V2: (How) Can I help?

This is the second (and last) premise of my story for an interactive fiction game for CS 377G. I have already built more than half of the game, but due to not being able to finish building the game, this premise will help anyone who plays it understand what I was trying to do. Play here.

From the first moment I started this project, I knew that I wanted to spark conversation about mental health. In this version of my story, I decided to go with the perspective of someone living with a partner who is fighting depression. I have 2 intensions behind doing it this way:

1. Showing people how hard it could be to assist someone who is fighting depression. From what I have read about depression, sometimes the best thing other people can do is just being there for the person fighting depression, and assuring to them that they love and support them. This behavior might become harder when the person fighting depression doesn’t open up or share as much as we hope. In this IF, I hope I can show this point about helping people with depression.
2. Showing that sometimes you might not be able to help even if you tried. I read a blog post here that talked about the author’s depression experience. He said that people who told him to be optimistic were not helpful, neither was the question “are you ok?” In fact, these things became negative at certain points. In my IF, I want to share this fact with my players/readers. I want them to feel the frustration of trying to help, but failing.

Briefly, the interactive fiction takes the form of a branching story. In this story, you are dating Emma. You have been with Emma for about a year now. For most of your time together, your relationship seemed to be only getting better, and you had hopes that you would end up settling together. However, lately things have not been as good as they used to be. Emma does not spend time with you as much as she used to. She often uses work as an excuse or not feeling like being around people. This behavior has been getting you worried for the last few weeks.

You start exploring why Emma feels that way until she eventually tells you that she thinks she has depression (unless you miss up the relationship). Once you know she has depression, you will need to help and support her at your capacity. The outcome of the story could be that you two live together and help her fighting her depression or that you decide you can’t take it anymore so your breakup.

The story is not intended to tell people what is right and wrong in handling such situations. Helping a depressed dear friend can be exhausting, so it is up to the player to decide what they want to do. I just want them to know what it could be like.