Design media arts student hopes to better represent mental health in new video game
Design media arts student hopes to better represent mental health in new video game
Design media arts student hopes to better represent mental health in new video game
June 29, 2020
Summary
Fourth-year design media arts student Emily Teng said she recognized the overall lack of mental health representation in media and responded by creating "Little By Little By Little" - a narrative video game focused on psychological well-being for her senior capstone project.
"I think it's so important to represent mental health in media because there's a huge power in someone being able to see that and feel less alone," Teng said.
The slice-of-life game follows college student Charlie who is fixated on finding the anonymous artist behind the sheep graffiti all over a fictional town in Oregon.
Prior to this project, Teng said she had never developed a video game on her own or even coded on C-Sharp - the primary coding language for the game engine she uses.
"People usually use some type of framework to get them kick-started on making a video game because video games are, by default, a very painstaking process."
Teng said she was motivated by a desire to focus on how video games can impact mental health during a time when people are turning to gaming as a form of social connection.
Teng said she felt the interactive nature of a narrative video game could provide even greater resonance for players than just watching a movie or reading a book.
"I'm making a game about mental health because there's such a huge stigma surrounding it - especially concerning men and people of color - in the media," Teng said.
In her attempt to create a game that was grounded in reality, Teng said the stories found in "Little By Little By Little" were largely inspired by the mental health challenges she and her friends experienced in college.
Teng wanted a key takeaway for her game to not only be about one's own mental health, but also have the game serve as a reminder to empathize with others' experiences.
Reference
Design media arts student hopes to better represent mental health in new video game. (2020, June 29). Retrieved July 01, 2020, from https://dailybruin.com/2020/06/29/design-media-arts-student-hopes-to-better-represent-mental-health-in-new-video-game