GameSpot have two videos on this matter (found through re-watching the Low Batteries series by Eurogamer via recommendations bar)
Links to the GameSpot Videos:
How Video Games Explore Mental Illness
Video Games Vs. Depression
Video Games Vs. Depression:
This video explores at how gamers views on how games have helped them through their mental health problems or not.
As mentioned in this video, the relationship between depression and video games are complex. Some use it as a crutch to get through the day (in a healthy way) but others can escape into gaming so much, that it can make their depression worse or getting addicted to the video games themselves.
The article talked about in the video:
Definition Of Insanity: Games & The Stigma Of Depression
When talking about the article, it talks about the negative impact of gaming on depression, a point though I thought about and looked about briefly, I haven't taken into account properly. I looked at the negative portrayal of depression within games and video game addiction, but I never thought about HOW games can impact depression and could make it worse.
One of the major aspects I took away from the video is the community aspect and gaining friend via online gaming and helping them though the bad times. One of the players, due to health problems (not the depression but did cause the depression) couldn't go out but made friends online and manage to socialize.
Personal takeaway from this video: After watching this video, I was in awe on hearing how games have helped their lives and hearing their own stories. Though I've done essays on this subject before, but it always manage to touch my heart on hearing people's own experiences and hearing their stories - it gives a more human face to the research. This always reinforce my beliefs on games being a form of therapy, drives my passion for this concept and drives my passion more to help people, like these with my greatest hobby.
How Video Games Explore Mental Illness:
This video helped me finding games that explore mental health. But one game that stood to me within this video was The Town of Light; a game based on a controversy within a mental hospital during the 1930's.
Link to the steam page for The Town of Light: The Town of Light
One concept I never thought about before is using games to educate people on how the mental health system use to be and how that system use to be. This also give light on how vital it is to keep mental health trust funded as if our current system keeps getting budget cuts, the system could end up being as flawed as it once was. I also didn't think of using horror games to explore metal health issues and thought it would be counterproductive (it was counterproductive trying to help anxiety by cause anxiety) so I did rule the genre out completely. However, The Town of Light have made me reconsider this stance.
More videos on Mental Health and Games I looked at this week:
Mental Health and gaming by GameByte: Mental Health and Gaming
Hellblade: A Groundbreaking Take on Mental Illness - Reboot Episode 12 by GameSpot: Hellblade: A Groundbreaking Take On Mental Illness - Reboot Episode 12
How Hellblade Nails Mental Health - Low Batteries by Eurogamer: How Hellblade nails mental health - Low Batteries
Other videos I Looked at whilst researching:
Why Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is More Important to Gaming Than You Think by GameSpot: Why Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice Is More Important To Gaming Than You Think - Note: This video is helpful for me if I want to release my game I want to create during MA
HellBlade Has Noble Ambitions But it Also Had Us Worried (Hands-on Impressions) by Eurogamer: Hellblade has noble ambitions but it also has us worried (Hands-on impressions)
Also this week I was sent an article that would be of interest by The Guardian Staying appy: mental health apps deliver mixed results
Also this week I was sent an article that would be of interest by The Guardian Staying appy: mental health apps deliver mixed results
Looking at this article has given me an idea of integrating an app into a game that may help people to do stuff outside of the main game - similar to Epic Win.
It's also interesting to see other apps designed to help people with mental health issues. Though it does point out a good point that (to quote the article) The mental health app marketplace is “very messy”.
This has given me to an insight that I hadn't thought of before - there's a lot of apps for helping mental health but from what it seems from the article it's been over saturated. This article also points out that the best way to find the best apps is to see if they have had input with professionals. I need to keep all of this in account if I am to pursue this idea further
It's also interesting to see other apps designed to help people with mental health issues. Though it does point out a good point that (to quote the article) The mental health app marketplace is “very messy”.
This has given me to an insight that I hadn't thought of before - there's a lot of apps for helping mental health but from what it seems from the article it's been over saturated. This article also points out that the best way to find the best apps is to see if they have had input with professionals. I need to keep all of this in account if I am to pursue this idea further
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