Mental health org states ‘we still have much to learn’ about mental health issues in games industry

Take This, a non-profit organisation “founded to let people know there’s help for people with mental health challenges who are also passionate about making games”, has released a white paper that explores the experiences of video game developers and the “challenges in the game development industry”. It also explores how game development companies can better mitigate negative impacts and “cultivate healthy, productive employees who can make great games”. 

The organisation is encouraging developers to post their industry experiences with the tag #gameindustrystory on their social media channels and says over the next year, it will be working closely with members of the industry to “identify and incorporate best practices for addressing issues of concern and alleviating mental health issues that affect employees, and also conduct original research”. 

The 60-page white paper also points out that whilst there’s been a lot of recent discussion about crunch culture, there are many other issues that persist in the industry, including stress and burnout related to studio closures and layoffs. 

Partners for the initiative include HR professionals from developers like Big Huge Games, Bungie, and Certain Affinity. 

“Though we have seen a lot in the news on hot topics such as development ‘crunch,’ online harassment, and company closures and layoffs,”  said Take This executive director, Eve Crevoshay, via a press release, “we still have much to learn about the unique factors and challenges that affect and impact mental health in this industry.”