Furry Kitten
Game Design for Women with Depression
Individual Project
2020.04 — 2021.5
DISCOVER
Phenomenon
Depression, characterized by significant and persistent low mood as the main clinical feature,
is the main type of mood disoder.
Desktop Research
Women are three times more likely to suffer from depression than man.
Women exhibit a high incidence of
depression
during the
four periods mentioned above due to an
interplay of internal and external causes.
Field Research
I went to the Mental Health Center in Shanghai to inverstigate the needs of female patients.
I also conducted a quantitative survey of patients' needs.
Case Study
There are currently three types of design for depression: services, tangible products, and
virtual products.
DEVELOP
Concept
I think a low-cost and more private design, also available anytime
and
anywhere, should be created to meet patients' psychological needs.
I decided to design a relaxing game for female depressed
patients.
Case Study
Currently, there are two main types of games that can help treat people with depression.
Only a few of the existing games are
specifically designed
for depression and lack the science
of play therapy.
DESIGN
What is Game Therapy?
Gamification Design
Game therapy allows patients to present their true selves in a
relaxed and egalitarian state and has a better intervention effect on social disoders.
I use scenario-based games as the mainline of treatment, integrated with targeted offline activities.
Game Flow
Function List
Information Architecture
Character Design
I chose GARFIELD as the prototype. I also personified the character based on cats' movements.
Players can set the complexion of their characters before entering the game.
The dynamics and emotions of the characters are personified, which helps the player better integrate into the game.
