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quantumtardis · 3 years

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Interview about how Psychonauts 2 tackles mental issues.

There were a few spoilers at the link, so I've quoted the interesting non-spoilery stuff below:

Although the original Psychonauts has a dedicated fanbase in no small part thanks to its handling of mental health themes, [creator Tim] Schafer admits that this was something of an “accident.”

“I was much younger when I wrote the first game,” he says with a laugh. “There are some representations of mental health-related issues that I feel like in the first game, we wanted to do better than that. So the second game has a lot more positive depictions of people going through mental conditions and also goes a lot deeper — it goes into things like addiction and post-trauma-type situations where we kind of deal with them head-on.”

“In the early days [of Psychonauts 2], when we were just a scrappy, independent studio, it was a little more ad hoc, but it was also based on personal experience,” says Schafer. “We found that people started coming forth with private stories about dealing with mental health concerns, so we relied on the expertise of the team at first to make sure it was kind of a story told from the heart.”

However, Microsoft’s 2019 acquisition of Double Fine partway through Psychonauts 2‘s development meant that the studio suddenly had access to more resources and professionals to consult on the game’s depiction of mental health struggles.

One of these collaborators was Raffael Boccamazzo, a doctor of clinical psychology and clinical director of Take This, a U.S. non-profit focused on combating stigma and increasing support for mental health initiatives in gaming. While Boccamazzo notes that his involvement came later in the project, he’s still happy with how the game is shaping up.

“I had some critical things to say about some nuanced topics within the game, and given the stage of development, there are things that aren’t going to be able to be fixed. But I very much got the sense that the studio team wants to do the best job possible and still tell a great story,” said Boccamazzo in a Take This video.

“Even if they can’t change those things in this game, they’re going to carry those lessons forward and apply what we gave them as feedback into future games […] We’re going to [get] better games that better represent mental health challenges in a helpful and uplifting tone while still being fun to play.”

Boccamazzo praised Psychonauts 2 for its “creative and humourous portrayals of mental health obstacles as enemies,”

Psychonauts 2 is also ultimately about finding the light in the dark. That Psychonauts 2 strikes this “hopeful and helpful” tone is especially crucial, according to Boccamazzo.

“One of the things I liked about the game was that everyone was capable of being helped in the end. and that’s awesome. In every single level, there’s the possibility of helping people, and that reflects the reality of most mental health challenges because most people, with the right supports, can live thriving, fulfilling lives.”

Schafer admits that rooting the seriousness of mental health struggles in Double Fine’s signature levity was “a tricky line to walk,” but he feels that this approach ultimately feels truer to what people go through.

“To me, it’s not even a balancing act, it’s just about life experience. I was inspired by the writing of Kurt Vonnegut in high school when I first got interested in reading and writing, and I was always struck by how funny his books were, but also, they just went right for the human experience, even when it’s really ugly, and really mean,” Schafer explains.

“It seemed like, you know, ‘is life funny, or is life sad?’ I mean, both are true at the same time. And I think that’s the human experience, which is what we’re going for with art and with this game.”

Psychonauts 2 will release later this year on Xbox One (and Xbox Game Pass on day one), PlayStation 4 and PC.

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #double fine #tim schafer #video games

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curi0uscreature · 4 months

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* I KNEW HE WAS GENDER 🎉🎉

#Once again regards to my Bestie Bee showing me the pages of their book last week <33 I’m never gonna be normal again #Not caring abt gender presentation Agender Otto I knew I was onto something #the first and fourth one SHES SO CUTE #Need to draw it or my PN1 Otto in these some of these days. Especially since I know now Otto is a vacation shirt guy #Xir fashion sense was so wacky during their planning I love it #trevor.txt #oatmeal thoughts #psychonauts 2 art book spoilers #PN2 art book spoilers

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aquato-family-circus · 4 months

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So this headcanon I'm about to ramble a bit about is both about body image feelings, and minor spoilers abt some Psychonauts 2 Art Book concept art, #PN2 art book spoilers #spoilers yknow

so with that out of the way

Helmut's got some old concept art where his mental world outfit had a lot more of a classic viking inspo, and a few where he's got his shirt off have Mental World Abs added on and it comes across like how he'd wanna be shown off

and it has me thinking about how Helmut might have thought about himself and being fat... and I personally can relate to that feeling of like being really happy with and good with how my fat body looks but every so often thinking about how it could be different.

