Game will help young people navigate adversity
A serious video game developed in Cornwall aims to help young people explore mental health challenges linked to adverse childhood experiences such as bereavement or poverty.
The Ace of Hearts game is part of ATTUNE, a £35m UK-wide programme using arts-based methods, including gaming, to explore how negative early experiences affect mental health.
Developers at Falmouth University worked with young people to design the game, which encourages open conversation around difficult topics.
Graham Smith, a software designer who works on the games development course at Falmouth University, said: “The main purpose of the game is to get people to talk about it afterwards.
Mental health is a serious topic and anything you can do to help young people who are suffering is worth it.
“When you’re dealing with mental health a lot of things can be triggering for a lot of people, so you have to be cautious and empathetic in how you deal with the topic.
“Technology is taking over and you have to go with the mediums that young people are using.
“It’s not Call of Duty, we’re here to make serious games with serious messages.”
ATTUNE forms part of the Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation and led by the Medical Research Council in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Running until 2026, the programme aims to explore how mental health needs emerge in adolescence, what makes some young people more resilient than others, and how early action can support positive mental wellbeing.
The project recognises that half of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and three quarters by age 24, making early intervention a priority.
Ainaya, 14, who attended a youth mental health event at Falmouth University, said: “I play Roblox and Minecraft with my friends and I play Fortnite with my dad.
“Some people have a negative view of gaming but that’s old fashioned – older people haven’t grown up with the games that we have – gaming is a really fun way of unwinding.
“I definitely think gaming can be used to help, especially when you meet new people. It can be easier to talk to them rather than professionals who you have to wait a long time for.”
Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, psychiatrist at the University of Oxford and one of the lead investigators on ATTUNE, said: “Half of mental illnesses have started by the age of 14 and three quarters by the age of 24 so it’s vital we use every tool we can and games are something many young people feel safe using.
“Games can be a cause of harm or addiction for young people, but we also have to understand that it’s a space where young people can be playful and a gaming platform is a place where some people don’t feel alone.”
