Video game charity, Safe in Our World, releases a new journal to help players with their mental health
"We hope Sidekick will feel like a familiar friend for folks in the games community."
Video game mental health charity, Safe in Our World, has released a new interactive journal designed to help people track their mental health and engage with self-care.
Entitled Sidekick – and created specifically for people in the gaming community – the journal aims to be "a physical resource for mental well-being" and includes 140 pages containing a variety of free journaling pages and "games-themed activities and prompts, designed to be a low-pressure way to get people thinking about their mental health".
With one in five players reporting that they feel uncomfortable or upset after playing, one in seven feeling isolated or alone, and one in ten left with depressive or suicidal thoughts in a 2021 survey, the journal hopes to provide resources and advice on how to manage your own wellbeing and "offer a safe place to look after yourself and write what's on your mind".
"Gaming can be a positive outlet for so many individuals, but things like exposure to online harassment and harmful conduct in gaming spaces can also have a negative impact on people's mental health," said Sky Tunley-Stainton, partnerships and training manager at Safe In Our World.
"By connecting people with the games they love, we hope Sidekick will feel like a familiar friend for folks in the games community who might be in need of the tools and information within to support their mental health."
Sidekick is available to purchase now for £15 from Peregrine Coast Press. The journal is also available to purchase as a "corporate order" for games industry organisations, including "original or bespoke orders" for individual studios.