White Enamel: An Unsettling Experience

If you've ever seen a photograph of the interior or exterior of an old abandoned insane asylum, you've more than likely felt an unsettling vibe. Only a few decades ago, these places served as homes for people who were deemed to be mentally ill by the medical community, and were intended to provide proper treatment. However, they often became a place where the mentally ill were not only forgotten about by the families who didn't know what else to do with them, but were subjected to barbaric practices and horrendous conditions. These institutions frequently fell victim to overcrowding, low funding, or were understaffed. Factor in what constituted a mental illness back then (homosexuality, for example) and that you could easily be admitted against your well, these places were a veritable hell on earth.

Enter, White Enamel.

Upon first appearance, the site is simply a flash-based virtual tour of one of these many abandoned institutions, but it is so much more than that.

White Enamel is an interactive game that not only allows the player to view the inside of an old abandoned asylum (Glenfield State Psychiatric Hospital), but presents them with old footage and visuals to help them truly experience the bleak atmosphere. The game is broken into seven parts, each one taking you through the different wings while also exposing you to many of the practices that took place.

But what truly makes this an unsettling experience is the alternating atmosphere in each section, never making you quite sure how to feel. Some portions are dark and depressing, filled with the screams and visuals of patients who are suffering, while others are uplifting and ease the mood for a few moments.

Many who have played the game have felt the need to take it one part at a time, taking breaks between parts as the experience can be overwhelming. However, if you do intend to venture through the asylum in one setting, do not expect an uplifting experience. The game begins with admission and ends with the reality that thousands of patients faced. If anything, it will make you grateful the medical science, specifically in the field of mental health, has come as far as it has, even if it still has a ways to go.

If you would like experience the asylum for yourself, then simply go to http://www.whiteenamel.com/