Games for emotional health Presenter: Miriam Verburg

LongStory is a progressive and queer-positive dating game that helps players sandbox healthy relationships and sexuality. The first episode was released March 7, 2014 Platforms: IOS, Android, Desktop Audience: All ages Downloads: 70,000 + Marketing budget: $800 not counting airplane tickets and hotels for conferences.

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DATING APPS ARE PROBLEMATIC

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… BUT A VERY POPULAR GENRE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 846,000 tween girls in Canada and 18 million in the US play video games. Dating games and ‘romance’ games are extremely popular in this demographic on the app store.

LongStory is a game that helps players learn how to talk about and understand their relationships, feelings, and desires.

The game provides guidance in the form of choice options and different outcomes so players work through emotional scenarios and replay or experiment as much as they want. Example: Abby can be a great friend, maybe even a girlfriend. But first you have to figure out what you want.. And even then… It’s complicated.

WHY A DATING GAME ?

EMOTIONAL HEALTH LEADS TO HEALTHIER CHOICES

Youth are not learning what they want to know about sexual health.

In a recent survey by Planned Parenthood Toronto, learning how to maintain healthy relationships, was in the top tier of issues young people want to learn about.

Youth from different cultural backgrounds and with diverse sexual preferences have different kinds of healthy relationships.

In a global village, a game about love, relationships and dating shouldn’t present a single model because youth bring diverse values and beliefs to the table.

FOR THE LOVE OF CONTEXT

In LongStory, characters express different feeling and attitudes towards, intimacy, sex, desire, sexuality and gender.

The story shows the interaction of these beliefs without privileging one set over another. Example: Marcel has a really hard time with PDA. He’s originally from Dubai and back home kissing a girl was something you only did in private. He’s also not so sure how he feels about gay kids being out, but he doesn’t want to make waves either - he’s the new guy after all.

DESIGN STRATEGIES

Give players multiple options for meeting their needs and expressing boundaries

Create realistic non-player characters with traits that encourage empathy.

Create a game context that is like their real world. Include elements such as texting to provide a realistic experience of intimacy.

Ask players to make difficult choices, but support them so they can do so comfortably

•  Players don’t think it’s a health game

•  Players ask for second episode

•  Players care about the non-player characters

•  Players start telling us what they want from the story

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

What makes games good tools for addressing emotional health & wellbeing challenges?

Thank you for listening

Download LongStory at: http://longstorygame.com