Introduction

Role

UX Researcher/Designer

Timeline

7 months - Honours Project

Team

Solo project - end-to-end UX and development

Skills

User Research

Interaction Design

Visual Design

Wireframing & Prototyping

The Problem

The project focuses on the gamification of anxiety and depression among students, aiming to raise awareness and provide support through a serious game. The goal is to create an engaging and educational experience that helps students understand mental health issues, recognise symptoms, and encourage them to seek help when needed.

Project Goals

  • Help spread the awareness of anxiety and depression
  • Using gamification of mental health through a serious game in order to spread awareness
  • Giving students advice and recommending them to seek help with their mental health

Target Audience

This project focuses on students as the main target audience, with the goal of raising awareness about anxiety and depression and encouraging positive mental health practices.

Research

How do serious games help spread awareness?



The effectiveness of serious games in spreading awareness is mixed. Some researchers argue that they represent a promising avenue for increasing public understanding of mental health issues. Serious games can also potentially support individuals who suffer from mental health conditions, and their commercial adoption could further boost public awareness of these issues. Applied gaming approaches might broaden the reach of mental health interventions, especially among individuals who might not otherwise seek help (Fleming et al., 2017).

In addition to expanding access, serious games have demonstrated the capacity to support the development of cognitive skills, emotional resilience, and attitudinal change (Kapp, 2012). They often involve problem-solving mechanics, which encourage player engagement and learning (López et al., 2021). These are just a few examples of how serious games may both raise awareness and support users experiencing mental health challenges.

However, there are contrasting viewpoints. Some studies question whether serious games significantly impact symptoms of anxiety and depression. Lau et al. (2017) note that few empirical studies have thoroughly examined their clinical efficacy, suggesting that more research is required to understand their potential across specific mental disorders. This highlights the need for high-quality, evidence-based development, especially when games address sensitive mental health topics. Without expert input and careful design, such games risk unintentionally causing harm rather than promoting awareness.

Gamification of spreading awareness of anxiety and depression?



Gamification may represent the next logical step in raising awareness about anxiety and depression. As digital engagement becomes more pervasive, traditional awareness methods must adapt to current technologies. Gamified experiences could encourage users to open up about their experiences and recognise the symptoms of mental health conditions.

While many studies highlight users' enjoyment of gamified features and serious games, they often fall short of conclusively demonstrating their effectiveness (Dias et al., 2018). This makes it essential to develop gamified solutions with a clear focus on outcomes and effectiveness. Achieving this may stimulate the creation of more serious games in the mental health domain.

Games rely on various engagement strategies. For instance, Hamari and Tuunanen (n.d.) conducted a meta-synthesis of 12 studies and identified motivational factors that support engagement in gamified environments. Fleming et al. (2017) further support this, arguing that user engagement is a crucial foundation for effective mental health interventions.

Recent studies suggest that mental health apps incorporating gamified features can moderately reduce symptoms of depression (Six et al., 2021). This indicates that such methods could be effective in spreading awareness and facilitating early intervention.

Can spreading awareness of mental health in anxiety and depression amongst students help by using gamification and serious games?



Increasing awareness of anxiety and depression among students is crucial, as these conditions often go unrecognised. Symptoms can be subtle or hidden—some students may appear high-functioning while still experiencing significant mental health struggles.

Sprung and Rogers (2021) highlight that mental health problems among students are rising, which underscores the need for effective awareness strategies. Gamified approaches could offer students a safe and interactive way to identify symptoms, both in themselves and in peers. However, sensitivity is key. Game design should avoid triggering users unintentionally. A respectful approach could include informational pages, resources, and contact information for relevant support services.

Given that students commonly face academic, social, and personal pressures, gamification presents a viable method for promoting awareness. As gaming is already a popular activity among students, using this medium for educational purposes could provide accessible and engaging learning experiences.

Increase of anxiety and depression amongst students during the covid pandemic and how can serious games and gamification help combat this issue?

The levels of anxiety and depression among students increased significantly during the outbreak of COVID-19, as students were forced to study from home while the world was in lockdown. This situation led to heightened feelings of depression and anxiety, particularly in relation to completing university work. Additionally, the lack of regular communication between lecturers and students in some cases made it more difficult to ask questions and receive timely support. During the pandemic, students frequently reported feelings of fear and concern about their own health and that of loved ones, difficulties concentrating, disrupted sleep patterns, reduced social interaction, and increased anxiety about academic performance (Vigo et al., 2021).

