Ninja Theory announces Hellblade-inspired scholarship to fund mental health training
To carry out work "showing people the possibility of life beyond diagnosis".
Those who played Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice will know the game delivers a powerful depiction of psychosis. The main protagonist, Senua, deals with horrific visions and voices as she embarks on a quest into hell to recover the soul of her dead lover.
In order to achieve an accurate portrayal of psychosis, Ninja Theory spent three years working with neuroscientists and mental health experts to inform their research for Senua's Sacrifice. Many of these were from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and to mark this year's World Mental Health day, the developer is working with the organisation to create a scholarship programme for mental health training.
Senua's scholarship will help fund a student to train at Cambridge Recovery College East to become a mental health tutor and achieve a professional training qualification. Mental health tutors carry out important work "show[ing] people the possibility of life beyond diagnosis."
In addition, the scholarship will also provide the student with an opportunity to "look at a new career or return to an old career following a diagnosis or significant sort of mental health challenge."
Alongside the scholarship announcement, Ninja Theory released an extended 25-minute video detailing how it worked with mental health experts to conduct research for Senua's Sacrifice.
The scholarship seems like an excellent way for Ninja Theory to continue to support mental health work beyond the game's release. For further details on the scholarship, make sure to visit the NHS website.