3. The Idea
My idea is to create an animation/ or video game about experiencing certain mental health
problems. It would be a simple visual of a white background with a blacked-out person walking
along and as they move things start happening around them that correlate with that mental illness,
colours, scribbles and shapes will emerge from the figure, as that happens the voices of people that
have experienced it start talking about what happened, how it affected them and what they did in
the situation. It would mainly focus on a panic attack or a depressive episode as I feel that would be
best to turn into a visualisation. In concept the game would have experiences of all the mental
illnesses so that people can understand all of them.
I've chosen to do mental health as its is a growing topic for our generation and a lot of people suffer
from it, its also a personal topic as I deal with anxiety. By doing this for my project I want to show
what its like to experience being mentally ill to those who donât suffer from it and to shed light on
the topic for those who do. I also want to help people get help, so for example someone is having
trouble with being motivated, they could come across my game and when playing the depression
section, they realise thatâs how they feel, and they get help. Another way is that it can help people
who have been diagnosed feel more in touch in with themselves and their illness, they also might
be able to relate to it and then they wont feel like their the only one suffering.
The idea to turn it into a game will link with my FMP and future projects as video game design and
development is what I want to specialise in and what I want to do as a career.
To create the idea I will use Unity as after research Iâve decided it would be the best fit for my
project, I will also use Procreate on my iPad to create the images.
4. Target Audience
When looking at a target audience I had a few options bur decided to
settle on people with mental health issues who both enjoy games and
those who don't, hence the game's theme. I feel my game will target
this audience well because the game is about mental health and a
majority of the gaming community suffer from a mental health
condition. Also, a lot of the community are men and its well known
that men aren't outspoken about mental health so a game concept
about the topic presented in a media they like to consume may help
them seek help or just help them in general. Basically, I want to target
this audience because it's quite largely effected and I want to help
them by showing them its ok through a media they enjoy videogames.
5. Title Ideas
When thinking of a title I wanted to include wording that would relate back
to the game concept so people would know what the game is about. Here is
a list of ideas:
⢠The Mind Project
⢠Project: Healthy Mind
⢠Experience: Mind
⢠The Mental Health Experience
⢠Mind
⢠Simulation: Mind
The name ive decided to go with is Project: Healthy Mind
6. Research â Existing Products â Living with Severe
Anxiety.
When researching existing products I focused on mainly animation and videogames that talk about mental health and their effects. I did this so I could get n idea of
what's already out there as not to copy it and also to generate an understanding of how other people portray mental illness, I found the research really interesting
and each one was entirely different and had its own way of telling the peoples stories.
The first product I looked at was a 5 minute animated film from the BBC about 2 people who had suffered tremendously with anxiety and how it effected their lives
before they got help from CAMHS. Its called Living with Severe Anxiety. The first story illustrates the struggle of a girl called Aneeka who, because of her anxiety
missed her GCSEâs and took an overdose, after this she got help. The second story is about a guy called Sam who from being isolated at home and school left him
feeling like he didnât belong. Eventually his anxieties built up and he got help from CAMHS. The reason I looked at this short film was have a starting point in my
research and it also from the thumbnail seemed like a good video to take inspiration from as the video has similar elements to what I want to create, I also relate to it
and can understand what the people were going through. The main thing I took from the video was the use of the voiceover to narrate the experience, everything
happened on screen as it was said, it felt the speech was the just the backing for the animation. The use of colour was really prominent in the video, the colours
werenât bright but mellow, they match the feelings that are talked about in the video. The use of a range of blues, yellows, oranges and greens make the video match
what's being said, thatâs really important when making a visual to a story, you want to match it to the emotions being talked about. During the video the colours
change when the narrator switches, this is an important element as it helps to distinguish between the two stories. Next the animation style, it simple and not hard to
look at, it illustrates the story well, gives the story flow and compliments what's being said, it does this by being literal and keeping to what's being said with the art. A
part of the video that I felt really stood out and stuck in my mind was when Aneeka talked about when her anxiety started and how she struggled to speak to people,
the visuals in this part consist of her stood looking around and then suddenly she turns orange and there are scribbles coming from her head that represent her
thoughts and emotions. This bit really stood out because it shows a basic concept of what I want to do in my project, (the image is on the previous page) and gives m
a starting point visually rather than referring to the image I have in my head. The sudden shift also caught my eye, its just really smooth and makes the videos flow
keep going, the animator definitely thought about this part carefully as itâs the first look at how she's feeling. From researching and watching this video I've taken the
use of colour to represent moods and emotions, this will be really useful when it comes to doing my own project, for mine I will, like this video, use a range of colour
to match the feelings and emotions that are talked about in the video. This is subject to change as I will ask who I'm interviewing what colours they associate with
their experience to get the authentic feeling that they had. I will also use the image on the first page as a reference for when I start to animate my project as it relates
heavily to my idea.
