iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

What happens when CBT meets a vampire video game? 🧛🎮 At Gaming the Mind Conference 2026, BAFTA-nominated developer Cyrus Nemati will explore how Vampire Therapist blends narrative game design with CBT concepts and what games can teach us about mental health.

Meet the Speakers

Cyrus Nemati

Little Bat Games, makers of Vampire Therapist

Talk:

Once More, With Feeling: How Repetition and Emotion Internalize Cognitive Distortions in Vampire Therapist

Cyrus Nemati

Cyrus Nemati is a BAFTA-nominated, multi-award-winning game developer, writer and voice actor. He is the Studio Director of Little Bat Games, a Berlin-based studio well known for Vampire Therapist, an acclaimed narrative game that weaves history and the mechanics of cognitive behavioural therapy into its gameplay.

As a voice actor he has lent his voice to games such as the Hades series, as well as toys, commercials and animation for organisations like Hasbro and Hallmark.

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Cyrus Nemati @ahoymehearties.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Londoners, come see me speak along with people who have much higher academic credentials than I do! (disqualifying the positive) (for real this should be good)

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Hedge @angiemckeown.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Oh this looks interesting! (also Hi @ahoymehearties.bsky.social 😎)

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

With your support, we were delighted to donate gaming equipment for the Lavender Walk Adolescent Mental Health Unit as part of an ongoing project! "It has helped the young people interact with each other in a positive and supportive way" gamingthemind.org/2026/09/17/g...

gamingthemind.org

Gaming Equipment Donation Boosts Mental Health Care at Lavender Walk

Discover how Gaming the Mind's donation brought joy and connection through gaming at Lavender Walk, enhancing young patients' hospital experience.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Look forward to seeing these speakers at the Gaming the Mind Conference 2026, exploring the evolving relationship between video games, mental health, research, and game development. 📍 Royal College of Psychiatrists 📷 2 November 2026 🌍 Hybrid format; join us online!

Poster:
Gaming the Mind Conference 2026
Bringing together mental health and gaming
Join us for our second academic conference exploring the intersection of gaming and mental health, with speakers including:
Prof. Paul Fletcher
RCPsych Fellow and Hellblade collaborator
Laura Helsby
Researcher and Lecturer on Games & Impact on Low Mood
Thareq Barasabha Researcher on gamification for cognitive cemediation
Elena Petrovskaya Researcher on Virtual Currencies in Comes
Mark Backler
Founder & Creative Director, Sketchbook Games
Philip Vassilev
Lead Data & Science Analyst at Five Lives
David Zendle
Behavioural Data Scientist & Lootbox Expert
Cyrus Nemati Little Bat Gomes, makers of Vampire Therapist
Alan Thorn National Film & Television School, Author and Educator

When
9:30-17:00
2nd November 2026
Where
Royal College of Psychiatrists, 21 Prescot St, London E1 8BB

Online and in-person tickets available!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

🎮 Early bird rates end soon! Register to attend the Gaming the Mind Conference 2026, exploring the evolving relationship between video games, mental health, research, & game development. 📍 Royal College of Psychiatrists 📅 2 November 2026 🌍 Hybrid format; join us online!

Poster text:

Gaming the Mind Conference 2026: Bringing together mental health and gaming

Last week to grab your early bird ticket!
Early bird sales ending 24th July, get your discounted ticket now!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

"I hadn't considered the reason I play Anno as a cosy experience. When work is stressful, I often reach for a game where you create and manage a complex economy. Anno 1800 forces all thoughts of the day out of my head" www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-croakwoo...

rockpapershotgun.com

"Your town will never outright collapse": How Croakwood captures the challenge of a townbuilder like Anno but avoids the stress and pressure

Townbuilders like Anno and Settlers series often scale into stress and pressure pots, cosy city builder Croakwood captures that complexity without the pressure

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

FFXIV "In previous series... our emphasis was on a policy of comprehensively ensuring player comfort & stress reduction. This approach did help make content more accessible... There was less room for individual players to demonstrate their true abilities" www.gamesradar.com/games/final-...

gamesradar.com

Final Fantasy 14 devs looked to the MMO's best expansion to design the Arcadion series after feeling like "ensuring player comfort and stress reduction" limited creativity

Heavensward, beloved by fans and Square Enix alike

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

(On salaryman Kenji): "Coffee Talk Tokyo has no interest in pursuing the threads of how Japan’s strict and strenuous overwork epidemic could affect him, prospectively obliterating his mental wellbeing... as is depressingly not an infrequent occurrence" www.rockpapershotgun.com/visual-novel...

rockpapershotgun.com

Visual novel Coffee Talk Tokyo serves up an image of 'Cool Japan,' but not much more

How VN sequel Coffee Talk Tokyo transplants itself to Japan - but fails to truly engage with the culture, or societal issues, of its new home.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Constance is a game about overstimulation and concentration, following the titular character as she escapes her overwhelming reality in favour of a fantasy realm of her own mind’s creation" "the game is making you focus."

nintendolife.com

Review: Constance (Switch) - A Beautiful Metroidvania With Something To Say

Constance craving

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

🎮 Booking open! You can now register to attend the Gaming the Mind Conference 2026, exploring the evolving relationship between video games, mental health, research, & game development. 📍 Royal College of Psychiatrists 📅 2 November 2026 🌍 Hybrid format; join us online!

