The Revolutionary Portrayal of Mental Health in Video Games: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Shot by Skydragengames

It isn't often a game gets under my skin, or a game relates to my situation in life. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice does both of these things.
Released in 2017, the game tells the tale of a Pict warrior on a journey, but also acts as a totally new and ground braking portrayal of mental illness. In Hellblade we take the role of Senua who embarks on a journey set in the 8th century. Vikings have ransacked her village and left little but ashen remains. She has lost everything and hopes to redeem the soul of her beloved Dillon by journeying to the Norse hell (Hellheim), to confront Hela. Throughout this journey we hear and see manifestations of Senua's self doubt, inner darkness and have to physically battle with her these inner demons.

For some this article may be old news, as the game has been out for a fair while. But for those of you that have yet to play the game, or never looked into the story of the games development, then perhaps I may enlighten and inspire you.

Shot by Rubi_wan

Here in the UK mental health and mental well being are all the rage currently. Workplaces are being forced to put in supportive measures to help their employees and promote better working environments. For most this is sadly nothing more than buzz words. Sadly for many companies a shift in hours and more of a work life balance is not feasible. With the economy being hit by Brexit and now Corona scares, there is certainly no time to implement anything.  But regardless of excuses, it really is time to bring mental health issues into the foreground, not only in all areas of the media but life in general. 

I myself am mentally disabled, I am bi-polar, have anxiety, paranoia and PTSD issues that developed from trauma. This is not being divulged in a plea for attention or kind comments, I am just stating the truth. In life I do not let these things define me. The NHS states that 1 in 4 of us have mental health issues at any one time. An issue that is severe and needs care to be dealt with. However if we look into mild mental health issues, I truly believe everyone is unwell to a degree. (This is a blog about virtual photography not a medical information guide but if you need help or advice then see the links beneath the article)

Shot by Skydragengames

Due to this I feel it is important that we see more real world portrayals of what people go through in life on a daily basis. We often see representations of physical disabilities in TV, film and gaming but seldom do we see a mentally unwell person that isn't a psychopath or a gibbering wreck. 

In making Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Ninja Theroy had a completely different protagonist in mind. As the game was being developed they not only had Paul Fletcher, a professor of health neuroscience from Cambridge University as a consultant, they also interviewed psychosis patients, on their experiences with audial and visual hallucinations. 

Shot by me

“So many people sent messages to the Ninja Theory team and to me commenting how they now had a physical, tangible slice of altered reality that they could share with people that they were desperate to communicate with." said Fletcher in a conversation with TIGS organiser Mark Chandler.

The company also received a grant from Welcome Trust, a healthcare company here in the United Kingdom. They were interested in depicting psychosis so that gamers could experience what it is like to live with such a condition (I would like to point out not all conditions where people suffer with hallucinations are a result of psychosis or of a psychotic disorder though). 

Shot by Rubi_wan

The journey that takes place is a wonderful experience. Being mentally ill myself I was concerned about playing the game. I tend to avoid films and games that feature negative portrayals of mental illness. On playing it I was relieved as it really is an accurate portrayal of some of what I have experienced in life. You are never sure if what our protagonist faces is real or just in her head and she shows a strength and perseverance despite her challenges, which I could relate to.
As a whole, the game is unique and delivers a tale that is a must play experience for any gamer. I hope more companies follow suit and try to put more love and care into their depictions of mental illness.

As always thank you to the virtual photographers who supplied the images to the article: Skydragengames and Rubi_wan 


If you are unwell Don't suffer in silence 
Below are some UK helplines but the advice is good for all.

NHS Mental Health Tips guide

Getting Help

Feature: International Women's Day

Senua from Hellblade - by me.

International Women's Day was on Sunday the 8th of this month. I didn't do the post on that day as it was the opening of the blog and I wanted to get some of my favourite women on board to share their favourite women in gaming.

As the years have progressed we can see a great increase of strong female leads and supporting characters in games. Now in games like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Control, we see leading ladies that stray from the media's typical portrayal of women. Gone are the thin, bombshells with tight backsides and heavy chests, less emphasis is put into the sex appeal and more into the characters personality, characteristics and the ability to do their job without being objectified. They are more than just eye candy.