I like the vibe of confident showman Helmut once in a blue moon looking in the mirror while changing into his stage clothes thinking about like getting Muscles and Toning his Body bc he feels like that'd look nicer

but he gets reminded that he's already really strong (he can lift stage equipment like no problem even without telekinesis) and he doesn't need like a chiseled six pack for that. he's good. he looks and feels great already and can pull off any outfit bc of his natural charisma

AND. of course. bob loves his tummy very much, added bonus

#pn2 art book spoilers #spoilers #cospn2 #hcs #listen i have a lot of feelings abt how characters in this game (sequel specifically) are just allowed to be fat #and the only time its ever commented on is that line abt getting bob a tredmill #which. listen i dont think hes losing weight any time soon but some low impact excersize would not hurt him so i think that line is chill #so in the same vein i like thinking abt those fat characters having thoughts abt themselves and being generally positive while also like #understandably having other thoughts cross their mind every so often bc we live in a society #do you see me do you understand #fatphobia will be crushed beneath my hands btw as a last note

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genaleah · 3 years

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ANSWERING WILDCARD QUESTIONS

For the first time in about a year maybe??? Some of these might be even older than that.

Yes, it is Korka! I definitely want her involved, she’s a wonderful character and there is a *lot* of fun paranormal stuff going on in this setting that she can help them research. Also, I’d just love for her and Nelson to become friends!

Thank you! I love him a lot, and it’s fun to picture him interacting with the other guys. They’d all make for some interesting uncle figures, but they might not be that great in terms of role models.

OHOHO. Devilish laugh. That’s a wonderful idea, and a good way to keep him occupied at some point. He’s a great character, but he’s incredibly powerful, and I want these dudes to solve their own problems whenever possible.

A good question! I don’t remember most of my dreams, but there’s usually a consistent look to the vivid ones. Lots of water, mountains, creeks, and high, winding roads. There are also a lot of buildings that are closely integrated with nature, even though I have almost never seen construction like that.

I had not, but now I have! Here’s a trailer, for anyone else that missed it:

https://youtu.be/33HXHaaagsw

I really like these new models! I’m looking forward to watching a playthrough when that’s available. Just like with Rhombus of Ruin, I don’t think I’ll be able to play this one myself.

DOUBLE FINE, I WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU- no, I’m kidding! I think great minds think alike. But I’m really excited to learn more about that character and possibly involve them in this whole au eventually.

I’ve actually tried to avoid almost any info about Psychonauts 2 so I can go in mostly-blind, and a lot of the characters are vague to me. It’s fun to look forward to, but it’s also a little harrowing because I don’t know how to anticipate for it!

N...NO..... I NEED TO... Honestly those are old enough that it might be a good idea for me to re-make them, as well as the playing cards I made for the mega playlist cover. I think it’d be nice to remake them as vectors... that might make for a nice art stream sometime. I’ll mention publicly if I start doing that, and sharing any of these conceptual Wildcards arts when they’re done.

And if you’re just curious about what the tarot cards for the other characters are going to be, it’s this:

Eddie: Judgement, The Magician, The Emperor

Manny: Death, Justice, The World

Sam: The Chariot, The Tower, Strength

Max: The Devil, Wheel of Fortune, Joker

Although! I may actually give the Moon card to Max instead of the Devil, and replace the missing card from Nelson’s selection with the High Priestess? 🤔 I’ll decide when I get to it.

Could be! I’ve flip-flopped occasionally on if I want the split-a-cab gang to participate much in the story. I think they deserve a break, and splitting an apartment in New York seems like a good situation for the four of them.

Oh boy, that must be so disorienting for him. The Psychonauts deal with a lot of hippy-dippy weirdness in a seemingly organized way, but it seems like they’re not as paranoid about safety as a real federal organization would be. Not necessarily a good thing, considering one of their camp counselors went AWOL one day, and the head of the Psychonauts got kidnapped the next. They kinda need to get their act together.

Fun fact, in one of the earlier drafts of Chapter 3 I was actually going to make Nelson get scanned by the equivalent of a metal-detector for malevolent thoughts at the door and get really spooked by it, but I decided against it.

YEAH IT’S ON THE LIST

Honestly, a big bulk of the plot in this just regards characters having to face their mental health struggles... via facing it as literal internal demons, unstable powers, etc. It’s going to take a little while for any of Eddie’s teammates to realize how MUCH he has going on under the surface because he does a pretty good job of hiding it. “Needing to help others above ever helping themselves” is a hard issue to notice if you’re not looking for it. But it’s a guarantee that once they find out he needs help, they’ll give it; whether that’s making sure he’s not working himself too hard, or fighting off demonic cultists. Care comes in many forms.

SHE NEEDS TO REST.... POOR SYBIL (on the upside, they don’t TECHNICALLY work there, so she might be fine most of the time.)