7. Research â Existing Products -Living with
Severe anxiety
https://youtu.be/1oopXlLh-EU
This is one of the examples of the use of the colour I
described in the last slide, the colours compliment each
other really well and give off a vibe of tension, orange
has been labelled as the colour of tension by many
people for example in the Sims 4 when your sim gets
tense the colour orange appears behind them, I also
from this associate orange with stress from playing the
game for so long. Another way it could be interpreted is
maybe for the person narrating the their story orange,
purples and yellows are colours stress for them and
thatâs why its included, this would suggest why its
featured so heavily.
This screen shot is from the part of the video in referenced on the last slide, this section is when sheâs looking
around and she says âI couldnât articulate my thoughts very wellâ I chose to look at this because it inspired
part of my animation, when the scribbled lines appear in my animation its taken from this, it also represents
the same thing, not being able to control your thoughts and having a bad experience. The fact that this shot is
very brief could suggest the idea of how fast paste everything is when you suffer from anxiety and how hard it
is to control, in fact looking at the animation as a whole its fast paced and goes from thing to thing very
quickly, the whole thing is like a panic attack, things go so fast so quickly. Looking at my own animation mine
does the same thing, it starts off slow and not a lot is happening but gradually it gets quicker and more things
start appearing in representation of a panic attack.
8. Research â Existing Products â When the
Darkness Comes.
When the darkness comes is a walking simulator that tackles the struggles of having anxiety and depression through a multitude of digital landscapes. the game
includes talk about depression, anxiety, verbal abuse, manipulative control and suicide and appears to be quite dark, they also donât recommend you play it if you
have had issues with these topics in the pas which shows that it will intense and have very real elements that a person with these mental health issues would
experience.
To research the game I chose to watch a video of someone playing the entire game so that I could grasp the full meaning and story behind it, this took around an hour
but was definitely worth it as I feel like I can write a lot about it now. The situations the developer put you in suggests he has social anxiety and depression. The game
has no meaning as said by the creator but it seems like it was about how he loved someone or had someone in his life that he eventually lost touch with or left
because of his fears and anxieties, this is referenced multiple times through the game and is shown in a way thatâs really quite upsetting, he has a figure of this person
trying to speak to you and you shown options of what you can say but you cant move, its basically showing that he let his fear get the better of him. During the game
you are presented with different scenarios, options, pathways and choices, one that I'm going to focus on and that ill takeaway and use in my own game is the use of
phantom like people that have glaring white eyes that stare at you from every angle. This is done to show that he doesnât see them or that he trying to block them
out. His use of this is really interesting and has really good symbolism for how it can feel to have social anxiety, also the fact that the woman figure is actually
physically there suggests that he actually meant something to her and as the game progresses her face becomes blocked as if he's forgetting her or just trying to block
her out because remembering he is too painful. In my project I may use something like this to increase the reality of the game and to add atmosphere. On another
note there is a lot of text used to show his thoughts when in certain situations, for example in one scenario your walking to a shop, before you set off the narrator tells
you not to get to close to anyone. As you begin walking along the walls text appears saying what his thoughts are in that moment, the text is critical of him and of him
trying to reassure himself/ giving himself a pep talk, the text says things like, âjust say hiâ and âthey don't biteâ meanwhile there are faceless phantom people stood
as you walk by staring at you. There are also multiple way you can go in order to avoid going to but there's always text telling you to go back. Then when you finally go
in the shop the lighting of the area goes red and people surround you with red eyes, its showing what he expects to happen if you walk near someone. After watching
this I'm inspired to use text to add more depth and increase the simulation that your having a panic attack. They way it will be used in my project will be it appearing
as you walk, I'm going to use words like breathe, stop, calm and sentences like just breathe, your fine, stop panicking, stop shaking, people are looking, stop crying and
your embarrassing yourself to make it more realistic.
