Safe Space: The Video Games Mental Health Podcast

On this episode, Rosie chats with Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, games researcher and Class of 2024 Ambassador - Sahar Mirhadi. We discuss iGGi, (The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence), which is a leading PhD research programme aimed at the Games and Creative Industries. Links: https://www.zjayres.com/ https://linktr.ee/saharmirhadi

Rosie chats with Dr Raffael Boccomazzo, or Doctor B, who is a clinical psychologist and clinical director at video games mental health non-profit Take This. We talk about Dr B's long history in psychology, therapy and diagnosis, why he's got to where he is today, and his own experiences in diagnosis. Raffael discusses the intricacies of intersectionality within diagnosis and marginalised groups, and the differences in mental health and neurodiversity such as ADHD and Autism. How to ADHD Dr Russell Barkley Take This⁠

Content Warning: In this episode there are non-graphic mentions of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, drug abuse, overdose, emotional abuse and violence. Please proceed with care and remember you can pause the episode and step away at any time. Charlie Mullins from Companion Group joins Rosie on the podcast to discuss Borderline Personality Disorder, better known as BPD. Whilst uncovering the common misconceptions about BPD, we discuss Charlie's experiences with the disorder and how it's affected his life, relationships and coping mechanisms. Charlie explains how getting a diagnosis can be bittersweet, and the path to recovery is often much longer than people anticipate. He talks about his support mechanisms, and what has helped him in his journey in the hopes of supporting other folks experiencing BPD or traits of BPD. We chat about what the games industry (and beyond) can do to better support employees and gamers with mental ill health, such as borderline personality disorder, and the future of accurate representation of personality disorders in popular media. Read Charlie's full story here. Find help and resources here.

Rosie is joined by two guests; Charlotte McBurney, BAFTA-nominated actress known for her role as Amicia in the Plague Tale Series, and Hannah Rutherford, content creator and SIOW patron. We deep dive into both A Plague Tale Innocence and Requiem to uncover what goes into emotionally preparing for a character such as Amicia's. Charlotte talks about her experiences in bringing a heart wrenching, beautiful story to life. Hannah talks about the journey of playing the games live with an audience, and managing her community whilst exploring the world of A Plague Tale. This episode looks at specific themes of joy, grief, desperation and family within the Plague Tale universe, dissecting the Charlotte's personal highs and lows, and how the game connected so many players. This podcast is split into two parts; the first part being spoiler-free, and the latter going into detailed spoiler territory. Follow Charlotte Follow Hannah Follow Safe In Our World

In this episode, Rosie chats to Demi Fortson, Co-Founder at Mendu and Doctoral Student Researcher at Columbia University in the City of New York. We talk about the origins of Mendu, and it's purpose. Mendu is a self-care app built with a culturally competent AI to talk through your problems with you. It promotes the premise of prompted audio journaling, whilst educating users on topics and feelings built on science and data. "Our journaling prompts were made by diverse women for others facing similar life events. We are transforming the way therapeutic journaling and meditation is done by providing relevant and inclusive audio pieces you can connect with." We discuss how mental health stigma differs across cultures, countries and wealth, as well as how this discussion can be broadened to include more experiences, and how diagnostic criteria is linked to group (mis)understanding around certain topics. Demi explains the differences in therapy and how we can look to become more inclusive and informed when looking for/recommending therapists for example. We look into the concept of audio journaling vs traditional journaling, and why it might be more appealing to many folks, and the usefulness/convenience of audio features. Finally, we touch on our go-to games for anxiety and stress, whilst highlighting active participation from games vs passive consumption of media and how it can aid in distraction during stressful periods. Links Mendu Demi's LinkedIn STEM Groups to follow BlackWomenPHDs BlackInChem BlackInNeuro CohortSistas BlackInMarSci BlackInPhysics

