Health Points : Health Gamification S3E6: Lisa Franke＜＞ Accessible Games for Adolescents = Better Emotional & Mental 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:
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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.
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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.
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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.