This game as a whole was daunting going into it as I expected to be upset by the end and I was, the narrator explaining the story and they way it was laid out was
really good, I understood what he had been through and related to him. The parts where he couldnât bring himself to speak to this woman because he was so afraid
really got to me and made me think about my life and that I need to appreciate it more because not speaking to someone can clearly be detrimental and life altering.
Another section of the game that got to me was the ending when the character decides to make an attempt on his life as the character walked toward the light it
wasnât what I expected and it upset me that he felt he had no other option. Thankfully you could decide for him and he chose to live and call a helpline.
9. Research â Existing Products â When the
Darkness Comes
This is a screenshot from a video I watched of a you tuber playing the game as I donât have access to it myself. In the image you can writing
on the walls which is something I talked about on the last slide as a point of interest, this is because itâs the narrator thoughts being
displayed and it illustrates perfectly how a lot of people who suffer from social anxiety and anxiety in general feel when doing everyday
tasks. As person who experiences things very similar to this and knows people who do it really bring to light what happens in our brains,
also in the video as he gets closer to the text part of it are faded and aren't as easy to see, (especially in the screenshot) this is because its
showing the doubt of the narrator in themselves, âit should be easy, right?â theyâre questioning themselves. I felt it was important to talk
about this as although it wont be directly influencing my project its still important to address when talking about this topic.
This is a screenshot from the video but from the end when the narrator is explaining their battle with suicide. In the past slide I talked about this part of the game in the last paragraph, this is a very real thing for a
lot of people who suffer from mental illness, from suffers of anxiety to schizophrenia. Throughout the whole sequence there is text on the floor going back fourth telling you not to do it and to do it, there is music
playing loudly and a phone begins to ring, it gets very intense, as they walk over to the noose more text appears saying âNobody will miss youâ behind it is text from what I can make out says please donât do it but
its covered by a cloud, this is to symbolise his brain trying to block any thoughts of wanting to stay.â this whole sequence is very dark and saddening as the player you presumably donât want this guy to die but it
seems like to progress you have to, this goes back that blocking, he feel he has no choice so therefore he isn't giving you any, its only if you turn around like the you tuber does that you see you can go back and
you can find a telephone to phone for help, this is quite a substantial thing as if you didnât know it was there you would just do what the narrator wants, the control the narrator has is almost a metaphor for how
his depression and anxiety controlled him, he had the option in that moment to call someone but he clouded himself and didnât put the option to save himself in clear view, luckily he decided to go past his cloud
and go for the phone. When I watched this I was honestly greatly effected, it made sad to see the how through only an hour I've seen someone fall so greatly that they felt they needed to take that step and end
their life. If I had not been in lesson I probably would have cried it was that intense, you can also see in the video how the you tuber reacts, when he sees the noose his expression changes drastically from a
focused look to pure shock, he says âGeez itâs a noose and chair.â he probably didnât know what to say in that moment out of shock because it was so unexpected. When he turns away from the noose, goes over
to the phone and clicks it, he says âoh I'm gladâ which tells us that he's glad he didnât have to make that decision and that the narrator didnât die. this whole interaction is blissfully sad as your glad that you can
make the decision not to die but are also distraught that the narrator was genuinely considering ending their life.
