Most stories are about winning. Defeating the enemy. Conquering the challenge. Achieving the goal.
But there’s a different kind of story emerging—one that’s quietly radical:
Stories about healing. About restoration. About the slow, non-linear process of becoming whole again.
Not conquest. Recovery.
And these narratives are resonating deeply because they reflect something conquest narratives can’t: the actual shape of human healing.
The Hero’s Journey vs. The Healing Journey
Traditional Hero’s Journey:
- Call to adventure
- Trials and challenges
- Climactic confrontation
- Victory/transformation
- Return changed
Structure: Linear, escalating, culminating in a decisive moment
Healing Journey:
- Acknowledge brokenness
- Small, repeated efforts
- Setbacks and relapses
- Gradual integration
- Ongoing maintenance (never “finished”)
Structure: Cyclical, non-linear, no single climax
The critical difference: You “defeat” a dragon once. You manage trauma, addiction, or grief forever.
Why Healing Narratives Matter Now
The Mental Health Crisis
Statistics:
- 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness annually
- Anxiety and depression rates doubled during pandemic
- Burnout is endemic across professions
Traditional narratives:
- Often ignore mental health
- Or “cure” it with one big moment (inspirational speech fixes depression)
- Or use it as character flavor without depth
Healing narratives:
- Center mental health as the actual story
- Depict recovery as process, not event
- Respect the difficulty and non-linearity
Collective Exhaustion
We’re tired. Of hustle culture. Of constant crisis. Of performative productivity.
Conquest narratives say: Overcome. Defeat. Win.
Healing narratives say: Rest. Recover. Be gentle with yourself.
The latter message is profoundly counter-cultural—and desperately needed.
The Architecture of Healing Stories
Restoration vs. Destruction
Conquest narratives: Take broken situation → destroy problem → create new order
Healing narratives: Take broken situation → gradually repair → restore wholeness
Example: Stardew Valley
Conquest version: “Defeat Joja Corp by destroying their building”
Actual healing version:
- Restore community center (repair what was neglected)
- Revive relationships (heal social fabric)
- Rebuild your grandfather’s farm (restore family legacy)
- Help townspeople heal (Shane’s recovery, Penny’s hope)
You’re not fighting Joja—you’re making them irrelevant by healing the community.
The Cyclical Nature of Healing
Linear stories have clear endpoints. Healing stories embrace cycles:
Daily rituals:
- Water crops
- Feed animals
- Check on friends
- Maintain your space
These aren’t “grinding”—they’re healing through routine.
Why this works:
- Routine creates stability
- Repetition builds mastery
- Rituals provide grounding
- Small daily actions accumulate into transformation
Real-world parallel: Therapy, meditation, exercise—healing happens through consistent small actions, not one big breakthrough.
Key Elements of Healing Narratives
1. The Broken Beginning
Healing stories start with something damaged:
- A neglected farm (Stardew Valley)
- A destroyed home (Spiritfarer)
- An abandoned garden (Garden Story)
- A grieving character (Gris, Rakuen)
The brokenness is never ignored or rushed past. It’s acknowledged, felt, honored.
2. Small, Tangible Actions
You can’t “defeat” grief. But you can:
- Plant a seed
- Clean one room
- Talk to one person
- Complete one small task
Healing games excel at making the small feel meaningful:
A Short Hike: Collect feathers (simple) → gain ability to explore (empowering)
Unpacking: Place objects (simple) → create home (meaningful)
Spiritfarer: Cook meals for spirits (simple) → provide comfort (profound)
3. Setbacks Are Normal, Not Failure
Conquest narrative: Hero fails → despair → rally → ultimate victory
Healing narrative: Character has good days and bad days (and that’s okay)
Example: Celeste
- The mountain represents anxiety/depression
- You die constantly (setbacks are mechanical)
- But respawn instantly (setbacks aren’t punished)
- Progress is incremental (each screen is a small victory)
Madeline doesn’t “defeat” her anxiety. She learns to manage it. The ending doesn’t cure her—it shows her accepting the ongoing process.
4. Community as Support, Not Audience
Conquest stories: Hero acts, community cheers
Healing stories: Community actively participates in recovery
Stardew Valley:
- You help Shane confront alcoholism
- But the community (therapist, support system) also helps
- You’re part of his healing, not the sole savior
Spiritfarer:
- You help spirits resolve issues before death
- But they also help you process grief
- Healing is mutual, reciprocal
5. The Destination Is Ongoing
Conquest ending: Problem solved, world saved, credits roll
Healing ending: Character is better, but not “fixed” — life continues
Celeste: Madeline climbs the mountain, but still has anxiety Night in the Woods: Mae returns home, but issues aren’t resolved Stardew Valley: No ending—you keep playing, keep living
The message: Healing isn’t a destination you reach and stay at. It’s a practice you maintain.
The Technique: Writing Healing Narratives
1. Start with Loss, Not Lack
Lack (conquest): Character doesn’t have power/knowledge/tool → Acquire it → become capable
Loss (healing): Character had wholeness and lost it → Rebuild it → become integrated
Why this matters: Loss creates deeper emotional stakes. We grieve what we had. We merely desire what we never possessed.
