Category: PhD

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Game Jams, MENTAL Jam, PhD

An Invitation to Participate in Research: MENTAL Jam

MENTAL Jam is a PhD research project, conducted at RMIT University, which is interested in understanding people’s experiences of depression and anxiety. We would like to know about your experience of depression and anxiety, including what this experience was like. We would like to develop video games about the lived experiences of depression and anxiety as a form of knowledge translation to promote empathy and … Continue reading An Invitation to Participate in Research: MENTAL Jam

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Dev, Game Jams, Games, MENTAL Jam, PhD

How I’m coping with Self-Isolation- Game Jams

It’s been 35 days since I started my self-isolation. My flatmate left a month ago to be with her family, so I’ve been completely alone in our apartment for a while now. There are days when I have a lot of anxiety, like bricks pressing down on my chest and I can’t breathe. There are days, when I feel numb and just sit on the … Continue reading How I’m coping with Self-Isolation- Game Jams

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Dev, Game Jams, Games, MENTAL Jam, PhD

I tried to make something for Ludum Dare 46

“Tried” being the operative word. Although I did finish something, I didn’t upload it, because I got distracted on the first day and couldn’t create an entry (I got caught up with watching “Phantom of the Opera”, which was only available that weekend). The theme of Ludum Dare 46 is “Keep it Alive”. The idea was you are trying to keep you plant alive by … Continue reading I tried to make something for Ludum Dare 46

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Dev, Game Jams, Games, MENTAL Jam, PhD

I made a game app for Shadow’s Edge Healing Hearts Jam

For the Shadow’s Edge Healing Hearts game jam, I decided to make a game, actually it’s more like an app that allows players to make vlogs.  Since in the game Shadow’s Edge, it explores the use of journaling and art creation to improve your wellbeing. So in the same way, Healing Hearts, allows players to make vlogs based on different prompts, which are meant to … Continue reading I made a game app for Shadow’s Edge Healing Hearts Jam

Michelle Chen1 Comment
Dev, Game Jams, Games, MENTAL Jam, PhD

I made a game for Games Aid Mental Health Jam #GamesAIDMHJam

Games Aid organized an online game jam on itch.io with the theme of mental health and a duration of a week. So it’s okay to take it slow and be more relaxed about it. And I decided to join and make a game. Given the theme, I thought maybe it might be very personal, so instead of tapping my artist friends, I decided to draw … Continue reading I made a game for Games Aid Mental Health Jam #GamesAIDMHJam

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Literature Review, PhD

PhD in Video Games: My Reading List

As I’m starting to accumulate books in my physical and EndNote library, I think I might as well share my reading list here as well. If you are also doing or planning to do a PhD in Video Games, here are some books that are on my reading list and you should also check out. Also, if you have any book recommendations, please comment or tweet me @purplelilgirl, thank you.

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event, Literature Review, PhD

Walking in the “Rain Room”

Can’t really dance, ‘coz that would be to sudden a movement. But you can walk slowly through the room, and raise your arms and not be rained on (don’t wear dark colors, like my sister, or you will get a bit wet). It was an interesting experience, they have sensors in the ceiling so that rain will avoid you, but at the same time it … Continue reading Walking in the “Rain Room”

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Literature Review, PhD, Review

Walking in someone else’s stilletos in “A Mile in My Shoes”

With my Pikachu socks (it’s a great look). Anyway, I went to the popup exhibit of “A Mile in My Shoes” by the Empathy Museum in Melbourne. It’s a shoe shop in a shoe box, where you can borrow someone else’s shoes (and walk a mile in them if you really want to, along the Yarra River or just around the Art Center, I sat … Continue reading Walking in someone else’s stilletos in “A Mile in My Shoes”

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event, Literature Review, PhD

Here are some talks about Video Games and Mental Health at MIGW

Melbourne International Games Week is just around the corner (October 5-14) and I compiled a list of talks about Video Games and Mental Health at GCAP (Game Connect Asia Pacific) and PAX Aus (Penny Arcade Expo Australia), which I will check out (and maybe you’d be interested too).

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Games, Literature Review, MENTAL Jam, PhD, Related Games and Apps

Games that can help with your mental health [Part 2]

So I really entered a rabbit hole, and I performed a comprehensive search for games and apps for mental health, using this search string: (“video games” OR “serious games” OR “gamification” OR “app”) AND (“mental health” OR “depression” OR “anxiety” OR “empathy”) and publication date after 2015, in these databases: Scopus, PubMed, Medline and Embase, and it yielded quite a bit.

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Classes, Literature Review, PhD, Review

Reading Related Literature with Mendeley

So I just got started with my PhD in Design (actually it’s video games, I’ll be researching about video games and mental health), and first up, it’s related literature reviews (may also include some gray literature, and playing games). Before I get started, actually, I already started and I downloaded 70+ PDFs of related literature and I need to organize them and read and highlight … Continue reading Reading Related Literature with Mendeley

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