Video game Flower
In Flower, you play a series of petals on the
wind, ducking around rocks, fields and wind turbines
in dream-like landscapes designed specifically to
soothe players into a positive emotional experience.
Though Flower wasn't designed with mental
health in mind, its attention to peace and mindfulness
has been therapeutic for a number of players. Louie
Castro-Garcia, who used a series of video games to
battle his own depression, said: “I remember reading
an article online about someone having a friend whose
mother had recently passed away due to cancer. The
person in the article invited his friend over to play
video games, to help her get her mind off things. When
she arrived, the person suggested they play 'Flower'.
The article explained how this person and his friend
sat silently, just enjoying the beauty and simplicity of
the game, occasionally looking over at each other and
smiling, and when the friend left, they looked like a
weight had been lifted from them.”
Flower is part of the silent-wanderer genre of
games like breakout hits Journey and the House of
Cards-approved Monument Valley. Their aesthetics and
tone offer an escapist respite from a video game
landscape that's often frantic and exhilarating.
Disponível em: <https://mic.com/articles>. Acesso em: mar. 2017. Adaptado.
The person mentioned in Castro-Garcia’s story invites a friend to play Flower because
