First Place Winner "Inner Room" Claims $25,000 Prize from Among 100+ Entries Spotlighting Game-Forward Treatments for Stress, Depression and Anxiety
DeepWell Digital Therapeutics (DTx) has revealed the winners of the company's inaugural Mental Health Game Jam, hosted in partnership with Global Game Jam. Bringing together a community of global developers to create valuable therapeutic experiences through games, DeepWell's Mental Health Game Jam was created to inspire games that can entertain while simultaneously addressing stress, anxiety, and depression and foster support and understanding for those dealing with mental health challenges.
Judged by a trusted panel of game industry luminaries and medical veterans – including Shahid Ahmad, Rami Ismail, Dr. Leeza Maron, American McGee, Alanah Pearce and Dr. Anne Marie Porter – across multiple criteria including gameplay, treatment mechanics, and furthering of understanding for mental health issues, DeepWell is proud to announce the first class of winners from more than 100 games submitted:
GRAND PRIZE | $25,000 USD
GAME: Inner Room DEVELOPER: byebyesama DESCRIPTION: "Inner Room is a game where you play three days of lockdown as a person dealing with depression, where his place of true elaboration is in his dreams. When awake, our main character must complete the most mundane tasks – waking up, eating, showering, and opening a window. In any typical game, these tasks would require just one click. Now you will need your whole keyboard to sort them out." LINK: https://byebyesama.itch.io/inner-room
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SECOND PLACE | $10,000 USD
GAME: Biotopîco DEVELOPER: Everyday Lemonade DESCRIPTION: "In Bíotópico, players can grow real trees using the Oxygen resource that is produced from their breath practice. We're partnering with OneTreePlanted.org to plant a physical tree on the player's behalf each time a digital tree is grown." LINK: https://everydaylemonade.itch.io/biotopico
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THIRD PLACE | $5,000 USD
GAME: Fumble DEVELOPER: ComfyDev DESCRIPTION: "Fumble is a puzzle game about how it feels to struggle to talk. It tells the story of someone suffering from social anxiety without realising it… The gameplay acts as a playable metaphor of social anxiety and offers what we believe is one possible representation of what it feels like to have the condition." LINK: https://namidasai.itch.io/fumble
"We truly believe in the power of games to help treat mental illness," said Mike Wilson, co-founder, DeepWell DTx. "It goes to show that the games community recognizes that games are and can be good for you, and we are excited about taking the first steps to making games that can serve as both entertainment and with therapeutic value."
In addition to the winners, DeepWell and Global Game Jam have also cited several others competitors for distinction as best-in-category finalists across a number of categories:
"Most Educational" – Game: "Balance It Out" | Developer: lukeamer | Link "Most Innovative" – Game: "Can You?" | Developer: devbymark | Link "Most Engaging" – Game: "Mockingzen" | Developer: havana24 | Link "Most Accessible" – Game: "Bottles" | Developer: zrrz111 | Link "Best Art" – Game: "Mood Farm" | Developer: Peregon | Link "Best Audio" – Game: "Inner Room" | Developer: byebyesama | Link
The full list of games created during the month of May for the challenge can be found on the Global Game Jam's itch.io page for free public access here.
Founded by Devolver Digital co-founder Mike Wilson and medtech innovator Ryan Douglas, DeepWell DTx) is a first-of-its-kind video game publisher and developer dedicated to creating best-in-class gameplay that can simultaneously entertain and deliver, enhance and accelerate treatment for an array of globally pervasive health conditions. DeepWell is backed by a team of more than 40 industry-leading creators, game designers, scientists and medical researchers, coming together to prove the power of games in addressing mental health. For the latest updates, please visit DeepWellDTx.com.
About DeepWell DTx
DeepWell is a video game developer and publisher dedicated to making games that are simultaneously world-class entertainment, as well as therapeutic for a myriad of health concerns. Founded by game industry veteran Mike Wilson and medtech innovator Ryan Douglas, the company is guided by an advisory board of more than 40 industry-leading creators, game designers, scientists, and medical researchers.