The Game Boy: Mind Games

Posted 09/11/2009 at 10:00am | by Nathan Grayson

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Videogames have taken us everywhere. Space, the Wild West, the Oregon Trail, the future, heaven, hell, purgatory (Ever played Big Rigs? Yeah), World War II, the apocalypse, the post-apocalypse, and World War II again. You name it, and gamers have probably been there, done that, and gone to Hot Topic to pick up the T-shirt.  So, what’s left? Where are we to boldly go without even a walkthrough to guide us? Well, if you’re I’m asking me, I’d say we should forget the rest of our well-trod universe and try picking our own brains. Yep, it’s time for a bit of good old-fashioned psychology.

At this point, I imagine many of you are remembering simpler times, when tales of Rorschach inkblot tests, salivating dogs, and men who loved their mothers lulled you to sleep in your public educational institution of choice. And a few of you might be thinking of Psychonauts – to which I say “good!” We’ll get to that in a little while.

Anyway, games obviously aren’t the domain of stuffy old guys with fancy degrees and fancier couches. However, that doesn’t mean some of the more universal psychological themes can’t find their way into videogames. Case in point: Batman: Arkham Asylum.

While Arkham may be known foremost as the only Gotham prison less effective than a wet paper bag, it is – in actuality – more of a correctional institution than anything else. The game, then, portrays Arkham’s staff members as hard-working ladies and gents who are trying their darndest to crack classic nutcases like the Joker, the Riddler, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc. The player, as Batman, stumbles upon evidence of these correctional interactions in the form of taped interviews focusing on different villains.

That’s not the whole of it, though. As you comb Arkham’s corridors, the facility’s PA system advertises its world-class treatment programs, and practically begs you to visit its website. This cynical, money motivated attitude, coupled with Arkham’s clear focus on treating Gotham’s nastiest villains, would seem to cast a negative light on both people with psychological disorders and the practice of psychology as a whole. Honestly, though, I don’t think that’s the case.

Sure, the game’s not full of posters declaring that “Psychology is the best science ever” and “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is totally rad!” or anything, but really, it’s an asylum for the craziest crooks in all of comic-dom. Arkham Asylum is incredibly constrained in that respect, if only because its treatments have to fail in order to keep the Batman franchise’s villains interesting. “The Joker Opens a Legitimate Business,” unfortunately, doesn’t make for compelling reading.
 
Beyond that, though, I think the main problem with Arkham Asylum’s portrayal of psychology is all in its approach. It’s set in a madhouse. Cool, but that’s the full extent of it. Games, in my opinion, can do better. And some of them have. Where Batman gets a nice participation ribbon for setting its events in an asylum, games like Psychonauts, Killer 7, and Flipside take things a few significant steps further.

Most notably, all three games choose to tackle psychology abstractly instead of literally. The result? Some of the weirdest, most out-there settings in all of gaming. Space hallways and monster-mashing dungeons? Who needs ‘em when you could be hopping and bopping through the twisted mind of a milk man who believes in every conspiracy theory ever conspired? Dreamscapes like the aforementioned example from Psychonauts are canvases for creativity. Unlike the comparatively realistic setting of Batman: Arkham Asylum, the only limits on these maniacal mental mazes are their creator’s own imaginations.

Meanwhile, Killer 7, a (sadly) console-exclusive breath of fresh air from Capcom, took a darker approach, choosing to explore one man’s demented mind by giving the player control of his seven different personalities. Granted, the game did succumb to a large dose of creator Suda51’s (yes, that’s his name) own brand of madness, so the plot ends up more than a little off-the-wall. Even so, however, the game’s aim was admirable, and the always-trendy topic of multiple personality disorder still holds the potential to both catch buyers’ attention and craft some incredibly complex characters.

So, thus far, we’ve got Psychonauts, the cult hit that critics still can’t stop raving about, and Killer 7, a fairly well-known console game. Flipside, though, might not ring quite so many bells. In a nutshell, it’s an indie platformer about a comically happy guy who just busted out of a mental institution. As he skips about, humming a pleasant little tune in celebration of his newfound freedom, the player is treated to a view of blue skies, green grass, and downright adorable baby bunnies. Life is perfect – perhaps a bit too perfect.

See, you were in the loony bin for a reason: turns out, you’re bipolar. How bipolar? Well, at the press of a button, the game’s screen flips, and your gleeful little avatar becomes a spitting, swearing machine of pure fury. The level, too, becomes an entirely different beast, with skies turning gray, formerly harmless bunnies removing their sheep’s clothing and showing their true forms, and trees sporting leaves that look like malformed eyeballs. Of course, switching back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky-land and what appears to be the end of all life is required, as it also alters the game’s platforming areas to your advantage.

As evidenced by the above games, psychological themes and videogames – though, at first, seemingly odd bedfellows – make a great pair. Want to explore a truly creative, all-new world? Also want well-developed, interesting characters? Games like Psychonauts, Killer 7, and Flipside knock out both of those objectives in one fell swoop. Here’s hoping developers take this ball and run with it, because if it only took a few scattered standout games to get things so right, imagine what could be done with a more concerted effort.