Many students experienced a loss of motivation while trying to keep up with their studies, as lectures and practical sessions moved online. The technology available at the time often struggled to cope with the increased demand, leading to frequent crashes during online meetings for both students and lecturers. This technological disruption further hindered student participation in academic discussions. The lack of peer-to-peer communication contributed to the deterioration of many students’ mental health over the course of the pandemic.

Serious games could play a role in educating students about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Such games could raise awareness of issues that students may otherwise overlook. However, gamifying this kind of sensitive information must be approached with care and respect. When designed appropriately, these games can guide users by offering supportive information and prompts. Given the earlier discussion around symptoms of mental health conditions, it is particularly relevant to reinforce this point.

how the mental health of students has been affected post-pandemic, and how can this be gamified into a serious game?

Post-COVID, the mental health of students has remained largely unchanged from the levels experienced during the pandemic and is likely to remain this way for the foreseeable future. A study conducted at a public university in the United States in April 2020 found that poorer mental health (Kecojevic et al., 2020) was associated with employment losses, difficulties focusing on academic work, and concerns about COVID-19 (Fruehwirth et al., 2021). This suggests that both during and after the pandemic, students continued to experience similar struggles. The return to in-person teaching, including lectures and practicals, has increased stress levels among students, as they have had to adapt to a hybrid model of learning that blends online and face-to-face formats. Students attending both online lectures and in-person practicals faced scheduling challenges, which often made it difficult to manage their academic responsibilities effectively.

Furthermore, students reported minimal interaction with peers, with many continuing to work in isolation, resulting in missed opportunities for collaborative learning (Barr et al., 2020). The lack of social engagement over the previous year may have led to increased anxiety around meeting and interacting with others. Additionally, students may have experienced depressive symptoms due to the struggle of reconciling the content of online lectures with that of in-person practicals. The COVID-19 pandemic and the abrupt closure of university campuses disrupted daily routines and significantly impacted academic engagement, exacerbating mental health challenges among students (Theurel et al., 2022). These difficulties have contributed to a loss of motivation and increased challenges in achieving academic success, which may in turn intensify feelings of depression. To address this issue, serious games could be employed as a means of helping students better understand the post-pandemic symptoms of mental illness. Such games could simulate the experience of emerging from lockdown while living with mental health difficulties, thereby fostering empathy and awareness in a respectful and supportive manner.

How have the effects of the cost-of-living crisis affected students’ mental health, and how can serious games help?

The cost-of-living crisis is a new challenge that students are now facing, emerging in the aftermath of lockdown alongside other factors beyond their control. As a result, many students have been forced to choose between buying food and attending university, due to the sharp rise in the cost of food, travel, and electricity. Increasing numbers of students are experiencing financial hardship, often caused by overspending and over-indebtedness (Achtziger, 2022). These financial difficulties heighten the likelihood of students taking out loans, which may lead to further overspending on essential items due to insufficient income. The vicious cycles of poverty, hunger, and inequality created by the crisis highlight that no single dimension can be addressed in isolation, and no country is immune to its effects (Webster & Neal, 2022). This illustrates how hunger and poverty can impact students during their studies, and how students in other countries are also likely to be facing similar challenges. Consequently, these financial pressures may negatively affect students’ academic performance and engagement, particularly now that learning has largely returned to on-campus delivery. To support students who are struggling with both the return to campus and the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, aspects of a serious game could focus on raising awareness of these issues and helping players identify signs that a fellow student may be in difficulty. Gamifying this topic will require extensive research, as the cost-of-living crisis is a relatively new and complex issue. However, with careful planning and sensitivity, it is certainly possible.

Design Solution

Colour Scheme

This colour scheme combines two shades of green (#3E942B and #79D185), soft grey (#6B6B6B), deep charcoal (#303030), and a clean white (#EDEDED) to create a calm yet reassuring look. It was chosen because green is often linked with balance, renewal, and hope, feelings that are vital when addressing anxiety and depression among students. The lighter green brings a friendly, encouraging tone, while the darker green offers stability and grounding. The greys introduce neutrality and safety, fostering an environment for open, judgement-free conversations. The white adds clarity and a sense of a fresh start. Together, these colours convey support, warmth, and quiet strength, the exact message intended.

