Doctors by day; gamers by night! Exploring interactions between mental health and gaming, and promoting wellbeing in the gaming community. In this podcast we discuss a wide range of stories regarding video games and mental health.
Vampire Therapist is a visual novel where players assume the role of Sam, a cowboy vampire offering cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to fellow vampires. The game integrates CBT concepts into its gameplay, allowing players to identify cognitive distortions. This podcast discusses how the game depicts and educates regarding CBT.
This podcast discussion delves into generative AI's potential applications, including in gaming, and raises ethical concerns about AI using others' work and replacing human workers. It questions whether we should attribute human qualities to AI and explores the concept of AI providing therapy without being recognized. Additionally, it ponders the meaning of AI "hallucinations" and suggests considering the term "confabulation."
Recorded at MCM Comic-Con. Join us as we verse-jump through the multiverse of …
We take a look at World of Horror, which has now left Steam …
We have another “anime takeover” for our podcast, as we cover Makoto Shinkai’s …
Capcom’s refreshed look at Resident Evil 4 adds a wealth of depth to …
(Content warning: this podcast describes suicidality and suicide in media, including non-detailed descriptions …
FromSoftware’s games have had profound effects on the lives of players, especially those …
What makes Kirby so cute, and why does he make us so happy? …
We’re discussing the game of the moment, and probably game of the year, …
In the latest episode of the podcast we are having an “anime takeover”, …
In the latest episode of the podcast we discuss the game Milk inside …
In the latest episode of our podcast we chat to Barry Gene Murphy …
Spoiler warning: this episode contains an in-depth discussion of the final case in …
What is stigma, how does it apply to mental health, and what are …
Sachin (mental health doctor) talks to Filipe F Thomaz, creator of Into a Dream. This new game tasks the player with entering the dream of a man who has severe depression, so that you can explore their mind, find out how their life has led to this depression, and to help them out. They discuss the inspiration behind the game, how depression is presented within the game. They also get into some spoilers in the second half of the interview, to get into what messages and lessons the game conveys - don't worry, the spoiler half of the interview is clearly indicated!
Sachin (mental health doctor) talks to Kelvin Plomer, Director of Player Experience at Jagex, to learn what the company is doing to support the mental health of their staff, and how wellness culture has evolved in the workplace. Also, he discusses how Jagex along with their partner charities are raising mental health awareness among the player community. He also talks about the measures Jagex are taking to keep players safe online, and how Jagex is working to help players who find it difficult to regulate play time or spending on microtransactions and loot boxes. Also he discusses the positive impact RuneScape has had on many players.
COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic, and anxiety around the illness, as well …
Listen to our panel at EGX 2019 about mental health advocacy in video games. There's lots of interesting talk about how games can portray mental health well, the importance of games in raising mental health awareness, and also a whole lot about how the industry can improve and do more to take care of the people who create these games and put their own experiences into them. We were joined by: Vic Hood (games writer at TechRadar, runs the ReCharge group) Marina Díez (game designer & developer of PTSD and Consent) Rachel Clancy (developer of The Hero's Guide To Gardening; Sky Women in Tech Scholar) Laura Kate Dale (author of Uncomfortable Labels; games writer at LauraKBuzz.com)
The release of Sega’s Yakuza spin-off Judgement was delayed on the PS4 after …
[content warning - mentions of suicide] In this episode Don, Marcus and Sachin discuss "games" which have variously been reported as the cause of suicides: but is there any known truth to such claims? We look at the phenomena of Blue Whale and the Momo Challenge - what they are, why ideas about them have spread, and what is the reality behind the scare stories. We then look at Doki Doki Literature club, which has been described in the media in a similar way to Blue Whale and Momo: again there is a lot of misreporting on this game, but there's still a lot to say about the game's depiction of suicide. We also discuss the game Catherine, transphobia within the game, and whether there's any right way to feel about it.
Violence in video games: does it cause violence in real life? And how do we morally feel about it? [content warning - mentions of suicide and shootings] In this episode Don, Fai, Marcus and Sachin discuss a report of a bill in Pennsylvania that would increase tax on violent games, to raise money to keep schools safer. Is it a good idea? We discuss if there's any evidence to justify such a tax. Then we talk about ways in which virtual violence could be wrong - from a moral perspective. Skip to 24:45 if you want to get straight into these topics. Please note this episode was recorded long before the August 2019 Dayton and El Paso shootings.
Can people develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder following exposure to traumatic media? …
Wraith in Apex Legends hears a mysterious voice that helped her unlock her …
[content warning - this episode features mentions of suicide and abuse within the context of the game Yume Nikki] In this episode Don, Fai, Andrew and Sachin (mental health doctors) and Hammy (medical student) discuss the experimental horror game Yume Nikki and use that as a base to discuss the Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori, and what dreams say about our minds. Read more about Yume Nikki here https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/the-horrifying-legacy-of-yume-nikki-the-homebrew-game-that-became-a-phenomenon/
In this episode Sachin, Don, and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss: – Gamer burnout: What is burnout and can you experience burnout from video games? (check out this article for more https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/mby89y/millennial-burnout-gamers ). They also discuss this article on millennial burnout: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work
In this episode Sachin, Don, Fai (mental health doctors), and Hammy (medical student) discuss: - Celeste: how does it portray anxiety in main character Madeline and how is the game's attitude to mental health reflected in its design? (Check out this article that describes how a tough game like Celeste can be soothing: www.polygon.com/2018/2/8/16961386/celeste-stress ) They also discuss difficult games in general, and how "easy modes" are sometimes viewed negatively.
[cw - suicide] In this episode Sachin, Don (mental health doctors), and Hammy (medical student) discuss: - Silent Hill 2: how does it use symbolism to portray trauma and mental health issues, and does it do a good job? (see article www.inverse.com/article/27660-sil…nami-pyramid-head for more) They then discuss games where all players work together for a common goal, and what exactly is the essence of a Metroidvania game. We're all a bit ill for this recording and so we discussed what is the chicken soup of games - the game you play when you're not feeling well. Also mentioned was the Hooked Exhibition, which remains open till January 6th (london.sciencegallery.com/news/hooked)
In this episode Sachin, Fai, and Marcus (mental health doctors) discuss: - Claims of stimulants used as performance enhancing drugs in esports (see article motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/…fficial-league) - A Twitch streamer with Tourette's and what this means for representation (see article kotaku.com/the-singular-life-o…streamer-1830499961) They then discuss games used for teaching!
In this episode Sachin, Don, Fai (mental health doctors) and Hammy (medical student) discuss: - Gaming in moderation, based on an article by student Timothy Franklin advocating this (http://collegian.tccd.edu/?p=37310) - Concerns about how Cyberpunk 2077 will handle trans identities, in light of how the tabletop game handles it, and problematic tweets from the developer (see article https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-08-24-the-big-cyberpunk-2077-interview) - Plans for the Overwatch League to adopt a touring model, and how this could add additional stress to esports athletes (https://dotesports.com/overwatch/news/the-overwatch-league-was-meant-to-be-city-based-but-that-wont-be-possible-until-it-improves-its-scheduling) They then discuss how they used to game with their parents!
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