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Industry veterans Mark Ripley and Matt Spall have teamed up with mental health mentor Craig Fearn to launch WellBeings, a specialist mobile games publisher which aims to address wellbeing and mental health issues, including anxiety, panic disorder, and chronic pain. The team also believes its positioned "to become a one-stop-shop for e-health and wellbeing applications, consultation and research" and says it has tracked over 40 studies that surmise "there is great scope" for using technology "in the betterment of human life".
"E-health is an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies," the press release claims ."In a broader sense, the term characterises not only a technical development, but also a state-of-mind, a way of thinking, an attitude, and a commitment for networked, global thinking, to improve health care locally, regionally, and worldwide by using information and communication technology."
Fearn – who is a Professional member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and a holder of the international gold standard qualification, ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) – is working with Ripley and Spall in the hope the sector will move "away from the ‘one size fits all’ and ‘virtual therapist’ concepts" in order to "embrace the individuality of the user" to better tailor experiences and create something people will "want to use rather than they’re told to use".
"The potential of the crossover benefits between games and e-health are massive. From a research standpoint, the data generated could revolutionise how professional practice responds to a range of conditions," Fearn said via a press statement. "From a user’s point of view, our games will offer innovative alternatives to a stagnating market."
For more information, head on over to the WellBeings website.
