Kind Words Review (tnixon25041998)
Where can I begin? First off, I've always had a passion for helping people get through difficult times in their lives. I used to frequent sites like BlahTherapy where you could provide anonymous 1-to-1 support for people who needed it. The problem with that method was that I had no training in mental health practice, and when I came across a problem that couldn't be solved, I didn't have the tools or training available to help people, despite always wanting to.
Kind Words provides a unique solution to that problem. Each user is completely anonymous, and correspondence is purposefully brief, to the point where you can only send one letter to each user, and receive feedback in the form of a cute little sticker. And believe me, this is the game's biggest strength. The positives include, but aren't limited to:
1. Knowing that your words have helped another human being. A contribution, no matter how small, carries the water that will eventually become a wave . You are the butterfly that sparks the tornado. Assuming the tornado is filled with good vibes and cute pictures.
2. The closed feedback loop, which prevents any further discussion. Did you write a letter that the other person didn't like? Well, you'll never know that. And in this case, ignorance is bliss. The last thing I'd want after delivering a passionate 14 line letter is to receive a response telling me why I'm wrong, or how I didn't provide what the user asked for. This isn't a game for that. You write your letter and then you sit back in the knowledge that you did a good job.
3. There's no continuous correspondence. I've had situations in the past where I've talked to someone, and then we've talked more via email or Discord. And again, I'm not a mental health expert. I'm proud to say on one of those occasions, I stopped a young girl from taking her life, and was able to support her through a difficult time. There's been other times where I wasn't able to solve issues that were bigger than myself, and I don't blame myself for that.
In Kind Words, you don't get that full circle development of helping another human being achieve their goals, but you do get to spark the flame which sets their course in motion. And that's enough for me.
So after 21 hours played, hundreds of letters written and plenty of stickers collected, I'm ready to move onto Kind Words 2. Thanks for the ride everyone, I'll see you in the next chapter :)
T