In this episode of the Safe Space Podcast, Rosie and Harry chat to Adam J. Harrington, the wonderful voice of Sindri, from God of War. Now, before we go any further, this is an official spoiler warning. SPOILER WARNING In this episode we will be discussing heavy spoilers from God of War Ragnarok. If you'd like to avoid spoilers, please don't listen to this episode! We were delighted to invite Adam J. Harrington to discuss the evolution of Sindri within God of War Ragnarok, and dive into the role that grief played in his character progression throughout the story. Adam talks about his experiences playing Sindri, and his portrayal of loss within a game which is very much focused on healing and acceptance in many ways. We discuss the challenges that Sindri faced following the death of his brother, and how that translated to Adam's performance. We also talk about how actors can bring lived experience to performances when tackling heavy emotions such as grief, and the expectations that Adam had for the sequel to God of War (2018). Adam shares memories and experiences that he had whilst performing scenes for God of War Ragnarok, and how the actors were such a tight knit community, and brings to light behind the scenes perspectives of creating this masterpiece of a game. Sindri's theme also played a part in bringing together the character to the screens, and Adam talks about his relationship with Bear McCreary and the inspirations behind creating the music that accompanied Sindri as a character. Follow Adam on Twitter and Instagram. Learn more about Mrs. American Pie, a new TV show Adam is working on!

In this episode, Rosie is joined by Dr Emma Reay, Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton, who researches Games Studies and Game Design. Emma has previously looked at exploring the therapeutic effects of games for mood repair, building resilience and community, and joins us to discuss games and grief. We chat about how death is interpreted in gaming, as a fail-state, and how we can look more closely at games who look at death within games as a win state. What happens when we start to uncouple loss and losing? We dive into games such as Spiritfarer, and What Remains of Edith Finch to elaborate on this. Rosie opens up about her grief during university, and how she used Kingdom as a way to recuperate and process what had happened. We look at how technology has started to change the way that we can grieve loss, and in many ways immortalise who/what we have lost. We also chat about very real narratives and storytelling through games such as That Dragon, Cancer and Before Your Eyes, and how games can be used as an immersive tool to be a part of the grief process - not just for the player, but for the developer as well. Emma's Twitter Emma's Writing

In this episode of Safe Space, Rosie talks to JJ Fox about neurodiversity - specifically, JJ's experiences being an autistic game dev and how it links to mental health. JJ is an indie game developer currently working on Hymble Ventures, as well as a Safe In Our World Class of 2023 Ambassador. They are also a fan of cosplaying, kung-fu and heavy metal. We discuss the common stigmas and misunderstandings surrounding autism in the games industry, and the ins and outs of autism awareness and acceptance. We chat about JJ's game in development Hymble Ventures, which is a 3D puzzle platformer about an insect-like alien on the autism spectrum. The core mechanics of Hymble Ventures are based on controlling the five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hear). For neurodiverse people, they can be hypersensitive to sensory information and may overreact to increasing stimuli. This autism trait is an inspiration to aspects of Hymble’s world such as quirky, organ-shaped berries that grant enhanced sight, or smell etc. We cover JJ's experiences of when they have not been supported in the workplace, and highlight the importance of valuing and supporting neurodiverse people at work. Follow Hymble Ventures on Twitter, Instagram and Ko-Fi.

On the first episode of 2023, Rosie talks to Ladell Smith, the Associate Social and Community Manager at Auroch Digital, Safe In Our World Ambassador in our Class of 2023, and owner of They Play Podcast - which is a space for gender non conforming people to share their stories and love of games! We kick off the episode discussing their history of most treasured games, how they started streaming and working in the industry. We focus specifically on how folks can understand BIPOC Mental Health in a more equitable way, and be a better ally for BIPOC folk in the mental health space. Ladell discusses how stigma can fluctuate depending on socioeconomic status, culture, and location, as well as how that has an effect on BIPOC when opening up about their own mental health. Finally we celebrate Ladell's favourite moments in their career so far, and look to the future of the industry! You can find Ladell's personal twitter at @Pastelbat90, or follow their podcast They Play Games at @TheyPlayPodcast on Twitter.

