GameFrame: Lessons on the Power of Compassion from the Video Game Psychonauts
Sasha Nein to the Mega-Censor figment of imagination: “You are my own creation! I command you to STOP NOW!”
-*Gets smashed anyway*
Video games are a rich example of how powerful aesthetic storytelling is in conveying complex ideas in a simple way that solicits emotions and response.
We memorize the message that made us feel something.
Psychonauts, with its exuberant imagination and whimsical nature, transports players into a captivating adventure, immersing them in a realm where psychic abilities, enigmatic plots, and dreamlike vistas unfold.
Beyond being an enchanting video game, it stands as a testament to the fusion of comedy, action, and profound psychological exploration. This distinctive amalgamation imbues the game with a lasting impact, and within its fantastical narrative lie valuable insights and lessons for managers and leaders within the realm of work.
If Psychonauts can teach us anything, it’s that sometimes we need to make the effort to feel like we are able to jump into our employees’ brains to truly understand their perspective.
The game delves into themes such as teamwork, trust, creativity, and problem-solving, which possess remarkable relevance to various facets of organizational behavior. These themes can ignite managers’ imagination, encouraging them to embrace unconventional approaches and tap into their own reservoirs of untapped potential.
Psychonauts illuminates the significance of empathy and the transformative power of confronting one’s fears, imparting invaluable lessons that, when appropriately contextualized, can find practical application within any organizational setting.
GameFrame presents a pioneering concept that skillfully examines the intricate interplay of gameplay mechanics, underlying narratives, and various other multidimensional components within a video game. Through this lens, GameFrame distills essential lessons that transcend the realm of gaming and find application in management-oriented contexts and beyond.
In this particular issue of GameFrame, we embark on an exploration of the invaluable insights gleaned from Psychonauts, uncovering key takeaways that possess the potential to foster a workplace culture that is both efficient and imbued with compassion.
Using empathy as a gateway to meaningful connections
The first lesson the kids learn is that their gift of empathy is the key to being a successful psychonaut, a “sailor of the mind”.
Within the realm of the video game Psychonauts, young protagonists engage in astral projection, venturing into the depths of others’ minds through a mystical conduit known as the “psycho-portal.” This ethereal realm serves as a manifestation of their personal traumas and challenges, seamlessly merging their individual perceptions of reality into a captivating amalgamation of the conscious and subconscious.
The player controls a young psychic named Razputin, symbolically representing debauchery and divergence from societal norms in the Russian language.
Raz was gifted with empathy and emotional intelligence and wanted to escape the circus world and find a place where his psychic talent can be applied.
During his time at the camp, the young protagonist Raz embarks on his psychic training, mastering extraordinary abilities such as levitation, telekinesis, and pyrokinesis. Along the way, he encounters a captivating array of eccentric individuals, from idiosyncratic psychic mentors to his fellow campers, each with their own peculiarities and backgrounds, ranging from a perpetually suspicious conspiracy theorist to a former child star.
However, Raz’s journey takes an unexpected turn when he uncovers a sinister plot orchestrated by the camp dentist, Dr. Loboto. It is revealed that Dr. Loboto has been unlawfully extracting the campers’ brains for his malicious purposes.
Driven by his determination, Raz ventures into the depths of various minds that have merged into the collective unconsciousness, assuming the role of a psychic savior. Inside these inner worlds, which take the form of unique and surreal landscapes, he confronts the psychological battles and personal demons faced by each individual. Through his interventions, Raz aims to liberate them from the clutches of the manipulative dentist and restore harmony to their fractured psyches.
As the narrative unfolds, Raz gradually uncovers Dr. Loboto’s malevolent scheme to utilize the pilfered brains and assemble a formidable psychic army. Determined to thwart the dentist’s sinister plot, Raz embarks on a treacherous journey through the distorted recesses of Dr. Loboto’s own tormented psyche.
Along this perilous path, Raz receives invaluable assistance from his supportive fellow campers and the idiosyncratic characters he has encountered along his transformative expedition. These individuals impart their wisdom, enlightening him with newfound psychic abilities crucial to his mission’s success.
Through Raz’s unwavering determination and resourcefulness, he emerges triumphant, toppling Dr. Loboto and returning the stolen brains to their rightful owners. In the aftermath of their hard-fought victory, Raz and his fellow campers revel in the joyous celebration of their accomplishment. Not only has Raz’s time at the camp honed his psychic prowess, but it has also instilled in him a deep understanding of the significance of compassion and empathy within the realm of leadership.
