Lemmings not included.

March 31, 2014 3:28 PM

Six games that really get suicide. A very interesting look and insight into six video games with a pronounced realistic theme of depression and suicide.
posted by mediocre (8 comments total)

I was going to go with the title "Super Columbine RPG Not Included", but that game never really seemed to address the suicide at the end. Aside from implying that the two boys were lovers or something and that they thought they could only be happy and together when dead?
posted by mediocre at 4:01 PM on March 31, 2014

While not about suicide, another game that is worth mentioning is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Specifically because I had a very visceral reaction to a particular moment.

**SPOILER**


Towards the end of the game one of our heroes dies and the other brother has to bury him. It's made a part of the game-play. Had that happened in a cut scene it still would have been a moving sequence, but to physically drag the other brother into a hole and use your hands and push dirt on top was a pretty intense piece of gaming. It felt necessary because a major part of this game was about the one brother's growth and development.

Such a wonderful game, short but definitely worth a play through.
posted by Fizz at 4:04 PM on March 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

What, no Cat Lady? Actually, I just found out about Cat Lady earlier today due to a steam sale. It's received positive reviews including one on GameSpot that says:

"I've survived a suicide attempt, and I spent years in and out of hospitals as I traveled the road to recovery. The Cat Lady deftly depicts events and emotions I've experienced--the defiance toward doctors, the feelings of worthlessness, the mistrust of anyone attempting to get too close. More importantly, however, it also depicts the long road to recovery, and does so without sugarcoating the painful realities of life."
posted by mapinduzi at 4:37 PM on March 31, 2014

Just cuz this is serious stuff, the U.S. suicide hotline: [phone]-TALK (8255)
posted by cosmologinaut at 7:54 PM on March 31, 2014 [6 favorites]

Towards the end of the game one of our heroes dies and the other brother has to bury him. It's made a part of the game-play. Had that happened in a cut scene it still would have been a moving sequence, but to physically drag the other brother into a hole and use your hands and push dirt on top was a pretty intense piece of gaming. It felt necessary because a major part of this game was about the one brother's growth and development.

I played the game with my GF, each of us using one thumbstick on the controller. When I died. I handed the controller to her, and she had to bury me alone and finish the rest of the game by herself, it was kind of an emotional experience.
posted by empath at 8:15 PM on March 31, 2014 [2 favorites]

And if in Australia and in need... BeyondBlue 1300 22 4636
posted by greenhornet at 8:30 PM on March 31, 2014

@Fizz, I almost put Brothers down at that point. I was in tears (oh my god don't press L trigger...FUCK) and it just ripped my heart out to have to not only dig, but fill in that hole.

Even so, totally worth it for the payoff at the end of the game. I've gifted copies of Brothers, just so friends can share what really is an experience not to be missed. Masterful storytelling, there.
posted by xedrik at 10:57 PM on March 31, 2014 [1 favorite]

Really? I found the death scene in Brothers actively tedious: I felt manipulated by the designers, most importantly because the death occurs in a cut-scene. That sort of storytelling was okay back in 1997 but we've moved on a long way since that.
posted by Hogshead at 6:26 AM on April 1, 2014