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Mental Jam: A Pilot Study of Video Game Co-creation for Individuals with Lived Experiences of Depression and Anxiety

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ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation (ArtsIT 2021)

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Abstract

Mental Jam is a research project that explores how methods of video game co-creation can facilitate the participation of individuals with lived experiences of depression and anxiety to build empathy and mental health awareness among young people. Previous studies have explored the use of different artistic mediums to represent different lived experiences and to raise awareness in the community. Video games are an interactive and immersive medium which can inspire players to learn about other people’s lived experiences. However, facilitating the participation of individuals with lived experience in the creation of video games is not well understood. Through a participatory action research methodology, we developed a game jam workshop designed to facilitate the co-creation of video games with participants using diverse video game design approaches, such as narrative-driven game design. We report the results from a pilot study, which comprised of narrative interviews and a game jam workshop through which a game called Counter Attack Therapy was produced. In conclusion, we discuss how the outcomes contribute to the field of art-based knowledge translation, as well as expand upon how game design approaches may benefit individuals with lived experiences of depression and anxiety.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Design, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Hsiao-Wei Chen & Jonathan Duckworth

  2. School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

    Renata Kokanovic

Authors
  1. Hsiao-Wei Chen
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  2. Jonathan Duckworth
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  3. Renata Kokanovic
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hsiao-Wei Chen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Matthias Wölfel

  2. Baden State Museum, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Johannes Bernhardt

  3. Baden State Museum, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Sonja Thiel

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© 2022 ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Chen, HW., Duckworth, J., Kokanovic, R. (2022). Mental Jam: A Pilot Study of Video Game Co-creation for Individuals with Lived Experiences of Depression and Anxiety. In: Wölfel, M., Bernhardt, J., Thiel, S. (eds) ArtsIT, Interactivity and Game Creation. ArtsIT 2021. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 422. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95531-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95531-1_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-95530-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-95531-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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