Empathizing With the Criminally Insane

Abstract

Arkham Asylum is home to some of popular culture's most notorious super villains. The neglect and inadequate care these villains receive mirrors a real-world context where mental illness is surrounded by stigma, misunderstanding, and poor rehabilitation rates. This study explores the less glossy niches between the action-packed button-mashing on the surface of a popular Batman video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. By pulling back the curtain over the routine treatment of Arkham Asylum's patients (also known as inmates), it presents a set of good practices for improving their care through more effective communication. Recorded audio interviews from the video game constitutes the foundation for this set of good practices tailored to the needs of the fictional facility. Narrative inquiry is used to pull these recommendations from the data. Based on narrative elements found in the data, this study recommends an empathy-driven and preventative approach to treating Gotham's criminally insane population.