«Sanatorium» is a critically-minded, digital card game about diagnoses and patients in a psychiatric institution. In the fictitious setting of a sanatorium from a bygone era, patients often receive random diagnoses and serve as guinea pigs for new, frequently questionable treatment methods. The player assumes the doctor’s role under false pretences, without any qualification, so the actions in the game then oscillate between wilful execution and moral dilemma. There is also the issue of your personal success rate – the higher it is, the more respect you gain from your colleagues …
This game combines basic features of a digital card game with complex narrative strategies, dissolving the lines between game mechanics and the story. It takes a critical and sarcastic stand against a historically problematic development of psychiatric treatment methods. Sebastian Riedi collected information on the medical background through contacts at psychiatric museums; a further collaboration or exhibition of the game in such contexts is in the pipeline. Because of its innovative subject matter, exploration of uncharted territory in game mechanics and social relevance, Game Design nominates «Sanatorium» for the award grant.
