Destigmatizing Mental Illness among Asian Communities in New Zealand Through Video Games

Almost one in two New Zealanders (47%) will experience mental illness or distress in their lifetime (MHF, 2022). In this group, Asian (alongside Pacific and Māori) New Zealanders are more likely to be under-diagnosed and under-treated for mental distress compared to Europeans (Lee et al., 2018). The main culprit for this phenomenon is stigma (Zhang et al., 2019). This presentation will discuss the current academic knowledge on mental illness stigma, how it commonly manifests within the Asian communities, and a revolutionizing method to combat it: video games. The research follows a practice-based approach, focusing on designing an artefact as well as the creative process in which that artefact is created. In practice, the study will employ an online survey aimed at Asian people who are currently living (or have previously lived in New Zealand), asking them about their experiences living with mental illness and its stigma. The data gathered from the survey will then be used to design a video game that reflects those experiences. The output of the research is a “serious” video game about mental illness, one which are both helpful to those who suffer and do not suffer from mental health conditions.