“The way I see it, the Mountain can’t bring out anything that isn’t already in you.” This quote is from the 2018 MattMakesGames hit indie platformer, Celeste. Celeste is a 2D platformer, in which you play as the young adult Madeline, a character who struggles with depression and anxiety as she strives to achieve her personal goal of climbing the mysterious Celeste mountain. The tight controls, extremely challenging yet rewarding platforming, and a beautiful score, enhance a journey about facing the anxious and/or depressed part of oneself.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five American adults live with mental illness (Parker 2019). As video gaming has become more popular, research on the impact of gaming on mental health has flourished. In the past, most research on video games’ effects on mental health has been on pathological gaming and games’ increasing players’ aggression. These studies were flawed by internal inconsistencies and a singular focus on the negative impact of gaming (Jones 2014). Recently, new studies have looked at the positive cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social benefits of playing games. Today, numerous research institutes have started developing therapy games to help treat symptoms of mental illness such as depression (Granic 2014).
Video games are a powerful media platform because players role play a character and interact in their world with a storyline as a backbone. Since, according to Kelli Dunlap, twenty-four percent of video games portray at least one mentally ill character, the link between players and characters is even more important. This paper will explore the innovative approach Celeste takes to mental health representation in video games by making the game appeal to a mass audience, and also crafting a narrative indicating that anxiety and depression are not just villains, but can also be the hero.
About the presenterLauren Suna
I am an Emerging Media major, an interdisciplinary program that combines studies in Computer Science, Media Production, and Strategic Communications, at Ithaca College. As someone who has been a technology enthusiast for all my life, I have a passion for exploring how people interact with technology and how technology has impacted society on a global level. My professional goal is to research and create meaningful and interactive experiences through various forms of technology and media.