Jesse Faden from Control - by me.

Like anyone who is attracted to the female form, I do appreciate its beauty and anyone who follows me will know that I enjoy games such as Dead or Alive and various mods on the Resident Evil 2 remake. Just like in real life everyone is different and I feel that is why it is important to have a mix of representations in gaming. In both the cases, Resident Evil 2 modding community and Dead or Alive, men are as objectified as the women. 

One of my favourite virtual women of all time has to be Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Kassandra is strong, both physically and mentally (she is half Spartan, after all), witty, smart and very resourceful. The options in the game allow you to mould her character through her responses and actions, but they all show great strength - even if some of them can be a little...abrupt!   

Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey - by me

Now I hand over to some of my most favourite women on Instagram in the VP community, to share their favourite women, why they are special to them and the shots they have taken.

Dragngirle_gaming
Commander Shepard - Mass Effect

One of my favourite female characters is Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect trilogy. Commander Shepard shows her strength in her resolve, despite having all the odds stacked against her. She faces her fears and pushes forward even with other doubts in her altogether. I often think of her when I'm facing my own problems and try to summon a little bit of that strength and courage from her. I know it sounds corny but sometimes I slip on my N7 hoodie and think to myself: "What would Commander Shepard do?" 

She truly represents the strength and courage that I hope to find in myself in times of darkness.

Wolfwithashield
Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII
Ayane - Dead or Alive

There's only two female characters in the gaming world I have ever felt connected with, the first and most important is Tifa Lockhart. To me, especially at such a young age, I related to her HARD. And if the release date was on time, it would be her picture here.

But its cool as I get to post Ayane, my second and only other female gaming character I've felt connected to. I related to her a lot and playing as her gave me strength to handle hardship. Even if I lost with her, things felt okay.

We're all important and we all have our stories. I'm very thankful to be accepted in this community. We're all amazing at supporting each other and that's not something I'm used to. So a deep thank you to all you wonderful ladies (and dudes, but come on it ain't happy dude day 😂) thank you for making me feel like its okay to be me.

And to all those who have always been fighting for whatever reason, well done and keep going, we've got this!

Dragon78

Sadie Adler - Red Dead Redemption 2

I have chosen Sadie Adler as my female gaming inspiration. There are so many wonderful female characters to choose from in video games today, so this was not and easy choice. I think what speaks most to me about Sadie is her strength. She has been through such and emotionally traumatic event with the take over of her and her loving husbands ranch. She had had to witness the death of her husband and 3 days of being held captive by the O’drisscol gang. One can only imagine all of the horrors she must of went through in those days.

Although it’s not confirmed, I’m sure she was most likely sexually and physically abused. As the story progresses and her character develops, you really get to see a sense of how strong she really is. Her progression form an emotional wreck at the beginning of the game, to the strong and independent women she is by the end is an interesting journey to follow. Her willingness to not be a victim and her fire for revenge moves her forward in her character development. I love how she does not sit by like the other women, she fights along side the men. This is a powerful trait especially during the time period in which this game is set. Most women had no rights and were expected to just do as they were told and obey. Sadie follows no rules and listens to no man. She is an equal and expects to be treated as one. For these reasons I choose Sadie Adler as my female video game character.

Baddest Female
Hekate - Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Hekate is known as a Goddess associated with ghost and magic. In my opinion she's a strong woman: Never getting walked on by anyone, always showing a glacial facial expression. She's been one of my favourites since I played Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Even if people know her as a betrayer (a baddest bitch, but lets stay polite). I really love that she is a perfect example of a strong woman. Simply put, she is the baddest female, like me!

Stellarosityvp
Aloy - Horizon Zero Dawn

My favourite woman in gaming has to be Aloy. Throughout the whole story of Horizon Zero Dawn, you see her strengths and weaknesses, her wit and kindness. It's amazing to see her grow and persevere through the tough times that she goes through, she always comes ahead strong. Shes someone I absolutely love to look up to.


A huge thank you to all five of the women that contributed to this article.  To them and to all of the women out there, a belated happy International Women's Day to you all!