We are overjoyed to announce that we have been awarded seed corn funding as part of the Narrative Technologies initiative to develop a proof of concept for a game exploring the complex topic of postnatal depression.
According to the National Library of Medicine, ‘15% of new mothers’ and ‘10% of new fathers’ are affected by PND (Scarff, 2019, p.11). Meanwhile, studies indicate that men’s bodies experience profound change after a partner gives birth, mentally as well as hormonally. Within the first 12-16 weeks of their partner giving birth, new fathers experience similar structural changes in the brain (Kim et al., 2014) and a 34% drop in testosterone (Gettler and Feranil, 2011) which are understood as root causes in depression. However, as Ammar Kalia (2023) writes, while ‘new mothers are monitored for PND during routine NHS health visits. New fathers […] have no access to standardised care or routine checkups’. With limited NHS support in place, in recent years charities (such as Mind, Acacia, Pandas, NCT) have registered a high volume of new fathers turning to technology to find support and community, connecting with groups on social media for example.
Whilst pamphlets, websites, and social media continue to be ways of disseminating information about PND, the potential of video games and immersive experiences remains untapped. Beyond entertainment, video games have proven a powerful medium for engaging people in the complexities of the human condition, with games and interactive experiences increasingly exploring the nuances of mental health (depression, grief, anxiety, empathy) in artistic ways. Some of these games include Gris (2018), Celeste (2018), Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017), What Remains of Edith Finch (2017), Firewatch (2016), That Dragon, Cancer (2016), Depression Quest (2013), and Dear Esther (2012). However, there is yet to be a game about PND. This project aims to address this gap.
At this stage of the project, we are going to use game development as a method of exploring the potential ways in which an art game about PND might engender empathy towards new fathers and their networks (partners, friends, family). The aim being to produce the concept to present to potential partners and stakeholders for further funding and development. Initially, this will be developed by the co-Directors of the Bristol Digital Game Lab, Dr Michael Samuel (Film and Television) and Dr Richard Cole (Classics and Ancient History) in partnership with Digital Artist Danny Bacchus (see below).
For the next stage, we aim to hold a game jam and several focus groups with local and national mental health support charities, as well as with partners and families, to navigate the topic with nuance and sensitivity.
If you would like to be involved in the future development of the game, or would like to discuss the project, please get in touch with the project lead, Dr Michael Samuel (mike.samuel@bristol.ac.uk).
References
Gettler, L.T. et al. (2011) ‘Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(39), pp. 16194–16199. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1105403108.
Kalia, A. (2023) ‘“I didn’t even know men could get it”: the hidden impact of male postnatal depression’, The Guardian, 22 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/22/i-didnt-even-know-men-could-get-it-the-hidden-impact-of-male-postnatal-depression (Accessed: 18 July 2024).
Kim, P. et al. (2014) ‘Neural Plasticity in Fathers of Human Infants’, Social neuroscience, 9(5), pp. 522–535. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2014.933713.
Scarff JR. Postpartum Depression in Men. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2019 May 1;16(5-6):11-14. PMID: 31440396; PMCID: PMC6659987.