Video games for emotional and mental health
About one in four kids will develop anxiety or depression by the time they reach 18 years old. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified depression as the leading cause of disability, worldwide. That means that you’ve likely suffered yourself from these mental health concerns or you know someone very close to you who has. The associated physical health data are also compelling: mental health issues directly impact on physical health, dramatically increasing the chance of heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and a variety of autoimmune disorders. (It’s become increasingly clear that this mind/body duality doesn’t work on so many levels: philosophically, psychologically or biologically… but that’s a topic for another post).
If we improve the mental health of young people, we don’t only have happier, more productive kids, but we have mentally and physically healthier adults as well.
The good news is that we have proven techniques from behavioural and clinical science that work to help prevent and improve anxiety and depression. But these school and clinical programs are seen by the young people themselves as preachy, boring and totally disconnected from their “real world.” Even more worrisome is that up to 80% of young people who need help will never seek it in the first place because of the associated stigma.
We’re doing it differently: we co-design and scientifically evaluate video games that train emotional resilience skills while also preventing anxiety and depression. At their core, these games are beautifully designed, emotionally immersive experiences that meet young people in the digital spaces they are choosing to spend so much of their time. By aligning with their needs, aspirations, vulnerabilities and strengths, we can provide them with a suite of tools from which they can choose to build their own emotional capacities.
In a 10-part series of posts, I’ll be detailing the rationale for using games, our design and development methodology, and the empirical results that are emerging from our evaluation research. Along the way, I’ll be introducing you to the talented multidisciplinary team I work with and diving into their varied craft: Designers, behavioral psychologists, artists, and neuroscientists (for a sneak peak at what we do, check out our online home-under-perpetual-construction).
In writing these posts, my hope is to share our process and products as they develop. But perhaps just as importantly, I’d like to learn from readers about what we’re getting wrong, how we can improve, what games you’re learning from, and the varied ways we could best serve vulnerable youth with interactive media solutions.
