In Depression Quest developed by Zoe Quinn, the choices you don’t make are the ones that shape your story. Your a young adult in their mid-twenties with a job, partner, and depression. Through a series of hypertext interactions, you go through the motions of everyday scenarios. What makes Depression Quest different from other games is the fact that not all presented options are available— decisions that reflect what the player wants to do but can’t get themselves to do are marked red and crossed out.
This limitation of choice is an area where the game explores feminist perspectives. Instead of using heroic actions in elaborate scenarios or encouraging grit and willpower, Depression Quest focuses on the internal struggle that an individual with depression faces, littered with self-doubt and thus a feeling of, “I can’t do that”. The game forces this feeling onto the player through these unavailable options, but I found myself concerned to pick an available option that might be out of reach of my character’s capability. In other words, because the simplest tasks were unavailable, I was worried of stretching my character too thin and “losing” the game.
Mechanically, the most powerful feature of the game is the way in which it limits the agency of the player. The game doesn’t even try to create an illusion of choice, but instead almost taunts the player with a reminder of decisions or actions that “you are too depressed to make/do”. This aligns with feminist theories of constrained agency, which claims that voice and choice are not always available, especially in systems built against you. Depression Quest leans into this, demonstrating how powerless someone can feel, despite having “agency” and being the main character in your own narrative.
A specific moment in the narrative that stood out to me was during a conversation with Alex (my character’s partner) where I agreed to go to a party in hopes to make my character feel better. However, the game stated I was feeling disoriented and isolated upon entering, and gave me no options to attempt to improve the situation. The most positive option seemed to be to stand against a back wall and wait for my partner to return (after they had left), but the path I had taken did not feel like a “win”. Of course, the option that was unavailable to me at the time was to socialize and attempt to enjoy myself at the party.
From an MDA perspective, the mechanics of text selection with crossed out, unavailable options create dynamics of concern, and indecision. The aesthetics do not lean into fun or mastery, but instead focus on discomfort and struggle. The player is not tasked to “solve” depression, but rather navigate with the problems it brings. Depression Quest encourages discussion surrounding games that are not necessarily fun to play, but provide value in other forms (education, awareness, etc.). Are games really games if they’re intended to not be fun?