We welcome Sajam to the Safe Space Podcast, to talk about his experiences in mental health within his content. Sajam is a Twitch Partner and fighting games commentator/analyst, segue specialist, with a passion for DnD. He was also one of the commentators in Intel Gaming World Relay 2022, which supported Safe In Our World alongside 3 other charities in the games space. One of Sajam's most popular shows is his series 'Will it Kill?', which involves funny fighting game clips and the community voting on whether the combo will kill or not based on a freezeframe of a hit of a combo. Rosie invites Sajam to talk about his own experiences as a creator, and looking into the link between mental health and games for him. We cover toxicity in gaming spaces, and his own ways of tackling it as well as his way of setting boundaries and community guidelines. He also elaborates on how DnD has become a bigger part of his life, and why it became special to him. Additionally, we explore what should be seen more within games communities and the industry as a whole. Finally, it wouldn't be a Safe Space podcast if Rosie didn't interrogate the guests on their pets, and Sajam didn't disappoint. He talks about his newly adopted kittens, who were born beneath his house, and their adventures in the big world so far.

On this episode of the Safe Space podcast Rosie chats with Ambassador Renji, who talks about his journey into mental health advocacy in content creation amongst a myriad of other topics. Renji dives into his mental health experiences including relating to relationships, ADHD, depression and anxiety, as well as his recent coaching with HealthyGamerGG. How do creators start to talk to their community about mental health? How do you create a safe and open space online whilst streaming? Renji talks about how he's set boundaries and approached these conversations online, which originated in mental health discussion through writing music for his band Ikari. Other topics include Halloween, TikTok humour, vine era, business cards, wigs, TwitchCon... we cover a lot of ground in this podcast honestly, it's a rollercoaster. Renji's Solo Ikari

In this episode, Rosie chats to Blizzb3ar, Producer and Content Creator at Rooster Teeth, Twitch Partner and Bisexual Villain (Icon). We discuss his path into content creation, as well as his motivations for getting into Twitch and the relationship he has with his community. Blizz talks about how his mental health has been affected by content creation, both positively and negatively, as well as having a platform to be unapologetically bisexual and unapologetically Black on the internet. We discuss how we can set and practice boundaries within internet communities, and the requirement to have a willingness to learn and move forward. Blizz outlines the difference in 'calling in' vs 'calling out' when creators make mistakes, and the importance that they both play. The importance of having things that are yours, rather than content, is also talked about with the focus on separating work, content and personal life. Stardew Valley once again comes into conversation as a game that means a lot to Blizzb3ar - which was the beginning of his journey in creation from initially streaming it on his Xbox. As many other gamers have found from Stardew Valley, it became a community to find other players who were part of the queer community for example. Blizz talks about the fact that he hasn't yet found a character that he sees himself in within the gaming world, and the importance for character representation and having a fully diverse range of people in marginalised communities. We also touch on what we'd like to see from companies when working with creators. LISTEN TO MORE EPISODES Want to listen to more episodes of the Safe Space Podcast? Check out the full list of episodes at this link.

In this episode, Rosie chats to The Witcher voice actor, Geralt himself. Though we know him as one of our wonderful Patrons, Doug Cockle. We delve into mental health in acting as Rosie quizzes Doug on his journey to becoming Geralt, the paths he's chosen, and the obstacles he's faced. Doug talks about how he first became involved with Safe In Our World, right at the beginning of the charity's launch. Rosie also prompts Doug to discuss any personal self-discoveries he's had whilst playing Geralt over the years, which included a moment of uncertainty that led him to pursue his character and change his path's trajectory for The Witcher. It's important to mention the intricacies of acting and their connection with mental health, as well as how Doug disconnects from his work to move towards a healthy work-life balance. About Doug Doug first joined Safe In Our World as a Patron right back when the charity launched in 2019. Doug is an acclaimed American actor and director. For over 20 years he has worked in theatre, film, television, radio, video games and corporate video and has worked extensively in the video games industry where he is primarily known for his work as Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher video game series. Doug has been the voice of Geralt since the series began in 2007 and has been nominated for several awards for his work with this character.

