In May 2015 I lost my aunt, who I was very close with. She died after a long battle with dementia and mistreatment in a nursing home we would not have placed her in if given the choice. I was there by her bedside when she died, around a week before my birthday and moving into my first apartment/starting my first job. I had very little time to grieve for her, and after helping my grandma and family watch over her and help her, issues facing people with and families effected by alzheimer's and dementia has become a very important thing for me. Because of the fast pace at which my life was changing, I bottled up my grief and went on with my life.
My boyfriend introduced me to Firewatch later that year, telling me that it was coming out in the upcoming year and he knew it would be something I'd love. I watched the website and news regarding the game like a hawk, eager to see more about it. When it went up for preorder, I immediately bought it on steam. Once I realized that my dying laptop would struggle to even boot it up, I preordered it on my PS4. It may have been silly, but I believed in this game.
The day it came out I was incredibly excited. And then, almost immediately after starting the game, I had to stop. I was unaware that the protagonist had a history with dealing with a similar issue, watching helplessly as a loved one succumbs to dementia. I broke down on the spot, every bit of grief that had been kept inside came swelling up all at once. I pressed on, and found that the game was not only therapuetic, but everything I had wanted it to be and more. It has become one of my all time favorite games, and I'll still play it every so often just so I can wander the forests and mountain paths. It's very soothing if you've had a stressful day.
