mithical

Another great read, Alex. I feel like there's a little something every gamer can do to help dispel the image of the socially awkward gamer, and that's simply letting others know. If you meet someone and they cringe when it comes up that you're gamer, take the time to talk to them about it and let them see for themselves just how far off the stereotype is. Not being a dick while you're online helps too.

Alex Navarro writing something positive about video games! Didn't know he had it in him. This was a good read.

@DeadSpace said:

"was largely interpreted as furry fandom. (Try to keep that out of the comments?)"

What's wrong with furries? Why can't we allow for people to have all kinds of personal expression? Like, I get that you're trying to keep people from deriding the game because of the aesthetic and I'm on board with that too, but maybe the way to solve it isn't to try to stop conversation about it but instead to foster an adult dialogue about diversity.

That's fine, but this article is mostly about the writing process behind Dust and not about the art style. Having that discussion would be off-topic and could easily derail this entire comment section, given it tends to be a controversial issue. I'm sure that discussion is taking place elsewhere on the internet or even Giant Bomb. You can always start it even if it isn't. Just don't start it here.

If you've already decided you'll play this game in the future, I recommend not reading the article (or listening to the GotY podcast). There's minor spoilers which admittedly won't ruin the game for you, but I think you'll have a better experience if you just dive in.

EDIT: Also, with regard to those Fidget comparison pictures, I feel the need to point out Fidget's line of dialogue there is a good example of the sense of humor you can expect from that character. The use of that screenshot is the perfect example of how the art style distracts some people from the merits of the game.

AMAZING

These are awesome! More!

@Bwast said:

I have dysthymia and major depression. I was in therapy and taking Pristiq for over a month but I dropped everything at the start of this month because I'm an idiot. Now I just lay in my room all day and do nothing. All of my friends have stopped calling me because I told them about my depression and now they tiptoe around me as if one wrong word will slit my wrists, and my parents are anything but understanding. It's a scene, man.

Have you tried talking to them about it? A lot of people want to be helpful and accommodating but honestly just don't know how. Let them know you're still you and they shouldn't act like such goddamn strangers. Let them know the things they can do to help. I think you should give it a shot.

@CaptainCody said:

What happens if you can no longer receive your medication? Is your happiness even real or just a figment created by a drug?

Your brain has neural transmitters called serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (referred to together as monoamines), that regulate things like reactions to stress, your appetite, sleepiness, your sex drive, and most importantly your emotions. For some people, there is an inherent imbalance of monoamines that interferes with one's emotions. Antidepressants work to correct this imbalance and effectively stabilize everything the monoamines govern. Basically what the medication does is let you feel happiness, not make you feel it. Asking someone on antidepressants if their happiness is real is like asking someone with a hip replacement if their ability to move is real. ''Well that's silly, I can see them moving!' you might say. Aha! Therein lies the reason why there is still stigma surrounding mental health even today; You can't see it the way you can with physical health and naturally the things people can't see are both harder to believe and inherently off-putting. I believe that eventually people will find the courage and understanding to accept and embrace mental health, and anyone reading this could be the next to join the club.

@Clairabel said:

@mithical: This is a wonderful piece of writing - thanks for sharing your experiences, it means a lot to us here.

@mrburger said:

Seriously, mithical. You laid it down.

@Slag said:

Word, that was on the level.

Thanks so much you guys!

Aw I wish I found this thread sooner. I apologize for the length, I did my best to cut it down. I'm 25 and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder in 2006, though through therapy and self reflection I've come to realize my depression was already forming by grade 3 (1995 I think?). My inability to get up to go to class caused me to drop out of university in my second semester. It was around that time I saw a poster in a subway station about depression that listed 4 symptoms you should look for; Loss/gain of appetite, under/oversleeping, loss of interest/motivation, and fatigue. Those first two seemed kind of vague but I was 4/4, so finally one day I hesitantly said 'I think I'm depressed' out loud to my family and started down the road to recovery. To be clear, when I say 'recovery' I don't mean a state wherein the mental disorder has gone away. I mean it as the ongoing, literally life-long process one takes to learn to live and cope with it.

Anyway since then I've been in casual therapy with my family GP, eventually moving on to a psychiatrist I still see to this day. I spent about half a year in a day program for youth with depression but it wasn't really for me. I spent about 2 nights in the mental health in-patient ward at my local hospital before I realized that definitely wasn't for me. This brings me to my first response, to @Seppli :

My perception of mental illness I have from my 2 weeks involuntary stay in a loonie bin? What I mostly saw in the other occupants? Simpleminded stupidity.

The people you encounter there are low functioning and very, very sick. They also make up a very small minority of people with mental disorders and usually have other health issues thrown on top. The large portion of people with mental illness lead fulfilling lives, the sorts of people posting in this thread. One such person is @Atlus :

Nevertheless, my illness has essentially kept me isolated from the outside world for six years, during which time I've achieved a few things - got involved in charitable organisations, passed my driving test etc. - but my life is absolutely nowhere near where it should be right now.

