Wylrin
Junior Member
Hello! I don't want my introductory rambling to go on for too long, so I'll try to keep it relatively brief. Long story short, I've really been into video games that bring serious topics into the light. A couple of games in particular have been on my mind a lot as of late, so I thought I'd share my thoughts and how these games have, in some small ways, changed my outlook and how I want to continue existing.
CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience
I don't know if I've ever played a game where the major point of said game is to educate and give perspective before this one. That being said, I'm glad I picked up this game. As you might discern from the title, CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience is a game where you take on the role of a homeless person who needs to survive on the streets. This isn't my first "homeless simulator" game. A game by the name of "Hobo: Tough Life" was my first experience with the unique take on urban survival. But CHANGE stuck out to me because in this game, you're trying your hardest to change your situation by getting a job and renting an apartment, which are the requirements to complete the game.
I could go on and on about all of the things I love about CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience. One thing that I definitely wanted to mention was what I feel to be the accurate portrayal of certain mental disorders. For context, the game has five "stories," which are basically characters who each have their own unique reason for becoming homeless. Among the obvious Poverty story are Veteran, Addict, Abandoned, and Mental Illness. Mental Illness in this game is portrayed very true to life, in my humble opinion. The other avatars for the homeless characters stand up straight, with generally relaxed body positions. The Mental Illness character, however, stands with their head lowered, one arm rubbing at another in a nervous gesture. This is just a little detail, but it really struck me that the developer of the game understood what they were doing.
The Mental Illness character in CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience starts the game with two out of many different mental disorders, which include but are not at all limited to ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia. (Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that OCD isn't on that list, though I'm uncertain how OCD mechanics would be represented in a game like this. If you're familiar with the game and its mechanics, what are your thoughts on how OCD might work in CHANGE?)
Anyways, the mental disorders that this character can suffer are shockingly relatable to their real life counterparts. I have autism in real life, so seeing autism be accurately represented in a game was really touching to me. Basically, when you have autism in CHANGE, you have a chance of having a "sensory overload" event that happens when you're at work.
But yeah, I went on a slight tangent. CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience really made me think about life and how people perceive those without a home. What are your opinions? Do the generalized public discriminate against those who do not have a place of their own to call home?
My Child Lebensborn
Now this is one of those games whose sole purpose is to make you cry, basically. It takes place after World War II in Norway, and you are the adoptive parent of a child with blonde hair and blue eyes. Long story short, the entire game is spent with 99% of people treating your child like a Nazi spawn, attributing all of the terrible things that happened during World War II to the young child you're working hard to raise.
I won't go into as much detail with this game, as it's more story-driven than CHANGE and I don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to experience it and may still wish to. But I will say that it's gotten me thinking. People are quick to act out of things like fear and hatred. My Child Lebensborn has taught me that even the smallest gesture of kindness can go a long way for someone who needs it. The game has made me strive to be a better person in whatever little ways I can.
Summary
I'd basically just like to ask everyone if there has ever been a game that's made you think about concepts like this, and what your opinion of said games are. I'd love to hear what games have possibly changed your lives in whatever large or small ways. :3
CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience
I don't know if I've ever played a game where the major point of said game is to educate and give perspective before this one. That being said, I'm glad I picked up this game. As you might discern from the title, CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience is a game where you take on the role of a homeless person who needs to survive on the streets. This isn't my first "homeless simulator" game. A game by the name of "Hobo: Tough Life" was my first experience with the unique take on urban survival. But CHANGE stuck out to me because in this game, you're trying your hardest to change your situation by getting a job and renting an apartment, which are the requirements to complete the game.
I could go on and on about all of the things I love about CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience. One thing that I definitely wanted to mention was what I feel to be the accurate portrayal of certain mental disorders. For context, the game has five "stories," which are basically characters who each have their own unique reason for becoming homeless. Among the obvious Poverty story are Veteran, Addict, Abandoned, and Mental Illness. Mental Illness in this game is portrayed very true to life, in my humble opinion. The other avatars for the homeless characters stand up straight, with generally relaxed body positions. The Mental Illness character, however, stands with their head lowered, one arm rubbing at another in a nervous gesture. This is just a little detail, but it really struck me that the developer of the game understood what they were doing.
The Mental Illness character in CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience starts the game with two out of many different mental disorders, which include but are not at all limited to ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia. (Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that OCD isn't on that list, though I'm uncertain how OCD mechanics would be represented in a game like this. If you're familiar with the game and its mechanics, what are your thoughts on how OCD might work in CHANGE?)
Anyways, the mental disorders that this character can suffer are shockingly relatable to their real life counterparts. I have autism in real life, so seeing autism be accurately represented in a game was really touching to me. Basically, when you have autism in CHANGE, you have a chance of having a "sensory overload" event that happens when you're at work.
But yeah, I went on a slight tangent. CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience really made me think about life and how people perceive those without a home. What are your opinions? Do the generalized public discriminate against those who do not have a place of their own to call home?
My Child Lebensborn
Now this is one of those games whose sole purpose is to make you cry, basically. It takes place after World War II in Norway, and you are the adoptive parent of a child with blonde hair and blue eyes. Long story short, the entire game is spent with 99% of people treating your child like a Nazi spawn, attributing all of the terrible things that happened during World War II to the young child you're working hard to raise.
I won't go into as much detail with this game, as it's more story-driven than CHANGE and I don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to experience it and may still wish to. But I will say that it's gotten me thinking. People are quick to act out of things like fear and hatred. My Child Lebensborn has taught me that even the smallest gesture of kindness can go a long way for someone who needs it. The game has made me strive to be a better person in whatever little ways I can.
Summary
I'd basically just like to ask everyone if there has ever been a game that's made you think about concepts like this, and what your opinion of said games are. I'd love to hear what games have possibly changed your lives in whatever large or small ways. :3
