Industry Practice - Week 3:

In this blog I will talk about what was discussed for our project and what ideas we want to use. I then show the research that I collect for the project too.

What we discussed:

We talked about what we wanted for the game and what we wanted for the story line of the game. Our first idea I didn't really like because I felt that it was really insensitive towards mental health and I felt that we needed to take the project in a different direction. Our second idea is what we settled on for the project which was having anxiety, depression and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) to be humanoid characters from the players perspective however other people that the player interacts with can't see them. We wanted to have the start of the game showing a polaroid picture be shown at the start of the game and then at the end of the game show it again however the characters like anxiety, depression and PTSD would be in the first polaroid however in the last one it would show them either not there or squiggles to represent them still being there however not as the humanoid characters she saw them as before. We wanted to polaroid to show different things depending on the choices made though so if the player chose not to listen to their best friend and get closer to anxiety, depression and PSTD then they would see just themselves in the polaroid or the squiggles but if they ignored the best friend instead they would still see the humanoid versions of their mental health. 

We thought about a few different areas they could visit, the main areas being: The players bedroom, A local library, a theatre (Player may be interested in musical theatre or dancing). We had thought of adding a therapists office too depending on which choices you made would mean that you either went there or not. 

We still need to look at what we want to happen in the story as we have some of the ending ideas that we want however we don't have what will happen in the other parts of the game. This is one of the tasks we need to work on for next week so that we can make sure that we are on track to finish on time. 

Research:

Anxiety:

What is Anxiety: Anxiety is where the person experiencing it will feel a sense of worry, unease or fear that can be mild or severe it depends on the person. (GAD, 2024)

Types of Anxiety: There are several types of anxiety which are Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder however there are more and not everyone has only one type of anxiety. 

GAD: 

What can cause GAD: 

There are different reasons why someone could get GAD however sometimes it can be caused by events or other factors in someone's life that can cause it.


  • the genes you inherit from your parents
  • having a history of stressful or traumatic experiences, such as domestic violence, child abuse or bullying
  • having a painful long-term health condition, such as arthritis+
  • having a history of drug or alcohol misuse

(GAD, 2024)

Sometimes there isn't a cause for someone developing GAD though 
Symptoms can include: 
  • Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
  • Being easily fatigued
  • Having difficulty concentrating
  • Being irritable
  • Having headaches, muscle aches, stomach aches, or unexplained pains
  • Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
  • Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • dizziness or heart palpitations
(NIH, 2024) & (NHS, 2024)

NHS, 2024. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) [online]. NHS: Mental Health Conditions. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/overview/ [Accessed 24 October 2024]

NIMH, 2024. Anxiety Disorders [online]. National Institute of Mental Health: Health Information. Available at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders [Accessed 24 October 2024]
Panic Disorder:

What is Panic Disorder: Panic Disorder is where they has panic attacks which could feel different for each person however usually feel like fear, discomfort or lack of control.

What can cause Panic Disorders: 

Symptoms can include:

  • a racing heartbeat
  • feeling faint
  • sweating
  • nausea
  • chest pain
  • shortness of breath
  • trembling
  • hot flushes
  • chills
  • shaky limbs
  • a choking sensation
  • dizziness
  • numbness or pins and needles
  • dry mouth
  • a feeling of dread or a fear of dying
  • a churning stomach
  • a tingling in your fingers
  • feeling like you're not connected to your body
(Panic Disorder, 2023)

Panic attacks can vary with how long they are but it usually depends on the person and the situation that caused the panic attack. Not everyone has them as frequently as some may have them regularly and others may only have them every so often. 

NHS, 2023. Panic Disorder  [online]. NHS: Mental Health Conditions. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/panic-disorder/ [Accessed 24 October 2024]

Social Anxiety Disorder: 

What is Social Anxiety Disorder: Social Anxiety Disorder is where someone fears social interactions such as going out and talking to people. Social Anxiety can be more severe in some people over others. 

Symptoms can include:

  • worry about everyday activities, such as meeting strangers, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping
  • avoid or worry a lot about social activities, such as group conversations, eating with company and parties
  • always worry about doing something you think is embarrassing, such as blushing, sweating or appearing incompetent
  • find it difficult to do things when others are watching – you may feel like you're being watched and judged all the time
  • fear being criticised, avoid eye contact or have low self-esteem
  • often have symptoms like feeling sick, sweating, trembling or a pounding heartbeat (palpitations)
  • have panic attacks, where you have an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety, usually only for a few minutes
(Social Anxiety, 2023)

NHS, 2023. Social Anxiety (Social Phobia) [online]. NHS: Mental Health Conditions. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/social-anxiety/ [Accessed 24 October 2024]

Treatment for Anxiety Disorders: There are many types of treatment that you can receive for anxiety the main types of treatment is talking therapies and medication. There are quite a few different types of therapies though and different medication you can try to lessen how badly you experience it. 

Not everyone experiences anxiety the same and a lot of people experience it differently. Even though a lot of symptoms of anxiety are quite common not all of them can apply to everyone