Existing Games

My second lot of research is more focused on looking at pre-existing games that are either based around the subject matter of mental illness or could help in dealing with these issues. There seems to be a very limited number of games out there directly advertised as a tool for coping with stress or anxiety. At present, I have only found the one - Flowy which I looked at in my previous blog post.

The first two games I looked at deal directly with the subject matter of mental illness; they both have a similar rationale in which, through gameplay, they try to explain how depression feels and works. As you can imagine, both games are pretty dull in terms of gameplay, however I imagine that this was intentional.

Elude was the first game I looked at which looks at the constant struggle and ups and downs of depression. You play as a nameless character in a cyclical environment.

Depression Quest (catchy title...) was the second game I played through. This was less of what I would call a traditional game and more a series of questions, the answers dependent on your characters level of depression within the game.

To complete the game you must work your way through all of the questions until your answers are able to determine that you are no longer in a state of depression.

Even though neither of these games are directly about reducing levels of anxiety etc, they help build an understanding of how these certain illnesses can feel. I did find both games quite difficult to play at times, the second one in particular, as they were pretty darn miserable! Again, I believe this to be purposeful.

The next set of games are more directly linked to my project, however neither of these titles are directly advertised as 'calming' games, as such.

Little Wheel is a short game which I absolutely fell in love with. You play as a robot in a city where all other robots have lost power, your task is to bring life back into the world.

The game itself is very relaxing and friendly, it's easy to pick up and play and I believe that both of those assets will be vital in producing a successful anxiety reducing game. My belief is that games that are over-complicated will more than likely increase feelings of anxiety from the player.

The last game I looked at is flOw, a relaxing game about slow progress and evolution.

For me, this game was calming due to the physical movement using the mouse for directional control, the use of the blue colours throughout and the slow paced music. All of these gameplay elements must also be considered when designing a game with my purpose in mind.

Next I want to look at other games out there which aren't as obvious when thinking about my subject matter.