Survival Games and their Role in Simulating Trauma Recovery

This paper proposes that survival games symbolically simulate the emotional arc of trauma recoverythrough game mechanics rather than narrative. Drawing on Judith Herman’s three-stage model ofestablishing safety, remembrance and mourning, and reconnection, we develop a triadic frameworkof Safety, Agency, and Affective Play. We analyze Minecraft, Terraria, Subnautica, and No Man’sSky, and show how survival mechanics mirror recovery processes: from creating safety through base-building, to reclaiming agency via exploration and crafting, and achieving reconnection throughritual and social play. Our framework suggests survival games may function as simulation of traumarecovery, by offering insights into trauma-informed game design. Unlike games that representtrauma narratively, survival games embed dynamics into procedural systems, potentially offeringa form of soft exposure or affective rehearsal. The framework encourages further exploration intohow play might simulate recovery, and the risks or benefits this may entail for trauma-affectedplayers.