Remember that this is a Denpa game, a common comparison game being Doki Doki Literature Club, which is also a Denpa game and also deals with very real issues in the same manner. Remember the scenes with Yuri and Sayori, those are very real issues and there is nothing addressing them as the real life issues they are in that game. Silent Hill is a traditional horror game, not a Denpa game. I don't think Selebus meant to face the fear of these topics, but to face the fear these topics coming up as suddenly as they do in this game can induce. I had forgotten where it said that since I haven't played from the start for a while, which is why I asked.I'm going to preface this comment by saying that this is not a hill I intend to fight and die on, it really doesn't matter that much to me. Ultimately either Selebus sees my comment, agrees and tweaks the warning, or he sees it, disagrees and does nothing. There are more important hills.
I had intended to go no further than my original comment but as you have specifically asked me to explain I will. I really don't want to shit the thread up with a discussion about trigger warnings though (which funnily enough tend to trigger people).
You have definitely misunderstood my comment. Currently the warning states that "as in real life, horrible things may happen" then goes on to say "face your fears".
It is this final line that I was referring to as flippant.
The reason I say this is that usually I'd expect such a phrase to refer to more visceral fears - the dark, spooooooky ghosts, the unknown, blood and guts i.e. generic horror.
In a straight up generic horror setting this would be entirely appropriate. The ghosts (or whatever) aren't real, they aren't going to hurt you and it is through them that we experience catharsis.
But Selebus is pushing in to some really heavy topics regarding mental ill health and the very real consequences of that.This to me is starting to butt up against the boundaries of what would usually be lumped into the "horror" genre, particularly in games. Indeed I struggle to think of any mainstream games that really seek to address these issues, perhaps Silent Hill?
I would accept that "horrible things" does in fact include the kind of topics that are being explored. But I'm not sure it's a simple as facing one's fears when addressing them.
You specifically mention being more explicit to help him in covering his back but I think this really misses the point of content warnings and ascribes a really cynical motivation to Selebus. Given the very genuine style of his writing and engagement I don't think that's a fair assessment of his motivation for including such a warning given that he didn't have to include any warning at all.
I have found as I have gotten older and worked through my own issues that I have mellowed on the concept of trigger warnings, which I never used to like. To me, giving your audience a heads up that "hey we're going to be talking about some fucked up shit" is just a way of showing respect for that audience and hurts noone.
I suppose a parallel can be drawn with the medical warning immediately preceding the content warning in question. This is a photosensitive epilepsy warning. Very few people would begrudge such a warning despite it being virtually redundant. Why should we treat mental health differently?
So the point, if any is to be found in the rambly nonsense above, is that on the one hand Selebus is addressing some serious stuff in a serious and respectful way, but begins that by undermining his approach a little.
Tl;Dr snowflake got triggered
I mention making the warning more explicit as a precaution because there are some people out there who would take issue with the way it is now. They would completely gloss over the fact that there is indeed a warning to say that it isn't enough. I'm not trying to paint Selebus or the motivation to upgrade the warning as cynical, that's just a suggestion to make sure he doesn't run into that kind of trouble because that type of group can be a real pain to deal with. As I said, personally, I believe the warning is adequate as it is now, but some may not believe the same. Yes, the epilepsy warning does have very little use at the moment, but once again, it is better to be safe than sorry. There is no difference in the way the two are treated, he is very aware how serious both are and he is addressing them as such. Because I don't think he meant what you think he meant in the sections you think undermine his approach, I don't think he is undermining his approach at all. In fact, if one were to actually play the game and see the events, I am in no way saying or implying you haven't just to put that out there, they would see just how accurately he is portraying these very real issues.
If you need an example, definitely look at Rin. She is exactly what I picture when thinking of someone dealing with her issues and it actually scares me to consider that this fictional character isn't the only one going through such horrors, even though I was already aware it happens in real life, but that many very real people are as well, some of which have taken the ultimate and irreversible final step or who have caused permanent damage that they will live with until their time comes naturally.