Strong Bad isn’t a Psychonaut! He’s just a vlogger and a petty (psychic) criminal. It’s honestly not very different from canon.

Free Country, USA is a smalltown hotbed of psychic activity. Nearly everyone there has some mild capacity for supernatural powers, but nobody really notices or cares. Strong Bad just pops the tops off of cold ones and.... sometimes alters reality, a tiny bit. But mostly just in regards to media. The cartoons, comics, etc, that he invents and talks about have a tendency to suddenly voip into existence and nobody knows how. I swear, there’s actually a line of him saying something to this effect, but I can’t find it anywhere. Don’t worry about it! Nobody in town is ever going to do anything truly nefarious with their powers, so it’s not a high priority on the Psychonauts’ radar, just a weird footnote.

The only reason Homestar is an actual agent is because he seems like exactly the kind of guy to sign up for a job like that on accident and then stick with it. And he’s a talented telekinetic! None of his other friends know about his job or notice his absences.

And just for fun, here’s some weird instances of psychic overpowering that happened in the cartoon:

---

(Poor Strong Sad)

I’ve actually answered this one before! BAM Pretty sure all of it is still accurate.

Nelson: He sees floating sheets of paper containing notes, questions, etc. Anything that he wants to know more about regarding that person. The notes are subject to edits, cross-outs, ripped pages, etc.

Guybrush: He sees the item that the person is carrying that he wants most. As he gets to know people better, he sees them for their useful skills first.

Manny: His view of most living people is not very kind...

The people he’s closest to will eventually look a lot less garish. More like a flattering, camera-ready versions of themselves.

Eddie: Sickass sketch drawings that look like they belong in the margins of a composition book. The illustrations improve as he gets a better picture of where they’d fit in the internal lore of his mental world.

Sam: A lot like Nelson; Sam pictures case files, though his are a bit more in-depth.

Max: Max’s visions of people are highly personal and uncomfortable for those who witness them. He sees Nelson as a puzzle with a piece missing. Guybrush is a ripped up voodoo doll. Manny is a forgotten ofrenda. Eddie is a powder keg with a long, lit fuse. Sam is Sam, but he’s the wrong one.

I also got two questions that were pretty big subjects, or that I didn’t want to repeat, so I’m gonna cover them pretty broadly:

REGARDING [X] CHARACTER OR SERIES INCLUDED IN THE AU

Sure, I support it! I’ve gotten this question a few times in regards to things that I haven’t had time to delve into yet, or I’m not interested in, so I’m not going to include it into the AU myself. But if you want to explore an idea like that, feel free! This AU is pretty dang collaborative.

My main focus is just on the main 6 properties: Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max.

But my general rule of thumb for “characters that exist somewhere within the background of this story” are any other properties owned by Telltale, Lucasarts, or Double Fine. And considering all of the licensed games that Telltale was getting into before it kicked the bucket, that includes some really weird characters, even up to the Venture Bros. I loved that series, but I’m not really interested in doing anything with them for this story! Partly for my sanity, the canon I’ve picked are already a lot of content to play with.

ASSORTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WILDCARD AU DISCORD

There’s no particular criteria needed to join the discord, and it’s not strictly on a need-to-know basis! Because it’s been a long while since anyone has joined, I've been hesitant about adding new people in... But I‘ve decided to try sending invitations again! Everyone who had asked about it in the past will be getting a ping by me in about a day or so, since I want to double-check if you’re still interested. If you’ve been nervous to ask you can reply to this post or message me privately.

Some things to keep in mind before asking or accepting the invite:

If you’re not a friend or a follower I recognize, I will likely double-check your tumblr along with some other current members before sending the invite.

Here’s the Rules page, so you know what to expect before you join:

Be Mindful - Respect other people's boundaries, don't do or say things that would cross the line. If your behavior makes other people feel uncomfortable or unsafe, I will remove you from the chat. In most cases I will try to resolve things with you and offer a chance to do better, but that will depend on the severity of the situation. And if you have any concerns regarding another member of the chat, you can contact me privately.

Health Boundaries - While discussions of mental health do occasionally pop up, do not rely on the chat for help. None of us are equipped to handle serious mental health concerns, and it will only cause distress for everyone. Please seek real help if it is needed! If you rely on people beyond the point that they have asked you to stop, I will remove you from the chat.

NSFW - Generally speaking, try to keep NSFW talk to a minimum. Swearing and humor is fine, but don't get too explicit please! Discussions should usually keep to a PG-13 / occasional R, but no NC-17.

