For the unconverted the horror genre is mostly associated with jump scares and violent imagery. While this is true, us horror fans know that there is more to it that sees the eye. It’s not uncommon with the horror literature and filmography to see the protagonists wresting with some deep questions such as, the human condition, the meaning of life, social injustice, the supernatural and many more.
But I think mental health is something that most won’t expect horror to be dealing with but it actually does it more often than most would think. The Babadook is a film I have watched not that long ago showing a mother struggle with depression.
Horror video games are no exception. Titles like Resident Evil they are not just a zombie killing journey but a franchise where we also get to know its characters with their personal stories and struggles.
When it comes to our struggle with mental health I think Dead Space does a fantastic job.
In the game we take control of Isaac Clarke, a 25th century engineer boarding USG Ishimura in search for his girlfriend Nicole to find it full of Nercomophs. As we navigate the haunted corridors of the Ishimura we also delve into Isaac’s psyche. As the game progresses we slowly discovering that the Ishimura is not the only place filled with crawling demons.
Here’s some lessons about life and mental health we can all learn from Dead Space.
Isolation and Loneliness
Those two I think are something most of us experience or experiencing in life in one way or another. Isaac finds himself alone, surrounded by a deafening silence making the horrors of Ishimura even scarier. Even the humans he meets in his journey doesn’t know if they can be trusted. Members of the Unitology cult are everywhere and he can never know who's a friend and who's a enemy.
The desolate setting of Dead Space reflects the isolation many people in their everyday lives and the toll in their mental health, while showing the importance of human connection and asking for help and foster connections with other people.
Loss and Grief
Isaac's journey starts in search for his girlfriend, Nicole, who was part of the Ishimura's medical team. As the story goes on, it becomes more and more obvious that Nicole’s fate is intertwined with the horrors unleashed on the spaceship. Isaac is overwhelmed with grief and guilt for not saving her.
Survivor’s guild is something many people encounter in their lives after losing a loved one through a traumatic event. Dead Space doesn't shy away from the raw and visceral nature of these feelings, giving the opportunity to the player to reflect on them and maybe even identify with Isaac through our own personal losses and tragedies.
The Fragility of Our Minds
While Isaac fights the Necromorphs, in his head the line between sanity and insanity becomes thinner and thinner. Through his story we experience the fragility of the human mind as he is tormented from the affects of psychosis and later also from PTSD and dementia.
Dead Space is a reminder that we can’t take good mental health for granted and acknowledging our personal vulnerabilities is a sign of strength and not of weakness.
Facing Personal Demons
While on the first installment the Marker is responsible for the monstrous Necromorphs crawling the Ishimura, in the sequel the marker is manufactured from information stored in Issac's mind and the minds of four others. So in a way, the Necromorphs in Dead Space 2 are the physical manifestations of Isaac’s personal trauma.
Isaac’s mission is not just about destroying the Marker while killing as many Necromorphs possible, is also about dealing with the ‘Necromorphs’ living inside his own head. His own personal demons.
Dead Space invites us to acknowledge our own fears and demons. Something essential in our path towards healing.
Read part 2 here