In this episode, Rosie chats to Posy Brewer (Founder, Game Creator and Designer at MYU Creations) about her upcoming game ROBIN, and its role in exploring emotional resilience in video games. We talk about Posy's experience in creating her first ever game, and the challenges she has faced in the development process so far. Posy explains how the inspiration began behind ROBIN, and how her son helped bring the game to life. Posy is using ROBIN as a way to also connect with other parents, and eliminate the negative stigma that often surround video games. Links ROBIN

In this episode of Safe Space, Rosie chats with Dr Emilia Molimpakis, CEO and Founder at Thymia, and Neuroscientist working within the games industry. We discuss how games can be used as a tool to assess and monitor mental health using theory from neuroscience, and how cognitive neuroscience and linguistics can be gamified to support clinicians. Emilia takes us through Thymia, which is a platform currently in testing supporting clinicians to more accurately assess and monitor depression. Emilia broadens the topic of Thymia by discussing it's application to numerous cognitive disorders, and the potential future that technology like this can have within the clinical world. We also note about how having objective measures of cognitive disorders can reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, as it levels the diagnosis that is seen within physical health. Links Thymia

In this episode of Safe Space, Rosie and Sky talk to Dr Matthew White, CEO of Whitethorn Games about the culture around easy and casual games. We chat about Matthew's path into the games industry, and going through the teaching aspect as an assistant teaching professor at Penn State University, having been in the industry for several years and now as CEO for Whitethorn. Matthew discusses the ethos behind Whitethorn and the games that they work on, as 'defenders of easy games', which leads to our discussion on gatekeeping difficulty within gaming. We look at APICO, one of Whitethorn's latest releases, as a cosy beekeeping simulator about breeding, collecting, & conserving bees, and how games can make a real-world impact. Matthew tells us about his mental health journey within his career, and how he wants to see the industry change for the better. "While our games might challenge you, they’ll respect your time, they’ll make sure you can play, and most importantly, they’ll never punish you." Links Whitethorn Games APICO

In this episode of Safe Space, Rosie chats with Ellen Rose from Outside Xtra about her experiences being an immunocompromised creator throughout Covid-19. We also discuss the anxieties that accompany us from events, travelling and day-to-day life. We discuss the ins and outs of 'Stray', a third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed, neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity, before chatting about our panel at EGX in 2021. Ellen talks about the games that have kept her grounded during such a chaotic and hard couple of years, and how being an influence within the gaming space online has affected how she manages her mental health. Ellen also talks about how Outside Xtra (both fans and colleagues) have supported her during the pandemic. Links Ellen's Twitter Outside Xtra

In this episode, Rosie is joined by Dr Kimberly Voll, Head of Studio for Brace Yourself Games, Co-Founder of the Fair Play Alliance and is on the Advisory Council at GDC. We discuss the previous work that Kim has been involved in, including focusing on player interactions and reducing harassment and hate within her role at Riot. Kim talks about how games companies can actively work towards putting steps in place to promote healthier player interactions in-game, but also within the workplace. We also cover the gamification of healthcare applications and the use of gamification within education, looking into the future of what games can bring to other industries. Kim also talks about their experience within GDC as an advisor, as well as her role as Co-Founder of the Fair Play Alliance. Links Fair Play Alliance

In this episode, Rosie talks to Paul Fletcher, Professor of Psychiatry and a neuroscientist, known for advising Ninja Theory in the depiction of mental health within video games, specifically for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and their depiction of psychosis. Paul is also on our Clinical Advisory Board here at Safe In Our World. Paul goes into depth on he was involved within the development of the game, including the incorporation of those with lived experience of auditory hallucinations to create Senua as she is in the final game. We also discuss the ins and outs of how clinicians can become involved in development to create real people, especially with considerations to the complexities of mental health and personality. We also discuss our theme of July, which is the trio of nutrition, exercise and sleep, and the prospect of using planned behaviour rather than impulsive behaviour to stack the odds for us to make healthier choices. Links Paul's Twitter Hellblade

In this episode, Rosie is joined by Rami Ismail, an independent game dev and influence within the games industry. Rami was a part of Vlambeer, and is a part of The Habibis Podcast. Rami has created Meditations, developed presskit(), and is a big voice within the game dev space in advocating for change. Rami talks about his new passion in flying, and why having something completely separate from every day life is so important to him. Rosie and Rami discuss the state of the global games industry, Rami's journey into that from developing at a young age, and the changes he'd like to see within it. We deep dive into the #1ReasonToBe GDC Panel, it's origins from the #1ReasonWhy movement, and why it was such a powerful panel within the industry. Rami talks about the powerful games narratives that we just aren't seeing within games at the moment, and how we need to use the voices of the truly global industry in order to make it a fairer place to exist within. Links Rami's Twitter The Habibis Podcast Rami's Website