The Psychological Importance of Addressing Grief and Its Application to Game Design

Grief is a complex and deeply personal process that arises from loss, be it the death of a loved one, the end of a significant relationship, or other forms of profound change. Confronting and processing grief is essential for emotional well-being, and games have the unique potential to explore this universal experience interactively. Designing a game about moving on from loss requires a thoughtful approach to the psychology of grief, ensuring that players are both emotionally engaged and given tools to reflect on their own experiences.

Why Confronting It Matters

Psychologically, grief is not something to “get over” but rather to adapt to and integrate into one’s life. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) illustrate the multifaceted nature of the grieving process, though not all individuals experience these stages linearly or uniformly. The goal is to reject and avoid the concept of unresolved grief, also known as complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder (PGD) through the expression of emotion. Anger, sadness, and confusion are natural responses – suppressing these emotions can lead to unresolved grief.

Unresolved grief occurs when the natural process of mourning is interrupted or prolonged to the point where it significantly impacts a person’s ability to function in their daily life. While grief is a normal response to loss, unresolved grief persists and can lead to a range of emotional, physical, and psychological challenges. Studies have found that once it presents it does not significantly change over time, meaning it tended to remain, resulting in the need for active intervention (Zisook and DeVaul, 1983).

An estimated 7%-10% of bereaved adults will experience the persistent symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (Szuhany et al., 2021). Among children and adolescents who have lost a loved one, approximately 5%-10% will experience depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or prolonged grief disorder following bereavement (Melhem et al., 2013).

Engaging with grief through storytelling or interactive media can help individuals explore their emotions in a safe, structured way, reducing feelings of isolation and fostering healing. Rather than confront grief metaphorically, as done by other games such as Gris, I want to take a more direct approach where players are engulfed in a world that has been changed by grief. Their goal is confront grief head on by overcoming them in battle. It’s worth noting that a game doesn’t need to offer a perfect resolution but it should leave players with a sense of emotional clarity or peace, this is because processing grief often involves reinterpreting the loss, finding meaning, and forging a new sense of normalcy.

Games about grief should strike a delicate balance between the heaviness of the subject matter and the hope of moving forward, one of the key features I want to uphold in my game is the celebration of resilience – highlighting the strength it takes to confront and adapt to grief, the challenge should empower players to see themselves in a new light.

Psychological Benefits for Players

Engaging with grief through a game can offer players profoundly therapeutic experiences, providing several psychological benefits where the player may feel validated, seen and understood as their experiences are reflected in the game. Through choices and outcomes in a game, players can experiment with ways of coping and finding meaning in loss. For example, Spiritfarer uses its mechanics of caring for spirits and guiding them to the afterlife to gently explore themes of loss and acceptance. Players experience the bittersweet nature of goodbyes, making the process of letting go more tangible and empathetic.

Grief can also manifest differently across cultures, with varied mourning rituals and beliefs about the afterlife. Drawing on anthropological or sociological studies adds depth and universality, this could be done by incorporate diverse cultural mourning practices, such as lighting candles, commemorating anniversaries, or creating altars, to give players a sense of how grief is honored globally.

Conclusion

Confronting grief is an essential part of emotional healing, and games offer a unique platform to explore this process interactively. By drawing on the psychology of grief, game design can craft experiences that resonate deeply with players, helping them process their own feelings of loss. Games about moving on from grief, when done thoughtfully, can offer not only emotional catharsis but also a path toward understanding, acceptance, and hope.