I created a game called ‘Mirror Within’, which is designed to be interactive, allowing players to live the experience of navigating the day with an eating disorder. By putting the player into cultural, social and personal challenges, the main goal is to educate players on both the mental health and physical struggles that come with eating disorders, and try to eliminate the stigma of bratty ,ungrateful and vain people at which they are often depicted. This allows players to empathize and hopefully notice the signs of those struggling around them. I try to cover different eating disorders and explain common thought processes, the psychology behind behaviour and the physical consequences. Although a lot of the content such as scenarios and thoughts are from personal experiences, I made sure to double check and research my facts from the following websites :
- The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): Provided clinical definitions for Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and Orthorexia.
- American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5-TR): Diagnostic criteria and the physiological impact of restrictive and purging behaviors.
- The Mayo Clinic: Information regarding physical complications such as electrolyte imbalances and cardiac risks.
- CBT-E (Oxford University): Concepts of “Urge Surfing” and “Body Checking” are derived from Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy protocols.
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Research on “starvation mode,” brain fog, and the biological impact of semi-starvation.
My first game draft was much more simplistic, with less scenarios and i felt it was shallow in comparison to the depth of the topic which i didn’t like, as it felt like a contribution to the stigma i want to eradicate, thus my goal was to make the second draft more educational, and to cover more eating disorders rather than just anorexia, but bolemia, and orthorexia to name a few, as they are all important and disordered eating often dances the lines between a few of them.Another element I wanted to fix, was to make the game in 1st person rather than 2nd. I feel that this way, it allows them to really connect and become one with the character. This allows them to really feel like they’re making decisions rather than being passive about it. Lastly, I added Egyptian hotlines to emphasise the goal of help. If I had more time I would have maybe done fact sheets and tell signs at the end to really allow people to read and educate themselves, rather than the short and sweet explanations at the end of different choices.
When making the game, I learned a few things along the way. One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to actually run and publish the code, which I surprisingly found much harder than designing the game itself. I also learned that keeping things short and simple can sometimes communicate ideas and emotions more effectively, but if something is too short, it can lose its depth and meaning. Thus, exploring the balance was definitely something I had to figure out. Overall, it was a very new and fun experience.
Provide Feedback