But looked at from within the context of Gamergate’s specific paranoias, the stakes become altogether clearer. Fundamentally, Depression Quest is a game about validating identities and making human connections. Its goal is to communicate the lived experience of Zoe Quinn’s depression to players and to facilitate empathy and understanding. It is an exaggeration to even call this identity politics. Sure, it has potential implications for the treatment and stigmatization of mental health, but these aren’t foregrounded in the game. It’s simply a game that says, “this is what it’s like to be me.”
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