10. Research â Existing Products â The Beginners
Guide
The Beginner's Guide is a game that focuses on a man walking the player through a friend of his, games called Coda. The narrator, Davy, met Coda at a games event in
sacramento in 2008 and got talking after Davy looked at Coda's games. The events in the game span from 2008-2011. Throughout the playthrough it slowly becomes
appearent that Coda is dealing with mental health issues, with in their games the themes seem to darken, and they begin talking to themselves through the chat
system in the game and in one specific game leaving notes that they claimed were by other people but in actuallity it was them. We see them slowly degrade into
isolation and depression and Davy saw this too at the time when playing his games, whenever they started a new project, they would work on it for months and
months and each time they would get sadder and Davy would get more concered, so he decided to share his games with peers to help Coda get back on their feet.
Sometime past after he sent out the games and Coda became distant until one day Davy recvided a message from them, a game file called 'The Tower' and he played
it through. As you play through it, Davy narrates telling you that this game was not like the other games, this was someone he didnât know. The game was increasly
different to the other games, but it would become apparent why. After using code to get certain blocked of areas you are met with a message to Davy from Coda. It
says, "Dear Davey, thank you for your interest in my games. I need to ask you not to speak to me anymore. I wonder at times whether you think I am making these
games for you. You've so infected my personal space that it's possible I did begin to plant solutions in my work somewhere, hidden between games. If there was an
answer, a meaning, would it make you any happier? Would you stop taking my games and showing them to people against my wishes? Giving them something that is
not yours to give? Violating the one boundary that keeps me safe? Would you stop changing my games? Stop adding lampposts to them? Would you simply let them
be what they are? When I am around you I feel physically ill. You desperately need something and I cannot give it to you. I literally do not have it. Struggling to come
up with new ideas is not making me depressed. Low points are just a part of the process. The fact that you think I am frustrated or broken says more about you than
about me. I realize that this doesn't make sense to you just yet. Which is fine, you're not my problem to solve. But I do hope that one day it clicks, and that you make
peace with this thing you are wrestling. And when you finally see what I am talking about. Don't say anything." When watching this part, it really hit me, it was sad
and unexcepted, this whole time we've seen this person slowly desend into their own mind, losing themselves when really, they were fine the whole it was just Davys
need to help someone and give himself purpose. After this he goes on a rant about what happened and how he feels and just how sorry he is, he realised that
showing the games to other people was wrong. The whole game is an apology and theres something so sad about that, he obviusly cared a lot about Coda and just
didnât want them to feel sad and felt he could be the person to help them, but he was too focused on helping him to ask if he was actually ok, he just
assumed. Reading through the fandom wikipeida for this game it states that Coda isnt actually a real person and has many different pronouns, during the game their
called a he but then when they are phyiscally reprsented they are female (Davy had said this on a podcast when talking about the game) and people had theories to
what they actually were. Some beileve that Coda is Davy, a 17 year old version of him of whe he was making his game The Stanley Parable and his struggle with
depression and anxiety at the time with trying to make to successful and having to deal with criticism. Others believe that Coda is actually who he states they are,
multiple times its said that things were sent to him or that he didnât understand certain elements of the games. Maybe he just said they were fake to stop people
from trying to find the person. Another theory is that Coda is an external force rather than something hes created from his imagination. I really enjoyed watching this
playthrough, its was defirent to anything ive seen before and think it might stay with me because it was powerful and made me think a lot about myself and how I
view people and situations.
Considering what this game was about I struggled to think of what I could take from it because it's just so different in technqiue to what im doing so I decided to
instead focus on what elements they will have in common for example, the desent of their mental health, mine more in the moment of the simulation though, also
the use of visuals, Davy used games to show how the character felt and I'll be using colour, shapes and image.
