ONE MORE TIME : A comparison of Hades with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Activation Therapy in the treatment of depression

Sammanfattning: This paper explores how the mechanics and the narrative of the game Hades compare to theories and methods of the proven psychotherapies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Behavioral Activation Therapy (BA), specifically in treatment of depression symptoms. The research was done by conducting a partial close reading of the game, followed by an overview of threads on the social media site Reddit relating to Hades and depression symptoms. The results were further analysed through examining how they compare to the previously aforementioned treatments. The research found several of the game's mechanics could be mapped to methods of both CBT and BA, and noteworthy connections could be drawn between how Hades could impact its players and the ideal outcomes of the said psychotherapies. The results open possibilities for further interesting studies within the area.