point behind Mind Games was to create a space for us to talk about these issues and to find that representation that we don’t always see. I won’t sacrifice that community for the sake of viewership from quick and easy articles.
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Thank you all for the questions and for reading this far down! We’ve come a long way. Thank you. So much.
CaitlinRC.