Autonomy, Heteronomy, and Representations of Illness in Digital Games

Starting from essential concepts of medical ethics, this article focuses on how constructions of somatic and mental illnesses in digital games tie in with ideas of autonomy and heteronomy. Distinguishing between disease, illness, and sickness, we argue that digital games negotiate autonomy/heteronomy on the level of narrative, esthetics, and gameplay structure. Three games then serve as analytical examples: Outlast (Red Barrels 2013), Depression Quest (The Quinnspiracy 2013) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar Games 2018)