I used to want to be an astronaut. Going through that phase all children do, I relished the idea of floating, traveling to distant galaxies, and getting the smug pleasure from watching peoples’ faces when I told them I was an astronaut.
I think everyone grows out of this phase. It happened when I was in middle school and realized I was really bad at math. So I would never touch the stars and see aliens. Oh well. Certain games can sell you the experience with more plot and less aeronautic training.
Alien: Isolation came out in 2014 and I’ve always wondered why I didn’t play it sooner. It got a few bad reviews (who trusts these anymore anyway?) and cost too much (for me at the time) so I let it slide through my fingers. Until this past week.
The game is so much more than I could’ve imagined. Playing as Amanda Ripley, you embark on a mission to Svestapol where you hope to recover the equivalent of the “black box” from the doomed space station, the Nostromo. The Nostromo, carrying Ellen Ripley (Amanda’s mother) was the setting for the events of the original Alien movie. In this universe, that was fifteen years ago. Amanda, desperate for closure, is eager to discover what happened to her mother. On her journey within the space station Svestapol, she encounters the infamous xenomorph, rogue androids, and the wild inhabitants of a space station in decline. All of these factors contribute to a horrifying environment of consistent fear with the added threats of outer space.
Death has been my constant companion during the entirety of my game experience with Alien: Isolation. The xenomorph that has haunted our dreams is quiet and nearly impossible to detect with the equipment Amanda acquires. But the combination of death, space, and aliens is larger than simply the Alien franchise. The most frightening aspect is the actual isolation and the science behind it.
The Psychological Fear of Isolation
In 2014, The Guardian published an article discussing the effects of space travel on the human body. To the surprise of most people outside of NASA, the public was exposed to the possibility of their friendly neighborhood astronaut experiencing mind-altering hallucinations, eye flashes due to cosmic radiation, and depression due to the isolating factor of being in cramped space compartments.
Astronauts also miss home in a sensory way (the smell of grass, the sight of a sunny day, the feel of their feet on the ground). When those familiar experiences are taken away, it impacts a person’s motivation. Over extended periods of time, it can even affect the ability to make decisions.
NASA’s Human Research Program
The evidence for erratic behaviors and incidents in space is not new. When the Russians were experimenting with space travel in 1976, one particular bad smell grounded an entire Soyuz-21 Russian mission. The cosmonauts complained of a horrific smell in the space station and took the appropriate actions to assess whether a potentially fatal leak had occurred. There was no leak. And NASA concluded that there probably wasn’t a smell either. Psychological issues and anxiety plagued the cosmonauts prior to the “smell” perhaps influencing their decision to abandon ship. So what caused this incident?
Space+Brain=Potential Chaos
NASA scientists are only beginning to learn about the effects of space on the brain. One assessment is that the lack of gravity effects how the brain operates. This can become increasingly problematic when you factor in isolation social environments, anxiety of being away from others, the lack of earthly sensory details like smells and tastes, and the cohesion of a crew who may all be experiencing the symptoms listed above.
When you’re isolated, and can’t get home or talk to your family, how long can you stay positive?
NASA’s Human Research Program
Another case of human isolation studies comes from an event that occurred in the winter of 1956. When a member of an Arctic exploration team began to suffer from extreme paranoid schizophrenia, the entire expedition was placed on hold as he threatened the lives of those around him to the point that they had him confined. Being in an isolated environment like the Arctic, surrounded by mostly strangers in extreme weather conditions was likely the cause of the mental decline that resulted to a member of the team being strapped to a mattress to contain his ravings. With evacuation being impossible, sedation was the only answer. The real question is what would happen in an environment so far from earth?
Bill Paloski, Ph.D., Director of NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP), states that the stresses of space are hugely influential on the success of future space missions. How long can you stay motivated and positive in a confined space? How long can you stay civilized with a group of pre-selected strangers like those working on current space missions or those seen in the Alien movies? Because mental health is so indicative of the quality of life for nearly everyone on a mission, it’s no wonder so many studies are trying to determine how healthy we can remain while in space. These factors alone contribute a great deal of stress to Amanda’s already precarious situations.
Isolating the Brain
Overall, knowing the intimate details of mental health while in orbit was critical to comprehending the “gravity” of isolation in Alien: Isolation. Wandering through corridors for hours without seeing someone led to intense feelings of loneliness. Helpful friends are devoured soon after helping you. Most characters you know will most likely perish in front of you. The intensity of the game play, the sensation of sliding through slim compartments with no breathing room, and the hollow plot driven aspect of Amanda’s seeming-doomed search for the last remnant of her mother made for a maddening gaming experience.
If you haven’t played Alien: Isolation yet, it will be available on Nintendo Switch sometime later this year. Good luck surviving the bone-crushing, asphyxiating, hallucinogenic terrors of being trapped in deep space. Alone…unless you want to count a hungry xenomorph.
Story Quest Decoded 