For me, it has to be Last of Us 2 by a country mile. I've never had a game make me feel physically ill as the climax neared. Bonus points for making you complicit in the all consuming ruthless cycle of revenge. Which game broke you and why?
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Spiritfarer for me by a mile. I played it during the height of COVID. I was working an insane amount of shifts as a nurse, and I would play it when I couldn't sleep. I sobbed every time I had to say goodbye to each character. And when you find out that Stella that broke me. There were many things that made me leave full-time frontline work, but that game gave me the final push I needed, I think.
I was Afghanistan in 2020 and while we didn't have the rough time a lot of people before us had(mostly due to covid and the drawn down) but the whole military experience was still very stressful and it helped to bury your emotions. I didn't really unpack all that until I got out of the service and watched someone play Spiritfarer. Each character felt real. It was fun a cheery but then you'd be hit of the reality of these imperfect people and their lives and the fate they would came to accept. Of course the end did me in too.
If you have the heart, watch the making of it where the devs describe the experience. I'm not an emotional guy but everything about that game just hits me.
Thank you so much for your suggestion! I will definitely check out the dev video. You described my thoughts beautifully. It's amazing what people are able to bury and carry with them until it's time to unpack it (or we are forced to).
I worked mostly inpatient psych and loved it. Getting to know those imperfect people over the years, through the ebb and flow that comes with a mental illness, was such a gift.
Then fentanyl hit.
Then it seemed like every set I'd start, one of those lovely humans that we got to know over the years was just gone. I ended up switching to street nursing/harm reduction for a few years and loved that too.
Then COVID hit.
People were more isolated. Using alone. Losing contact with services. Again, we lost so many people. I couldn't do it anymore. Playing that game made me realize that it was people's stories that drew me to the work. But by knowing them, it was also what made it so hard to say goodbye when they were gone.
Sorry for the trauma dump! Still working through it, apparently! Wishing you well, friend.
I had to look it up, its called Spiritfarer Documentary - A Game About Dying. Its all good, I'm much more interested in trials and triumphs of people rather than just "wow well it sure is warm outside!" Plus I had a close friend who worked at an eating disorder non-profit through covid so I heard a lot of her stories and struggles. Some things will stick with you no matter what. Sometimes its easier to just open up to someone online who you've never met lol wishing you well too!