With the threat neutralized and a brighter future ahead, the game concludes with Raz eagerly embracing his role as a fully-fledged Psychonaut, poised to embark on further adventures while exemplifying the values he has come to cherish.
Applying emotional intelligence with compassion can provide unexpected insights
The symbolism interwoven throughout Razputin’s transformative odyssey imbues Psychonauts with a lasting and profound impact.
Through his empathetic exploration of diverse minds, Raz delves into the depths of the human psyche, acquiring a profound comprehension of its intricacies and acquiring the ability to traverse the intricate emotional landscapes that individuals traverse. Symbolic representation of the journey reflects the importance of empathy and understanding in navigating the complexities of the human experience, as Raz begins to understand the characters he encounters.
In essence, Raz’s intervention is the compassionate psychotherapeutic method that helps people deal with trauma and resolve some issues they are experiencing. An important step towards removing the stigma surrounding psychotherapy and people experiencing mental health issues.
By portraying psychotherapy in a positive and empowering manner, Psychonauts challenges the prevailing negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental health, thus encouraging individuals to seek the support they require. This message holds particular significance for managers on two distinct levels:
- The relationship with the boss is a major source of stress = and hence support — for employees
- Supervisors are often in a position to encourage their employees to seek support and resources for their mental health, and at a higher level, help shape what those policies and resources look like
Managers can learn from this game by understanding the importance of empathy and emotional intelligence in the workplace, and recognizing that employees may be struggling with their own inner demons that can affect their performance and well-being. By promoting a culture of openness and understanding, they can help their teams feel more comfortable seeking help when they need it.
The game, like life, has phases representing different challenges.
The game’s levels immerse players in the minds of different characters, each featuring unique symbolism and themes that highlight specific mental health impairments. In the “Milkman Conspiracy” level, Raz explores the mind of a paranoid conspiracy theorist who works as a milkman. The level is designed as a twisted city, full of hidden dangers and secret agents with specific roles guarding the passageways.
For instance, Raz can access certain areas by utilizing hedge cutters, which allows him to bypass secret agents acting as hedge cutters, or by utilizing a stop sign to navigate past secret agents posing as the road crew. This level represents the psychological conditions of paranoia and anxiety, with the level design effectively capturing the distorted and fearful thinking associated with these conditions. Levels can hold different meanings, and here’s one way to interpret them:
· “Coach Oleander’s Basic Braining”: the mind of someone with an authoritarian personality, who is rigid and follows strict rules
· “The Brain Tumbler Experiment”: the subconscious mind
· “Sasha’s Shooting Gallery”: how powerful negative self-talk is and how the inner critic can hold a person back, resulting in displaced anger;
· “Black Velvetopia”: internal struggle with identity and self-expression of a creative person trying to understand the power of the unconscious mind and thinking in abstract dimensions
· “Lungfishopolis”: fear of authority and being controlled by external forces
· “Gloria’s Theater”: effects of trauma and the process of healing
· “Waterloo World”: desire for power and control that some individuals may have
· “Meat Circus”: fear of failure and the pressure to perform experienced by Raz the protagonist, leaving his family tradition to pursue a different career path
The game’s portrayal of different mental states through its diverse levels and environments serves as a metaphor for the intricate dynamics present in the workplace, where individuals and teams face their own distinct needs and challenges.
Managers can draw lessons from the game’s depiction of mental health conditions and the ways in which Raz assists individuals in overcoming them. For instance, managers can develop the ability to identify and address negative self-talk and the fear of failure among their employees, as well as the impact of trauma and addiction on their performance.
By understanding and supporting the mental well-being of their workforce, managers can foster a more productive and nurturing work environment, going beyond mere recognition to actively provide assistance.
How does Raz help characters address their mental health challenges?
Throughout Raz’s journey into the minds of others in Psychonauts, he encounters a range of adversaries and undertakes diverse tasks. Among these foes, the Censors embody the inhibiting repression of thought and creativity, while the Lungfish represent fear and the perils of blind conformity. These opponents and tasks carry profound symbolism, reflecting real-world obstacles individuals and organizations encounter when navigating social and psychological complexities.
When Raz delves into a character’s mind, he engages in various activities that drive his progress within the level. These include gathering figments of imagination, clearing mental cobwebs, and matching emotional baggage with corresponding tags. Each of these actions symbolizes a distinct set of compassionate interventions that address different aspects of the character’s psyche and emotional well-being.
