Games that are challenging to engage with

[Skunkworks]

After the recent stream of A Night in the Woods, I've been reflecting on games that are not only captivating and well-crafted, but also emotionally draining. Whenever games require an emotional investment, it allows for such amazing storytelling. The characters become so vivid and relatable. I find that I really want to play these games, but often I just don't have the energy to do it, and they get pushed to the backburner. I don't think I have the ability to play That Dragon, Cancer.

On a similar note, I'm also reading Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, a comic about the author's time working in the Canadian oil industry. The story centers on a young woman who is economically displaced to a male dominated work environment. Many of the experiences are very tough to read, and much like aNitW stay in your mind long after you've put the book down. Unlike most books, which I put down only as I'm drifting to sleep, I sometimes put this one down earlier.

In both of these examples, the stories require more than casual engagement. They are both enriching and exhausting. While there are completely different in many ways, they trigger the same part of my brain.

[The Grimace]

I appreciate emotionally engaging games, but in most cases, I need to be in a certain "mood" for them to appreciate them. Often times, games like this tend to be on the longer side. Being able to plan out times to play these kinds of games in a good head space and for periods of time long enough to absorb the message is important to the overall experience, too.

One game I think worth talking about in this respect is Doki Doki Literature Club. I think most people here know the basic premise of the game, but for those that do not, DDLC looks like a happy-go-lucky platonic dating sim game on the surface but quickly goes into heavy subject matter, using game coding and the narrative to make an immersive experience for the player, turning into a horror title.

I got to the first death of the game and had to shut it off. DDLC is extremely popular with its fans and I would love to enjoy it as well, but I don't have the mental fortitude to go through a game with such constant depressing themes and topics. Even only playing DDLC for the short amount of time I did, I found its approach to be quite brilliant and effective, but as much as I'd like to see what everyone raves about, that game is too heavy for me. I had to stare into the wall in silence for an hour to get my bearings back and immediately made the decision not to play more because that short experience was so intense for me.

... As an aside, this is a good time to bring up the importance of comic relief. Even if comic relief can fall flat, I'm very thankful for it so that games don't become constant trudges into depression. It's good to have heavy stories to tell, but it's also imperative for people like me to have breaks from constant tension.

[Althena]

Great thread, Skunkworks.

I feel pretty strongly about anything that elicits an emotional reaction from me. Whether it be games, movies, music or any other type of media- My favorites are ones that can make me feel, whether that be happy, sad, angry, whatever. I want it to hurt, because that's how I know it means something. I like media that makes me cry. There's something there that I had to see, to learn a lesson from.