The IGDA Mental Health SIG’s mission is to promote mental wellness in game development workspaces by destigmatizing mental illness, prioritizing mental health, and supporting and advocating for the rights and well-being of persons affected by mental illness.

Our vision:

Make game development workspaces a space where mental health is a priority.

Our Goals:

• Challenge Stigma: Challenge the stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental health by providing psychoeducation, trainings, and resources to individuals employed in game development spaces as well as studios and larger organizations.
• Education for Employers: Provide employers information and resources for fostering work environments that value and embrace neurodiversity, promote practices that support general mental wellness, and demonstrate both responsibility and sensitivity to serving employees with mental health challenges. 
• Education for Employees: Raise awareness and provide resources around mental health topics for employees in the development community, from entry-level to studio leadership. 
• Advocacy: Provide information, resources, and support to empower members of the game development workforce to advocate for positive mental health change (e.g. legal protections for individuals with a mental illness, best practices for proposing policy changes, how to be a mental health ally as a manager, etc.) in every aspect of the development process – from hiring and on-boarding to development and in-game mental health representation.

What SIG is not focusing on at this time:

• Research about how video games affect players, such as violence in video games, etc
• Using Video Games to treat mental health
• We do not provide mental health treatment or advice, but we do provide support and resources for those interested in pursuing their mental wellness.

While these topics are important and may be part of the IGDA’s larger mission, they are not the focus of the IGDA Mental Health SIG.

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We are excited to take on these ambitious challenges, to spotlight conversations about mental wellness in the games industry, and to put game developers and their mental health front and center. 

If you’d like to join our SIG or volunteer, email SIG chair Kelli Dunlap, PsyD at dunlappsyd@gmail.com or contact us on Twitter @IGDA_MHA.

Please note: the MHA SIG is an advocacy group and does not provide clinical services. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, seek help immediately by calling 911, the National Suicide Prevention Helpline 1-800-273-8255, or texting 741741 to be connected to the Crisis Text Line.