Figments of imagination in Psychonauts symbolize scattered thoughts and ideas that require organization and comprehension. By collecting these figments, Raz assists in bringing order to the chaotic realm of a character’s mind. The mental cobwebs encountered represent obstacles and negative thoughts that must be cleared away to facilitate clarity and progress. Additionally, the emotional baggage and corresponding tags serve as representations of unresolved emotional issues that demand attention and resolution.
When Raz successfully matches the emotional baggage with its corresponding tag, a short storyreel is unlocked, providing insights into the incident behind the emotional burden. Engaging in these activities grants the player a deeper understanding of the character and their psychological state, enabling them to advance and ultimately aid the character in overcoming their challenges.
What can we learn about empathy and compassion from Psychonauts?
As the player progresses through the game, they encounter increasingly challenging levels that reflect the severity of the mental health issues characters face. To overcome these difficulties, Raz acquires various psychic superpowers, each with its own symbolic significance. These powers, such as pyrokinesis and clairvoyance, emphasize the importance of employing different approaches and tools when dealing with challenging situations with compassion. It is important to note that compassion alone can be emotionally taxing and draining.
Throughout the game, the player is presented with scenarios that require different levels of emotional engagement with the characters, including pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Pity involves feeling sorrow or sadness for someone else’s suffering, but it can sometimes come across as condescending or detached.
Sympathy is characterized by feeling sorry for someone’s circumstances without necessarily understanding their emotions. On the other hand, empathy involves the capacity to comprehend and share the feelings of another person, requiring a deeper emotional connection. In the game, empathy serves as Raz’s special talent, allowing him to access the collective unconsciousness. This symbolizes the significance of establishing meaningful connections with others in society.
Compassion is the desire to alleviate someone’s suffering, often accompanied by empathy and a willingness to take action to help.
In the workplace, managers can adopt practices such as collecting insights and ideas, addressing obstacles and negative thoughts, and addressing unresolved emotional issues. Similar to Raz’s experiences in the game, these activities can lead to a deeper understanding of the human psyche and help navigate the intricate emotional landscapes individuals may encounter. Furthermore, managers can learn from Raz’s personal growth and realization that he is not a failure but can apply his talents in different ways by applying himself.
Understanding the significance of empathy and emotional intelligence, managers can acknowledge that employees may be dealing with internal challenges that can impact their well-being and performance. Here are a couple of suggestions to take from the video game Psychonauts to the workplace:
- Practice empathy and try to understand your team’s perspective. How can I better understand my team’s needs and motivations by using active listening?
- Avoid micromanaging and instead, trust your team to do their job. Am I micromanaging, and if so, how can I delegate more effectively to reduce stress my team experiences?
- Encourage open communication and create a safe space for your team to share their thoughts and feelings. How can I create a more inclusive and safe work environment for my team to share their thoughts and ideas?
- Foster a culture of creativity and innovation by allowing your team to experiment and take risks. How can I encourage my team to think outside the box and take risks?
- Lead by example and demonstrate the values and behaviors you expect from your team. Am I modelling the values and behaviors I expect from my team, and if not, how can I improve?
Furthermore, managers often face the difficult task of handling workplace adversity and addressing the concerns of employees who may exhibit signs of boredom, agitation, or despondency. By developing various tools and approaches to support their teams on an individual and collective level, managers can gain a deeper understanding of their own mental histories and experiences. Similar to Raz’s transformative journey, they may emerge from these challenges with a newfound sense of empowerment and personal growth through their ability to help others.
It is important to note, however, that the interpretations and insights provided are the result of narrative analysis and not developed in collaboration with mental health professionals.
Special thanks to Daven Morrison, M.D. for his input.
This article was written by
Antonio Sadaric is passionately curious about organizational symbolism, corporate cultism and general mechanisms of social learning in various contexts. His consulting work at BUFFED focuses on leadership upskilling and helping (fin)tech scale-ups humanize organizational development. Co-author of Capt. Bossman’s Workplace Stories — the world’s first picture book for professionals.
Carin-Isabel Knoop leads the Harvard Business School’s research and case writing group and has helped HBS faculty members write more than 200 case studies on organizations and managers around the world. Learning about managers’ challenges pushed her to improve their lives, leading to the publication of Compassionate Management of Mental Health at Work with Professor John A Quelch (Springer, 2018). She also co-founded HSIO (Human Sustainability Inside Out), and speaks and publishes about mental health in the U.S., French, and Spanish-language spheres. She enjoys soft-serve ice cream, pragmatic idealists, and postcard writing.
