Depression Quest
Depression Quest uses text and music as it source to create the story. The texts simply tell us the setting and the situation that the main character feels. At the end of each story, there are choices that the main character can choose which will then be the follow up of the story. The background music has a deep and mellow tone to it where it feels as though you’re trapped. The text and music compliments one another as it helps to create your own world where you want to be isolated from everyone else and just be on your own. It makes you fall deeper into your emotions.
I was hooked from the start of the game. I read through the symptoms of depression before thus there were emotions and situations that I felt connected to. I have no idea if it was depression or just a downfall in life that I went through back then so playing the game makes me think back about the emotions I felt. I was really hooked onto the choices given at the end of each story because it was interesting since I was controlling the main character slashed being myself too so I chose options that I would typically do which was to avoid everything.
The character was developed through encountering the people around him and the action given to him by me develops the character further. In each of the story the setting and what the character was doing in that scene was well described. The character can only develop through the choices I make. When I make these choices it builds up his character thus it depends on what you choose that will bring out the character personality.
The story moves in a linear form however there is no climax and it ended without any resolution of the character. A linear story usually ends in some place but in this case it left me hanging. The narrative and the interaction was more of a “Giving shape to anxiety” concept according to The Agency by Murray. The goal of the story was to experience how depression was like. According to Murray; “open-ended enough to allow free exploration and that display a satisfying dramatic structure no matter how the interactor chooses to traverse the space” and which the options given, no matter what setting it was, it relayed the emotions of a depression person. No matter the options we chose the most important thing that the story wants us to take away was the emotion that a depression person is feeling. Even though it ended without a resolution it actually emphasise on how a person experiencing depression may not want any help and is just going through life soullessly.
To plan such stories into interactivity form I would create the universe, plot and characters. Then, I would list the goal of the story and the experience I want my audience to take away. I will list down the possible setting and situation that my character may encounter. I will break it down into sub parts and create short events but certain parts may not be interlinked to one another but at the end it would be that one goal.
My brainstormed idea is the story I wrote, The Special Case. I would introduce social media profiles like Facebook as an interactive element. This platform will be used as a prologue to The Special Case story. The characters are very different from what they are in the story. Audience can interact with them by posting questions and then the characters would reply. The characters would also post things that they like, something personal and from there the audience will be able to know the backstory of the character as they transit to read The Special Case.
