When I was completing my master’s degree in behavioral psychology, two questions stood before me: One, should I go on and build a career as a therapist? And two, how often should I tell people that I hold a degree in behavioural psychology?
One of these questions has been wonderfully answered and helped me impress people and find girlfriends when a guitar wasn’t enough.
The other question never found a concrete answer. I don’t work as a therapist, and I don’t intend to. Ask all my friends who rely on my therapeutic words of wisdom to validate their own feelings.
Playing Therapy Simulator reinforced this very idea. Perhaps it’s easier to think that you’ll make a great therapist. When, in reality, you’re most likely validating a person’s thoughts rather than building a workable emotional system with them.
Trigger warning: Several themes in Therapy Simulator shed light on mental illnesses that many of us may have encountered at some point. It’s certainly not easy to feel triggered by these, so read cautiously.
So what brings you here today?
My first patient in Therapy Simulator was none other than Johnny Sims, a parody of the world-famous, multi-talented man who has taught millions of viewers the art of finding joy in the happiness of others.
The moment I got to sit down, he explained how impostor syndrome led him to feel this gnawing feeling that kept him from ever believing in his true self. A doctor, a plumber, a very bald man… Who was he? We tried to figure out his feelings, one question at a time.
Just like Johnny and his impostor syndrome, several patients had their own burdens to carry. Depression, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, and insomnia to name a few. These would work like “tags” under their names, so I knew what I was working with.
Name Your Feelings
My favorite part of Therapy Simulator rests in its conversations. Every line I spoke had an impact on my patient, and it quickly became clear that my words held value. Did I always say the right thing? Please. If I had such abilities, I wouldn’t be writing game reviews for free. *sniff*
Therapy Simulator doesn’t mess around with its dialogs! Saying the wrong things to someone can make them question their own beliefs, and therapy could quickly turn into bullying if you’re not careful.
All of this is reflected in a bar on top of the screen, where a morality compass gently judges you because your parents didn’t do so enough during your childhood. The only way to win at Therapy Simulator is by letting others win. Seriously, just be nice?
It’s okay to not feel okay.
Once I was done enjoying these conversations, I slowly slipped into the game’s monotony and underwhelming reward systems. Add to that the robotic animations and bizarre facial expressions, and I had a game that could have just worked as an interactive story without any visuals.
I admire the developer’s effort in creating a realistic simulator where I worked in a therapist’s office and lived through a very, very slow walk to the elevator and back. It just isn’t enough.
Its lack of polish and content reflects in the overall experience. Give me more variety in patients! Let us hold deeper conversations. Let me be surprised by something I said that did not help the lost soul in front of me.
So, how does that make me feel?
Playing Therapist Simulator felt like meeting a friend who liked all my favorite hobbies but led a deeply uninspired life. These kinds of friendships feel nice for a moment or two, but slowly rot in an abyss of suppressed feelings.
Tanay, get back to the review.
Whoops. Intrusive thoughts. Sorry.
Anyway, other than its mediocre gameplay systems and animations, Therapy Simulator does hold some potential. I love the writing, the way conversations flow, and how I’d look forward to speaking with a new patient now and then.
It’s a lovely interactive experience for someone like me who lives and breathes a vocabulary founded on psychological research. Here are a few things that can make you sound smart:
“You’re not confused, you’re just going through something called cognitive dissonance.”
“I’m so proud of you for making such progress. Do you think your sense of perfectionism stems from an upset and absent father?”
“Bro, every time you speak, you make me want to read the DSM-6.”
Scratch the last one.
With this, I leave you to try the game for yourself. At the time of writing, it may feel a bit overpriced for what it has to offer, but I promise you it’s a unique experience nonetheless.
I give Therapy Simulator 3 cognitive distortions out of 5.
Other than its mediocre gameplay systems and animations, Therapy Simulator does hold some potential. I love the writing, the way conversations flow, and how I’d look forward to speaking with a new patient now and then.
When I was completing my master’s degree in behavioral psychology, two questions stood before me: One, should I go on and build a career as a therapist? And two, how often should I tell people that I hold a degree in behavioural psychology?
One of these questions has been wonderfully answered and helped me impress people and find girlfriends when a guitar wasn’t enough.
The other question never found a concrete answer. I don’t work as a therapist, and I don’t intend to. Ask all my friends who rely on my therapeutic words of wisdom to validate their own feelings.
Playing Therapy Simulator reinforced this very idea. Perhaps it’s easier to think that you’ll make a great therapist. When, in reality, you’re most likely validating a person’s thoughts rather than building a workable emotional system with them.
Trigger warning: Several themes in Therapy Simulator shed light on mental illnesses that many of us may have encountered at some point. It’s certainly not easy to feel triggered by these, so read cautiously.
So what brings you here today?
My first patient in Therapy Simulator was none other than Johnny Sims, a parody of the world-famous, multi-talented man who has taught millions of viewers the art of finding joy in the happiness of others.
The moment I got to sit down, he explained how impostor syndrome led him to feel this gnawing feeling that kept him from ever believing in his true self. A doctor, a plumber, a very bald man… Who was he? We tried to figure out his feelings, one question at a time.
Just like Johnny and his impostor syndrome, several patients had their own burdens to carry. Depression, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, and insomnia to name a few. These would work like “tags” under their names, so I knew what I was working with.
Name Your Feelings
My favorite part of Therapy Simulator rests in its conversations. Every line I spoke had an impact on my patient, and it quickly became clear that my words held value. Did I always say the right thing? Please. If I had such abilities, I wouldn’t be writing game reviews for free. *sniff*
Therapy Simulator doesn’t mess around with its dialogs! Saying the wrong things to someone can make them question their own beliefs, and therapy could quickly turn into bullying if you’re not careful.
All of this is reflected in a bar on top of the screen, where a morality compass gently judges you because your parents didn’t do so enough during your childhood. The only way to win at Therapy Simulator is by letting others win. Seriously, just be nice?
It’s okay to not feel okay.
Once I was done enjoying these conversations, I slowly slipped into the game’s monotony and underwhelming reward systems. Add to that the robotic animations and bizarre facial expressions, and I had a game that could have just worked as an interactive story without any visuals.
I admire the developer’s effort in creating a realistic simulator where I worked in a therapist’s office and lived through a very, very slow walk to the elevator and back. It just isn’t enough.
Its lack of polish and content reflects in the overall experience. Give me more variety in patients! Let us hold deeper conversations. Let me be surprised by something I said that did not help the lost soul in front of me.
So, how does that make me feel?
Playing Therapist Simulator felt like meeting a friend who liked all my favorite hobbies but led a deeply uninspired life. These kinds of friendships feel nice for a moment or two, but slowly rot in an abyss of suppressed feelings.
Tanay, get back to the review.
Whoops. Intrusive thoughts. Sorry.
Anyway, other than its mediocre gameplay systems and animations, Therapy Simulator does hold some potential. I love the writing, the way conversations flow, and how I’d look forward to speaking with a new patient now and then.
It’s a lovely interactive experience for someone like me who lives and breathes a vocabulary founded on psychological research. Here are a few things that can make you sound smart:
“You’re not confused, you’re just going through something called cognitive dissonance.”
“I’m so proud of you for making such progress. Do you think your sense of perfectionism stems from an upset and absent father?”
“Bro, every time you speak, you make me want to read the DSM-6.”
Scratch the last one.
With this, I leave you to try the game for yourself. At the time of writing, it may feel a bit overpriced for what it has to offer, but I promise you it’s a unique experience nonetheless.
I give Therapy Simulator 3 cognitive distortions out of 5.
by Tanay Sharma
