Industry Practice: Ethical and Sustainable Practices

 Industry Practice: Ethical and Sustainable Practices

This will be a blog detailing how I am tackling dealing with the mental health issue I have chosen for my character within our game, which is depression.

For the Jester character, it is meant to be a representation of depression. This is represented by the characters outlook on their life, and their attitude when it comes to the therapy session. I've already spoke about how I am trying to make people feel included through their character design, but I also feel I need to research more into depression itself, so I can portray it accurately.

Depression, and it manifests

Firstly I wanted to look at the subject overall. I wanted to understand specifically how it makes people feel and act, before trying to release a game with a depiction of the issue at hand in. This is so the character will feel like an accurate representation and be of any help to people, rather than feel like an insult to those very people we are trying to represent. I think this more mindful approach will be more successful overall.

NHS (2023) state that "The symptoms of depression can be complex and vary widely between people. If you're depressed, you may feel sad, hopeless and lose interest in things you used to enjoy." I feel as though I have represented this well in the dialogue that already exists. The Jester doesn't enjoy things they used to, and is constantly feeling hopeless and sad.

They go on to say some additional symptoms, which include:

  • "continuous low mood or sadness
  • feeling hopeless and helpless
  • having low self-esteem
  • feeling tearful
  • feeling guilt-ridden
  • feeling irritable and intolerant of others
  • having no motivation or interest in things
  • finding it difficult to make decisions
  • not getting any enjoyment out of life"
In the characters memory story, I plan to show the Jester having more of these symptoms. At the minute with this character, I am trying to stay between keeping the example of the Jester rather realistic in their mental state's portrayal, but also showcasing enough to be relatable to someone who may be struggling with depression. This is something I will keep in mind going forward.

2023. Symptoms - Depression in adults [online] NHS. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/symptoms/ [Accessed 02 May 2025]

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