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Boy creates video game to help people with depression

Shared by JoanaSaraiva on 2019-07-17 14:41

About the solution

Luke lost his dad by suicide when he was 2 years old. After the dad’s death, Luke’s mom, Paula Toledo, was worried that Luke would experience secondary loss as she cared for his 2-week-old brother, and so she became interested in play therapy, which offers children tools and language to work with anxiety.

This helped Luke, later on, to develop his innovation. He created a video game to help educate and demystify mental illness. In this game, a character named Bob lives in a world of grey boxes. Bob must navigate them by jumping to coloured boxes while learning about mental health. He also built a playground at the end of the game to remind players that it’s vital to get outside to take care of your physical and mental health.

“I wanted to figure out a way to promote the idea that mental health is a real thing, not something that’s invisible, like a lot of people thought,” Luke says “It gives them a bit of information, but not information that makes them sad or anything. They’re not ways to get better, they’re facts about depression.”

To develop his solution, Luke got help from YouTube videos and Roblox forums.

“We were truly touched when we learned about Luke’s game, and we’re very proud of the work he’s doing to help his peers through our platform. It’s critical to provide a safe space for kids and teens to play.”, says Laura Higgins, Roblox’s head of digital civility.

Luke started building the game in November 2018 and has had it beta-tested by his little brother.

He now wants to contact mental-health specialists to build a new game, which not only informs but also suggests tools to cope with anxiety and depression.

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/2LoNQ3V

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

Luke Toledo, born in Canada, in 2008, developed a video game, in 2019, to help people cope with depression after his dad died by suicide.

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