Spoilers & Censorship - Please use the spoiler function to hide story spoilers, as well as discussions and graphic depictions of gore/excessive blood/body horror/severe psychological horror. Include a content warning so that people know what they could potentially be seeing when they click on the censored content. If the spoilered content is the subject of a back-and-forth discussion, please use another warning when you are switching to a different spoilered topic. (Note that these rules were added to the chat later, so be careful when using the search function or back reading.)

The canon series involved with the Wildcard AU are Psychonauts, Puzzle Agent, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, Brutal Legend, and Sam & Max. Please be mindful of story spoilers!

Channel Organization - Also be mindful of which channel you're in and move a discussion over if need be! That way they don't get too clogged with unrelated info.

Creative Criticism - When it comes to writing, art, or character creation; try to be open to suggestions from others! Nearly all of the creative work in the chat is collaborative, so input from others is important! Creative criticism is not the same as judgement, and is not a personal attack.

Have fun! - Discussions move quickly in this chat! Don't feel bad if you ever need to step back, whether it's because of the speed or a disinterest in whatever current topic we're focusing on. If you ever want to come back, we're happy to have you and can give quick explanations if you feel out of the loop! :thumbsup:

We’re a group of approx. a half dozen to a dozen people, either posting very very quickly in a span of a few hours or barely anything for a few days. We’ve been in an activity uptick lately and there’s about a year and half of back content, too. If it’s hard to keep up on, not that interesting to read through, or you just have a hard time gelling with the group that's already there, there’s no shame in just lurking or dipping out if you need to.

We also talk a lot about Psychonauts OCs, so anticipate that.

#wildcard au #wildcard hcs

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glassvines · 2 years

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Thoughts on 2021 Favorites

I mentioned last year that I was sad to see the potential downfall of a favorite hobby: watching films at movie theaters. If you had told me Spider-Man was going to save, if only short-term, the industry I would have laughed. Welp.

TV Shows 1. What We Do in the Shadows - Fiiinally marathoned this series. Was not disappointed! Just as silly and fun as the film. Can't wait for the fourth season!

Animation 1. Arcane - I need to dig more into the backstory of how this series came to be, but from a casual's point-of-view it's a fantastic series. Gorgeous animation and great character interaction. 2. Centaurworld - So glad it got a proper ending. A definite favorite this year. 3. Pacific Rim: The Black - This was actually pretty decent! Not too enthused with the animation, but it gets the lore of the PacRim universe right. 4. Amphibia - I just love this series so much. Every season thus far has been solid. 5. Infinity Train - Loved the fourth book! As much as I would like to see more from this series, I think it ended on a high note. 6. Carmen Sandiego - This gets a mention because the show decided it cared about my faves and gave them a proper relationship arc conclusion. I just. Love it when my favorite unpopular ship wins lol. 7. Hilda and the Mountain King - This was my favorite animated feature this year. Would have been an incredible finale, but we're getting another season haha. 8. Encanto - Suuch a pretty movie; I just loved how bright and colorful the whole thing looked. At least Disney’s animated films are still good. 9. Luca - This was so cute!! Pixar needs to do more of these chill, kind of Miyazaki-esque type of movies.

Video Games 1. Nier Automata - I had been meaning to play this but was a little hesitant on spending money on it? Turns out it's the kind of gameplay that I like and I love the ridiculous story. It pulls off being thoughtful and philosophical without feeling pompous and condescending - also a plus. On that subject: watch Jesse Cox and Michael Santell's vids on Automata and Replicant. They're spoiler-heavy but really well done imo. They do a good job at explaining all the story beats, characters and gameplay. I will probably never get over that "human cities" bit they have in their Replicant video. 2. Psychonauts 2 - Have not been able to get very far in this one yet, but what I’ve played I’ve loved. Hope it turns out to be as fun as the first one (I have avoided spoilers so far lol).

Films 1. The Kid Detective - Looved this. Def one of my favorite mystery gerne films of recent memory. The ending GOT ME GOOD. 2. Nightmare Alley - If you couldn't tell, GDT is kind of my favorite. 3. Last Night in Soho - Edgar Wright please do more horror u_u. Also, I can't seem to discuss this film without bursting into song. 4. The French Dispatch - Wes Anderson has blessed us with yet another brilliant/beautiful movie. I'm always on such an inspiration high after watching any of his films. 5. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar - It’s so stupid you guys and I don't caaaaare I loved it so much. New comfort movie. 6. Dune - Hype was real and this movie was gorgeous.

Honorable Mentions 1. Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs 2. The Witcher, season 2

Things I’m Looking Forward to in 2022 1. Uh 2. ???? 3. Profit

Some Creative & General Goals for 2022 1. Now that I own a guitar I want to get better at playing it!! 2. Post some art again.

#New Year's #some comments #glassvines gets irl #animation

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