"horror" games

TW: sensitive content

i was playing fran bow the other day and i would freak out every time she takes a pill. y'see, i'm a scaredy cat (but yes i love games like that).

the shadows and sound effects scared me shitless until i realized something: those were the kids' intrusive thoughts manifested by their traumas.

and you know what? holy shit. holy shit because it happens in real life. kids as young as 10-year old have voices telling them they deserved what happened to them, or they will be punished for being a bad kid so they ended up severely paranoid and locked up far away from their homes.

games like fran bow are so enjoyable and fun and cute, but there's so much more beyond that and no one talks about it.

my partner's family has a non-government institution where they help kids with disabilities and mental health issues, and the one thing he would always tell me is that kids rarely have the opportunity to speak for themselves. it's always the adults, the parents, the guardians who do so.

and that's when fran bow become...not-so-enjoyable for me anymore. because of that reality. because none could ever know what goes on in a traumatized child's mind because adults always speak for them.

it's sad. but it's the truth. and i hope parents realize that because i know how hard it is for the kids. heck i grew up like that, not being able to tell what's really on my mind because of fear and parents dictating what i should feel.

it's hell. and little children do not deserve that. no one does.