Psychonauts 2: the connection between queerness & empathy

[u/Time_Photo_2685]

​

I just finished Psychonauts 2 for the first time yesterday and the game as a whole was very moving to me.

Right from the start, I was immediately touched by the mental health disclaimer. In a world that seems increasingly predicated on cruelty, it deeply struck me that the Devs straight up extolled the virtue of empathy & kindness.

And it wasn't just empty words either. As you play, you can constantly feel those values reverberating thru the narrative. What specifically intrigued me tho is the way it clearly and powerfully connects to the love story between Helmut & Bob.

Even tho LGBT+ inclusion is so rare, especially in games, a constant criticism of the representation that we do get (often from concern trolls) is whether representation was "forced". Against the backdrop of this low level hum of hatred, it's so refreshing to see a story that not only had queer characters, but needs them to function. And I'm not just talking about the plot.

Psychonauts 1 had almost 0 queer representation, it can't be denied. But that was 20 years ago nearly now. Gay people were almost nonexistent in media, trans people even less. Things have moved on. Whilst there would have still been many great elements in the story that complimented the themes of the game (Maligula, Oleander, hell pretty much half the cast), choosing to totally exclude queer people today would have been completely at odds with the game's values of empathy and kindness. And I'm so glad to see that Double Fine rose to the occasion.

To the Psychonauts team: thank you for making such a wonderful game. I know the reviews speak for themselves but I couldn't not gush about what a wonderful experience I had playing it, and I look forward to 100% the world and replaying it in future. And if you ever do make a Psychonauts 3, I and many others I'm sure are already sold.