The Town of Light to donate quarter of sales to mental health charity
"To have the opportunity to help those in the present is more than we could have hoped for."
The Town of Light publisher Wired Productions has announced a quarter of the game's sales will be donated to mental health charity Take This, Inc.
The publisher has teamed up with the game's developer, LKA, to ensure 25 per cent of the money made from digital sales of the game, between 16th August and 6th September, will go into a new fund to support mental health charities including Take This, Inc.
This promotion applies to digital sales across all formats and, in order to boost impact, several digital retailers are currently offering a 20 per cent discount on the game during this period.
The Town of Light focuses on the story of 16 year-old Renée, who was admitted to a mental institutions after showing symptoms of mental illness. In the game, players step into the shoes of Renée as she explores the hospital where she spent most of her youth in an attempt to uncover answers about her past.
The Town of Light received mixed reviews about its depiction of mental institutions. Many positive reviews praised the game's factual foundation and how it shone a light, so to speak, on the cruel therapies patients in these hospitals had to endure. The institute in The Town of Light is based on a real place - Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in Tuscany, Italy. This institution once held over 6000 patients before its closure in 1978.
However others criticised the game for using an experience, which was extremely traumatic for many, as the format for a video game - even if the intentions were good. (Eurogamer's Johnny Chiodini explored this in the video below.)
Regardless of your opinion on the game itself, it is difficult to deny the Wired Productions promotion is beneficial.
The promotion is the beginning of Wired Productions' year-long campaign to help raise awareness of the importance of mental health. The proceeds made during the campaign are to help fund vital services offered by Take This, Inc.
Take This, Inc is a non-profit charity set up by journalists Russ Pitts and Susan Arendt and clinical psychologist Dr. Mark Kline, Psy.D. According to the charity's mission statement, it intends to "to inform our community about mental health issues, to provide education about mental disorders and mental illness prevention, and to reduce the stigma of mental illness". The charity also provides popular AFK rooms, which are staffed mental wellness spaces at some of the world's most prominent video games events.
"The Town of Light, because of the themes of mental health within the game and its grounding in reality, starts the conversation," says Leo Zullo, managing director of Wired Productions. "Our duty is to stand together and continue that conversation, not only to ensure that we dispel the stigma around mental health, but also to ensure that those who feel alone know that they are not, and are given the help they often desperately need. This promotion, alongside our extended campaign for awareness, forms only a small part of a much greater picture, but we hope they will touch many lives."
Here is a list of retailers taking part in the campaign:
Wired Productions has said information on further activities, events and partnerships will be announced throughout the campaign.