I'm sure many of us can relate to that last part, and I think it's important that pop culture characters, even superheroes, are portrayed with everyday vulnerabilities whenever possible. The reason I felt moved to write about my very personal experiences with Batman: Arkham Asylum today is, of course, because The Batman movie hits cinemas worldwide, and is said to explore a darker, more violent side of the Caped Crusader's persona and story – even more so than Christopher Nolan's esteemed Dark Knight trilogy – a hero who is, in essence, troubled by long-term grief. I only speak from lived experience, but firmly believe video games have enriched my life, as a distraction and a coping mechanism during some of my darkest days. To be absolutely clear: I am not a mental health professional, and anyone who aligns with any of the above should do whatever they can to open up to a friend, a loved one, a colleague or a stranger, or seek professional help themselves. In essence, providing the first step in my long road to reaching more stable ground in mental health terms. The game offered the space to process my thoughts, and realise something wasn't right. But way back, back when I was still coming to terms with everything that was bouncing around inside my head, Batman: Arkham Asylum provided much-needed personal asylum that I just couldn't get anywhere else in my life at the time. When I finally sought formal professional help for how I was feeling in 2014, first via my GP and latterly a counsellor, I'd taken inspiration from a number of video games that tackle mental health issues head-on, such as Will O'Neill's Actual Sunlight, Zoe Quinn's Depression Quest, Vander Cabalero's Papo & Yo, and Matt Gilgenbach's Neverending Nightmares. They're hard to identify in practice, and easy to misappropriate with other things in your life. Which is shocking, obviously, but those sobering statistics can't prepare you for dark feelings on a personal level. And in the USA, an average of 132 people die by their own hand every 24 hours. In Ireland, 340 people killed themselves in 2020. In England and Wales, an average of 18 people take their own lives in the same window. I'm from Scotland, where two people in a population of just five million die by suicide every single day. I'd read about it, I understood what the word meant, and, clearly, I appreciated the drastic actions people with depression sometimes take. Before my uncle died, I knew what depression was. One of the biggest hurdles I found when facing up to my own depression was recognising it at all. So much so, that I spent more time calculating what was going on in my head inside the virtual prison walls than I did in the real world. There's also a hypnotic rhythm to Rocksteady's combat mechanics that's cathartic, all the while serving players shots of dopamine via crunching sound effects and slow-motion animations that are unreasonably satisfying.ĭespite the omnipresent threat posed by the Joker, Bane, Poison Ivy, and Killer Croc among others, I felt warm and safe every time Arkham welcomed me back through its wrought iron gates. Instead, it was the masterful ways in which Batman: Arkham Asylum balances its action and downtime that captured my heart and imagination – where the Dark Knight can be beating down hordes of faceless thugs one minute, and then strolling pensively in and around the grounds of its beautifully grim and tranquil setting the next. in the USA, an average of 132 people die by their own hand every 24 hours." "I'm from Scotland, where two people in a population of just five million die by suicide every single day.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |