XR for Change Talk and Play: XR for Mental Health

Thank you to everyone who joined our Talk and Play on XR for Mental Health. For the first time, our Talk and Play session was hosted virtually and made open to an international audience. The move to a virtual format proved to be hugely successful as this Talk and Play saw the highest number of concurrent viewers in the series history. We were able to welcome attendees from 15 different countries to join our discussion, including Finland, Australia, Korea, Switzerland, and China, to name a few. Attendees engaged in a lively conversation over chat- making them an active part of the session.

Games for Change would also like to thank our incredible speakers for the event Sarah Hill, Adam Gazzaley, Kelli Dunlap, Skip Rizzo and our moderator Jesse Damiani for a highly engaging and informative conversation on immersive media and mental health.

The panel discussed the pivotal role XR could play in both addressing and destigmatizing mental health problems. Panelists highlighted the unique affordance XR offers over conventional approaches for treating disorders such as ADHD, PTSD, anxiety disorders, and specific phobias. The discussion extended to the application of XR in logotherapy or the pursuit of finding meaning. The panelists even deliberated on the ethics, values, and best practices for designers, developers, researchers, and teams working to create immersive treatments for such disorders. Finally, valuable points were brought up on how to let good ideas and research from academia to successfully cross over to the corporate/consumer markets.

You can check out a recording of the webinar here!

We look forward to seeing you at more of our Talk and Plays. Save the date for our upcoming events:

Volumetric 3D capture in XR
Thursday, May 28, 2020.
This discussion focuses on how digital recreation techniques in XR can transform how we experience content, from historical speeches to art exhibitions.

Ethics in XR
Thursday, June 25, 2020
This discussion aims to raise awareness about the ethical and privacy risks associated with the use of XR technologies and provide recommendations to mitigate them.

To find out how to register for the upcoming Talk and Play event and to be informed about the latest XR4C industry news, be sure to sign-up for our newsletter.