Yixuan Zhao
When Rabbit Forgets the Sun
Summary
-Depression is a common mental illness often characterized by persistent low mood and a variety of physiological changes.
-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective psychological treatments for depression. While many games have explored the theme of mental illness, very few attempt to integrate actual psychotherapies like CBT and art healing.
-In this project, I aim to design and develop a game that reflects the subjective experience of depression, while incorporating the principles and process of CBT and my own art healing works.
-My hope is to blend psychological education with sympathetic storytelling, creating a work that serves both as science communication and as a gentle form of art healing.
Behind the medical words
Depression. The mental struggle marked by low mood, lack of energy, and possible physical discomfort. As a former medical student, I have read these symptoms in textbooks thousands of times. But those books are written by doctors and scientists. They rarely tell us what life is like subjectively, as a patient. Will my body become rigid, or as soft as marshmallows? Will my vision narrow? Or will I find myself involuntarily focusing on details others overlook?
When I searched online, I found the same phrases copied from medical textbooks — accurate, yet leaving the unseen untouched. This project looks into the unseen.
The game presents subjective experiences from people living with depression, and introduces an evidence-based therapy called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Even without a clinical diagnosis, everyone can experience periods of low mood. CBT offers tools to understand and improve these moods — or, in some cases, to accept them.
I hope this work brings you comfort and courage.