Examples:
- Gris: Singer loses voice (grief visualization)
- Spiritfarer: Deceased souls processing death
- Stardew: Grandfather’s farm fallen to ruin
2. Make the Metaphor Physical
Abstract concepts (depression, grief, healing) are hard to depict. Effective healing narratives make them tangible:
Depression:
- Celeste: A mountain that’s exhausting to climb
- Gris: A colorless world slowly regaining color
Grief:
- Spiritfarer: Ferrying souls to the afterlife
- Rakuen: A fantasy world processing hospital trauma
Healing:
- Stardew: A farm transforming from overgrown to thriving
- Garden Story: A garden reclaimed from corruption
3. Use Environmental Storytelling
Show healing through the environment changing:
Visual progression:
- Overgrown → maintained
- Broken → repaired
- Empty → populated
- Gray → colorful
Stardew Valley’s farm over three years:
- Year 1: Clearing debris, basic crops
- Year 2: Infrastructure, animals, organization
- Year 3: Optimized, beautiful, productive
You see the healing in the space.
4. Embrace the Mundane
Healing happens in ordinary moments:
- Making breakfast
- Organizing a drawer
- Going for a walk
- Talking to a friend
Don’t skip these. In healing narratives, the mundane is the plot.
Coffee Talk: You make coffee and listen. That’s it. That’s the healing.
A Short Hike: You climb a mountain slowly, talking to people. No rush. The journey is the point.
5. Create Rituals
Rituals provide:
- Structure (predictability reduces anxiety)
- Meaning (transforms mundane into sacred)
- Progress (small repeated actions accumulate)
Effective game rituals:
- Morning routine in Stardew (water, feed, check)
- Cooking for spirits in Spiritfarer
- Watering flowers in Animal Crossing
These aren’t “filler”—they’re the mechanical expression of healing as practice.
Depicting Mental Health Respectfully
DO:
Show recovery as non-linear
- Good days and bad days
- Progress with setbacks
- No magic cure
Respect agency
- Character actively participates in healing
- Support is offered, not forced
- Growth comes from within, aided by others
Avoid spectacle
- Don’t make mental illness “cinematic”
- Quiet depiction of real struggle
- No romanticizing suffering
Example: Shane (Stardew Valley)
- Alcoholic, depressed, suicidal
- Heart events show therapy, support groups, setbacks
- Romance doesn’t “fix” him
- Years later, still managing (messy room persists)
DON’T:
Magic cure
- Love interest fixes depression
- One epiphany solves everything
- Problem disappears after climactic moment
Inspiration porn
- “Just stay positive!”
- Character exists to inspire others
- Suffering is romanticized or glorified
Trauma as plot device
- Tragic backstory without exploration
- Suffering exists only to motivate revenge
- No depiction of actual recovery
Why Fixing Feels Better Than Fighting
Psychologically, restoration is often more satisfying than destruction:
1. Creation > Destruction
Destruction:
- Temporary satisfaction
- Creates void
- Often requires more destruction
Creation/Restoration:
- Lasting satisfaction
- Fills void
- Enables further creation
Example:
- Destroy enemy base (done, empty)
- Restore community center (ongoing, generative)
2. Before/After Satisfaction
Healing narratives provide clear visual progress:
- Here’s the broken thing
- Here’s it getting better
- Here’s it whole
The transformation is visible and personal.
3. Alignment with Real Life
Most players will never:
- Save the world
- Defeat a dark lord
- Lead an army
Most players will:
- Try to recover from something
- Help someone they care about
- Attempt to fix what’s broken in their lives
Healing narratives are applicable.
Examples of Masterful Healing Games
Spiritfarer
What’s being healed: Grief, unfinished business, fear of death
How:
- Ferry souls to afterlife
- Help them resolve final issues
- Say goodbye with grace
Why it works: Death isn’t defeated—it’s honored. Healing is letting go.
Celeste
What’s being healed: Anxiety, self-doubt, depression
How:
- Climb mountain (face fear)
- Work with “bad” part of yourself
- Incremental progress despite constant setbacks
Why it works: Mental illness isn’t cured—it’s managed. Healing is acceptance.
Gris
What’s being healed: Grief, lost voice/agency
How:
- Traverse emotional landscape
- Regain color (representing emotion)
- Rebuild wholeness
Why it works: No enemies, no words—just pure emotional journey.
Stardew Valley
What’s being healed: Burnout, corporate alienation, community decay
How:
- Leave office job
- Restore farm and community center
- Build relationships, find purpose
Why it works: Systemic critique (Joja) + personal healing + community restoration
The Therapeutic Power of Narrative
These aren’t just games—they’re narrative therapy.
Research shows:
- Narrative helps process trauma
- Metaphor creates safe distance for difficult topics
- Interactive agency enhances engagement
- Repeated ritual supports real behavioral change
Healing games leverage all of this.
Practical Takeaway
To create a healing narrative:
1. Identify what’s broken
- Physical space (farm, home)
- Relationship (family, community)
- Internal (mental health, grief, identity)
2. Make healing tangible
- What small action represents recovery?
- How can progress be visualized?
3. Design for repetition
- What ritual could be meaningful?
- How does repetition create transformation?
4. Respect the timeline
- Healing is slow—embrace that
- No instant fixes
- Value the process, not just outcome
5. Create space for setbacks
- Bad days are normal
- Relapse isn’t failure
- Progress isn’t linear
The Radical Act of Healing
In a culture that valorizes conquest, strength, and constant achievement, healing narratives are revolutionary.
They say:
- It’s okay to be broken
- Recovery is worthy of story
- Small acts matter
- You don’t have to be fixed to be valuable
We don’t need another story about saving the world.
We need stories about saving ourselves—and each other—one small, repeated, imperfect action at a time.
Next: Quiet Protagonists in Loud Worlds - Why the farmer doesn’t speak