Once I got started on my recovery, my case manager introduced me to an idea that is something I think each and every person who is recovering from mental illness should latch on to: the lessons you learn and skills you develop while trying to understand and cope with your depression are useful things! They're tools that many people don't have when they have to deal with tough situations. Ultimately, battling depression allows you to grow in ways that other people typically don't. I bet almost everyone who is recovering from a mental disorder has had someone tell them that they are very thoughtful or a good listener. This is because you have to spend so much time thinking and listening about and to yourself, which is what CBT is all about. Yes, your friends are probably further along in their relationships and careers and boy do I know how that can sting sometimes. Just try to keep in mind that you haven't been spinning your wheels or been broken down on the side of the road of life, you hit a pothole that temporarily disabled your steering, forcing you into a detour that has to led to a very different and most importantly equally fulfilling life. I think @Lysergica33 said it best:

It's a long winded, hard path, but at the end of it tends to lie a pronounced sense of peace and a much deeper understanding of yourself and others.

To this day I've managed to hold a job for a year and a half while supporting myself, even if it's just $400 a month to my mom every month while I continue living at home. I've still got a lot to learn but I believe I will continue to grow and improve, which is a hell of a lot better than when I started. CBT is a big part of my recovery and I cherish what I've learned about myself and others through it. I really encourage anyone struggling with depression to look into it, especially mentioning it to any mental health professionals you are seeing. Below are some comments that jumped out at me that I want to address.

@forkboy said:

And even you find it in you to go out you can be a real drag; I find that I'm pretty dull & quiet to be a round in a large group scenario unless I've had some booze to oil up my talky gears. But then sometimes on alcohol, maybe 5% of the time, it can make my depression worse, make me just intolerable & selfish & whiny to be around. But fuck it, worth that risk to actually get out & see friends, right?

I know exactly what all that is like. Isn't in infuriating when they notice you're not really talking and they ask you what's wrong? You were perfectly happy just listening and being with friends, but now not only have you got the spotlight when you wanted to be in the audience, you've either got to lie or get into what's been bothering you, which can often turn into an entire goddamn life story. Now you've either dampened the mood and have to deal with a bit of guilt there on top, or you've tried to brush it off and all-to-likely have failed to convince, unless you're with very close and understanding friends. Ugh, frustrating. You're right though, falling into a snare like this is absolutely worth the benefits of going out and being with people.

@believer258 said:

Yeah, I've been feeling down lately because I can't find a good way to make money, but even if it is depression I won't take any pills for it for the sole reason that I don't want to depend on pills for my happiness and positivity.

The pills don't make you happy, they help you find your own happiness by treating symptoms that can hold you back. I recall the classic parallel that has already been mentioned in this thread, the broken-leg situation; I wouldn't refuse a cast because I didn't want to depend on it for my leg to heal properly.

@avidwriter said:

I don't know. I've always thought most mental health issues were people just not wanting to deal with actual problems and just making themselves depressed. I've been depressed at times but I realize I am and I focus on what has gotten me down and I fix/stop/address it. Self help is the best help. Obviously this won't work with all mental health but with depression at least I feel you can get yourself back up if you have the will power.

People will often use 'depressed' to describe a state of mind or feeling of deep sadness, which can last for as short as a day to a period of years, but the mental illness referred to as 'Depression' (officially 'Major Depressive Disorder' among other variants) is different. It has to do with chemical imbalances in the brain; Issues with serotonin and dopemine and some stuff I'm honestly not sure about. Along with making it more likely for a person to feel sad, there are physical symptoms like fatigue to contend with. Depression is also usually compounded with a distorted way of thinking that can be a nasty combination and was a huge hurdle for me in my recovery. You also mention another tricky word when dealing with depression - willpower. If Depression could be fought with willpower alone, it would be, because it is awful enough to make death seem preferable. How little willpower could someone possibly have that they wouldn't bother to stop such suffering? What makes Depression so powerful is it saps you of your willpower. Some days I can feel it, a tiny part of me, trying to burst through, like a voice trying desperately to get a muffled shout through a thick layer of glass. 'You can!' it says. 'You can get up and go to work today!', 'You can go for a walk!', 'You can reach for a healthy snack instead of junk food!'. But the depression crushes it and the voice fades, leaving you with what your distorted thoughts tell you is the only logical choice, 'You cannot.' There are ways to get some of your willpower back, and I think this is the core of what therapy does. Eventually, you can reclaim enough of it to really start to fight back, taking your small victories and building up to bigger ones. But you need help and guidance, because without either you simply won't find the willpower.

Great stuff! I really liked how you mixed up the character poses. I would love to watch another one.

Nice work!