In a world where corporate giants are known for exploiting their employees, Ninja Theory has taken a positive step by prioritizing the mental health of the team that worked on their upcoming game, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. During the production of the game, there were mental health advisors for everyone to make sure no one felt burdened or exhausted because of the work.
In a recent interview, actress Melina Juergens, who plays the lead character, Senua, in the game, explained that she suffered from psychosis and put her real-life trauma into the game. The role was indeed very demanding for the actress but she saw it as an outlet to get things off her chest. She used her trauma to make her scenes look very authentic and she has been recognized for her dedication as she was awarded the BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer for her work in the game’s 2017 sequel, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.
Ninja Theory head Dom Matthews revealed that the mental health of their employees was their priority
Ninja Theory head Dom Matthews, and actress Melina Juergens were recently interviewed by PCGamesN and during their short conversation, Matthews and Juergens explained how the mental health wellness of the team was the main priority during the production of the game. Matthews revealed,
“We have mental health advisors within the team and we also offer external counseling that we have on hand for everyone in the studio.”
Since the game touches on the topic of Psychosis, it was necessary for the team to stay in the right mental space while working on the game. Matthews assured that these measures helped a lot during the production of the game.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II features a lot of elements that were featured in its predecessor, but the new fighting system will make the gaming experience more engaging as it is far more dynamic and realistic than the old one.
Melina Juergens’ own experiences made her performances in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II authentic
Melina Juergens plays the lead character Senua, who suffers from psychosis. Juergens revealed that she used her trauma while working on Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice to make her scenes authentic. By using this opportunity as an outlet, Juergens delivered an outstanding performance,
“I put a lot of my own real-life trauma into the character – I suffered from psychosis before in my early twenties. I still suffer from anxiety and various other things – In those scenes, it’s more of a way of processing my own trauma. I’m reliving it on the stage because I connect it to my real-life experience… I see it as an outlet. It gets things off my chest rather than traumatizes me even more, so I see it as a very positive thing for a person.”
As per PlayStation Lifestyle, Ninja Theory spent a lot of time with the best neuroscientists and non-profit organizations like Wellcome Trust to accurately portray psychosis and its devastating effects on the human mind.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is scheduled to be released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on 21st May, 2024.