Colour Scheme

Honours Project Logo

This logo was chosen because it beautifully captures the connection between the mind and the heart, reflecting the way anxiety and depression affect both our thoughts and emotions. The green silhouette of the head represents awareness and mental wellbeing, while the red heart within it symbolises care, empathy and emotional strength. Together, they highlight the importance of looking after both our mental and emotional health. For students, it’s a gentle reminder that understanding mental health is not just about knowledge, but also about kindness towards ourselves and others, which is exactly what this gamified project hopes to inspire.


Game Assets

Game Assets

The pixel-art assets for Student Life, a game aimed at raising awareness of anxiety and depression among students, use a nostalgic retro style to evoke warmth and familiarity. The city skyline, cosy indoor rooms, and campus-inspired spaces reflect the everyday settings students move through, from lively public areas to quieter corners for reflection. The character sprites and speech bubbles focus on conversations, capturing both the pressures and moments of support that shape student life. By using a nostalgic art style, the game creates a comforting, relatable atmosphere that helps players engage with sensitive mental health themes in a gentle, human way.


Website Prototypes

These prototypes for the Student Wellbeing website aim to create a welcoming and supportive space for students facing anxiety and depression. The clean, approachable design uses friendly imagery of real people in relatable situations, helping users feel understood rather than confronted. Each section is structured to provide clear, digestible information, whether it’s explaining symptoms, offering coping strategies, or guiding friends on how to help. Buttons and navigation are simple and intuitive, making it easy for users to find the resources they need without feeling overwhelmed. The “Get in Touch” section humanises support by giving both an email and a phone option, recognising that different people feel comfortable reaching out in different ways. The balance of text and images avoids a clinical feel, instead fostering empathy and connection. These prototypes not only inform but also reassure students that they are not alone, and help is just a click or call away.

Website Prototype Website Prototype

Game Prototypes

These Student Life game prototypes use a playful, pixel-art style to make learning about mental health approachable and engaging. The simple menu system allows players to start the game, adjust settings, or return home with ease, ensuring accessibility and comfort. Once in the game, players control a character exploring a cityscape, symbolising student life and its challenges. The friendly in-game dialogue, asking whether the player wants help with anxiety or depression, creates a personal and supportive tone. By blending lighthearted visuals with meaningful choices, the prototypes encourage awareness and empathy while making sensitive topics easier to approach.

Game Prototype

Prototypes Interactions

This image is a blueprint of a very neat and organised system, with each screen acting as a separate building block. The layout is tidy and intentional, showing the basic structure before any user interaction comes into play. It's a snapshot of careful planning, where all the individual bits are ready and waiting to be put together into a single, seamless whole.

Honours Project Interaction
Honours Project Interaction

This image shows the intricate network of a bustling system, where the connecting lines highlight the complex journeys a user can take between different parts. It goes beyond a simple layout to show the actual flow of interaction, demonstrating how user choices create a web of interconnected pathways. The diagram gives a clear picture of the system's operational complexity and the unified experience it provides.

Results

I’m excited to share the interactive prototype for my Honours Project!

Explore its features, experience my vision in action, and see where creativity meets functionality.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my Honours Project page—it means a lot.

Reflection

University Presentation Day

This project poster, presented at Edinburgh Napier University, showcases my Honours project on the “Gamification of Anxiety and Depression Among Students.” It highlights the research, design, and development process behind creating an interactive prototype that spreads awareness through a retro-style, multiple-choice game. On presentation day, I engaged with fellow peers and lecturers, discussing how the game’s design aims to promote understanding and comfort for users. The session also involved answering questions from the project marker, who explored aspects of the game’s functionality, design choices, and potential for further development into a fully functional website or game application.

University Presentation Day

Thoughts

I am proud of the outcome of my Honours Project and the creativity it showcases. The project underwent user testing with 5 to 7 participants, who responded positively to the concept and the information behind it, and were impressed by how I brought functionality to the game using the chosen program. In the future, I aim to refine its visual style and overall user experience, and ultimately develop it into a fully functional website and game to share through my portfolio.