We’ve arrived at Episode 8! We’re joined by Luca Contato

Luca founded Rising Pixel in 2012, and since then, he and his team have created over 200 games with cumulatively millions of plays per week.

In this episode we explore:

• Rising Pixel’s learnings from developing over 200 games with millions of plays each week and your insights on the important elements when developing gamified health, educational and accessible games.

• And for games to be effective, that plays must feel the meaning in the game, and be motivated by a games purpose, and that a good game, is one that has strong channels to reach it’s intended audience of players, because it’s not just about developing the most effective game, it’s having the most visible game to the greater number of players, that delivers the greater impact.

Show note links:

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/disability-eu-facts-figures/

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240063600

https://conference.digitaldragons.pl/speakers/luca-contato/

https://embed-project.eu/

https://www.risingpixel.com/portfolio/inquisitors-heartbeat/

https://ian-hamilton.com/blog/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHN5v3NJ9ko

https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/basic/

Roll On Episode 7!

We’re joined by Sam Liberty

Sam is a consultant in Applied Game Design and an expert in gamification design for health. Clients include: Click Therapeutics, UNICEF, the International Red Cross, and the World Bank. Sam teaches Game Design at Northeastern University in Boston, and is the former Lead Game Designer at Sidekick Health.

In this episode, we explore:

• Games are the secret ingredient in the behaviour change needed to influence positive health activities, positive lifestyle changes.

• Games are cultural and contextually relative. And thinking of global health, co-design must be integrated into serious game design for regional and local populations' cultural, linguistic, contextual and digital accessibility needs.

• A key importance is game design; understanding the population you're designing a game for, and the behaviour you’re aiming to create. Because pretty games and fun games, don’t necessarily result in behaviour changes or any positive changes in health.

We've made it to Episode 6!

We’re joined by Lisa Franke, CEO at Maxim VR

Lisa has a background in design, marketing, entrepreneurship and social impact. She studied Design in San Francisco about a decade ago and has focused on creating technology that supports a healthier future for young people.

Maxim VR was created around a powerful belief: young people deserve mental health support that speaks their language: interactive, engaging, stigma-free, and delivered in the environments where they already feel comfortable.

In this episode, we explore:

• Around three-quarters of people who develop a mental health condition develop it before the age of 18, yet the waiting time to access adolescent mental health services can be months to years. There is a huge importance in providing engaging and fun preventative therapeutics for young people to reduce the rate of poor mental health in adolescent and adult life.

• Considering elements such as non-verbal communication in a game, to make games accessible, while overcoming the challenges of how to make a virtual companion that is ‘alive’ and ‘responsive’ to adolescents’ players changing emotional needs, to providing a space for players to explore and better understand their personal identify and their full spectrum of emotions.

• That every mental health journey is unique, so every virtual adventure experience is unique, the importance of personalising the virtual companions and virtual experience in game play, to cater for every individual’s needs.

https://www.maxim-vr.com/