11. Research â Existing Products â The Beginners
Guide
This screenshot is taken from a section of the game in which the main character is believed to be spiralling mentally and hence has
all these people are bombarding them with questions. In reality this is the main character questioning themselves, asking
themselves why this is happening to them, they made it into a game as a form of release, a place to store it possibly so it wasnât
just in their head, throughout the section as you walk through the crowd you are being yelled at, this is again their self conscious
telling them they aren't good enough to the point were it being yelled at them. At the point this is all the game is, walking through
these games that have been made solely to be an outlet and they just seem to be getting more and more intense which is why the
narrator thinks his friend, the developer, is going through a tough time. This behaviour can be related to depression and anxiety,
the developer constantly worrying about when their going to get there mojo back so they can create games again. I also feel like
this screenshot is quite intense, itâs a image of someone's mind, its showing the vunrablilty of a person who is quite obviously
suffering and its sad to see that, this person is distraught that theyâve taken to making video game about they feel as they donât
feel they can talk to real people. Of course at the end of the game we are told that non of what we've seen is a product of
depression but a rut the developer was with coming up with ideas which sort of takes away from what I said but the developer was
actually spiralling it would a valid argument. The you tuber I watched play this, JackSepticEye facial expressions in the screenshot
are quite similar to what I did when I saw this shot, it was quite shocking to see all these characters in front of you yelling things at
you and having text pop up in front of you, itâs literally how the developer was feeling so you can imagine it would be quite intense.
This next screenshot is taken from quite early in the game and is from when we are just touring the games made by Coda. This part of
the game is really amazing looking to me, it stands out as one of the best parts of the game for the reason of it looking so interesting,
during this part you are playing a game called Ready Set Fish, in this game you walk around a concrete interior until you get to a
wooden door that you need to solve a puzzle to get through and then you walk into a concrete room and thatâs the end but then the
narrator modifies the game to show what's around the player behind the walls and we are shown what's in the screenshot. The
narrator says, âthere was more too it than we have any way of knowing.â This is essentially the plot of the game, we donât know this at
the time but throughout the whole game Davy is assuming that Coda is severely depressed as thatâs what's been put in front of him
but when he given the correct information he realises the truth, there was way more too it than we had anyway of knowing. This is
hinting at the ending without even hinting at it its only when you go back and replay it you realise the answer was there all along.
12. Conclusion
In conclusion this research has been really helpful and opened my mind
to ways of looking at menatl illness and peoples releases when dealing
with it. It's also helped me develop elements for my own project and
projects going forwards. Another way it impacted me is that it's
actually made me more aware of how I precieve people and what
they're going through because you just donât know, it always better to
just ask than assume something. Lots of new ideas about my project
are going around my mind from this research so it was very important
that I did otherwise my project probably won't come out as good as it
could have been.
13. Experiments â Animation #1
For my experiments I decided to focus on animation as thatâs what my chosen media is, although I've done animation before there
are certain aspects, I haven't learnt yet and are needed for my project, like for example the experiment first experiment I did was for a
walking cycle. I had no experience with animating walking before and as itâs a pivotal part of my project it seemed fitting to learn it.
When trying to animate the walk cycle, I started just by drawing it myself and then quickly realised I didnât what I was doing so I used
a YouTube tutorial to help me.
https://youtu.be/nK-WQVcY7X8
Here I have all the screenshots of the process of creating the animation. I started with the background, a plain white back with a line
to represent a path and for the character to walk on. I chose black as it compliments white well and it won't clash with the colours
when I do the final animation. Next, I drew the character stood still as my starting point, from there I duplicated the image so I could
keep the character looking the same and to save time so I wouldn't have to keep redrawing image. After that I kept duplicating the
last image I had redrawn and changing the movement of the arms and legs as to create the image of movement. I did this until I had
gotten the point of his legs both being on the line again. I then duplicated the images around 4 times to get a longer animation, I did
this to make it seem more realistic as animation isn't really that short and I just wanted to make it better developed.
This experiment has highly benefitted my work as now I can confidently animate a walk cycle, I will definitely be using this for my
project. This is a really good and important skill to have in animating as itâs the foundation for movement in animation, now I can look
at running cycles, fight sequences and lots more. It's been really useful to learn this, and I will definitely be using it even after this
project.
