The Therapist

Project overview

Serious games have been applied in many fields, and mental health is no exception. Studies suggest that there are benefits for psychological and behavioural changes (Fleming et al., 2017), with some serious games even outperforming traditional methods of treatment. Not only that, but they have also helped to encourage players to apply the therapeutic methods that they have learnt (Eichenberg and Schott, 2017). Developing and refining these game-based approaches is important due to their wider reach of audiences - A study of Australian households in 2015 revealed that 68% of Australians play interactive games. Of these, 78% were 18 or older and 47% were female (Parliament of Australia Environment and Communications Committee, 2016). Clearly, the appeal of video games are indiscriminate of age, gender or background. For those who are unwilling or unable to access the mental health services they require, serious games can help bridge the gap as a more approachable medium. However, these games are still in their early years (Fleming et al., 2017) and more