Addiction is a sore topic surrounding games these days, and tests to prove or disprove this notion are a dime a dozen. But what about the positive effects of videogames? I want an author to write about something deeper than "Games Improve Reflexes" however. I want an author to explore how games can help someone cope with death.
The death of a loved one, mortality as a whole, and the representation of death in videogames. Does a game help a player cope with death by drawing them away from thinking about their own mortality with a compelling story? Or can it convince players that death is just another part of life? Can it convince players that the death of a loved one can help us appreciate those that are still alive? Can it even show us what it means to live?
I think alternative gaming could be useful in this discussion. See The Graveyard and Bientôt l'été. – chandlerwp8 years ago
Telltale Games like "The Walking Dead" and the "The Wolf Among Us" encourage players to learn to live with the consequences of their actions by autosaving after every decision, thus making it harder to reset and make a "better" decision. This could be seen as a way of learning to deal with real life issues -such as the death of a loved one - head on. – troble8 years ago
the obvious work to reference here is "that dragon, cancer." radiolab did a great podcast on it that could be useful: http://www.radiolab.org/story/cathedral/.
– weebil8 years ago