Gaming the Mind Conference 2026 graphic.
"Bringing together mental health and gaming"
"Early bird tickets out now"
"Reserve your place today"

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Watch: "Explore the science behind esports, from top players' skills to its potential for healthy aging." Including an esports team for over-60s, and a professor who found that oxytocin levels rise in participants playing multiplayer games. www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...

www3.nhk.or.jp

Esports: The Science Behind the Thrill - Science View | NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Esports has evolved into a global phenomenon. Explore the science behind the excitement, from top players' skills to its potential for healthy aging.

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Toasted @toastedpixel.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I attended the inaugral event last year and it was incredibly informative and eye opening 🎮🧠✨

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

🎮 SAVE THE DATE! 🎮 We’re excited to announce the Gaming the Mind Conference 2026, exploring the evolving relationship between video games, mental health, research, and game development. 📍 Royal College of Psychiatrists 📅 2 November 2026 🌍 Hybrid format; join us online!

Gaming the Mind Conference 2026. "Bringing together mental health and gaming". Save the date: 02 November 2026. Royal College of Psychiatrists. More info coming soon!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Under-16 social media ban: "you can boot up RuneScape, Arc Raiders, and thousands of other games right now and talk to people you don't know there. Will the UK force developers of online games to implement these blocks?" www.eurogamer.net/uk-social-me...

eurogamer.net

UK to ban social media and streaming platforms for under 16-year-olds, as full impact on gaming industry remains unclear

Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and more are confirmed on the list, as are streaming platforms.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

"Flock Around acts as a perfect digital gateway into the relaxing world of birdwatching... you need to become a patient observer... All of this works as a relaxing single-player experience, but it also translates perfectly to a multiplayer hangout game."

polygon.com

The perfect video game exists and it's a $5 Pokémon Snap replacement

Flock around and find out

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

"The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time soundtrack has been given a soothing jazz remix... ‘Prescription For Sleep: Ocarina Of Time’ is a jazz lullaby tribute album to Koji Kondo’s iconic score, designed for chilling, relaxing, sleeping or studying."

nme.com

‘Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time’ music gets jazz remix album

Gentle Love have reworked 11 classics for this anniversary collection

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Relaxing video game soundtracks Including Breath of the Wild, which among the Zelda soundtracks is "easily the most mellow. Press play and imagine yourself riding through endless green fields on the back of Link’s trusty steed Epona."

nme.com

The most relaxing 'Minecraft'-style game soundtracks

The ultimate chill-out jams from your favourite video games

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

"When [we] put together seventh edition Call of Cthulhu, we made a conscious effort to move away from real-world depictions of mental health conditions... altering the language of sanity so it's more in tune with how things are portrayed these days"

wargamer.com

Call of Cthulhu's new Scout-themed book made me feel like a kid falling in love with tabletop RPGs again

Campfire Tales, or as I've been calling it, 'Cthulhu versus 11-year-olds', is a delightfully novel take on the top Lovecraft TTRPG.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Zero Parades "The way you're encouraged to use drugs to pass the buck from fatigue to anxiety (caffeine), anxiety to delirium (alcohol), delirium back to fatigue (cigarettes) feels stingingly real, too."

gamesradar.com

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies review: "Being built from Disco Elysium's bones is a blessing and a curse for this spy RPG"

As a successor, ZA/UM's spy-fi RPG is a little too fearful to roll the dice on something new

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

"Researchers at the University of Plymouth recently confirmed what board game fans and RPG enthusiasts have known for decades: tabletop games “enhance well-being, foster inclusion, & support learning, with strong evidence that games improve engagement.”"

theconversation.com

Not just a fun hobby: Board games can help build connections and reduce stress

Research demonstrates that playing board games helps develop socio-emotional growth, strengthens relationships and helps build community.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Zero Parades "Hershel partakes in the occasional drunken cigarette... I keep coming back to these acts of self-medication and destruction... they’re a way for Hershel to balance Zero Parades’ three competing gauges... fatigue, anxiety, and delirium."

kotaku.com

The Disco Elysium Studio's New RPG Is Uneven But Absorbing

This follow-up to Disco Elysium is righteously angry at the state of the world, though sometimes its anger gets the better of it

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Zero Parades "Cascade has meters that determine her level of anxiety, delirium, and fatigue... [If] one of those meters hits 20... You have to force her to chill out — whether by sleeping, downing some alcohol, or petting a payphone dolphin mascot" www.polygon.com/zero-parades...

polygon.com

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies blurs the line between betrayal and survival

Disco Elysium studio's new spy RPG is an ode to career screw-ups

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

"Paralives [opts] for a sort of cosy-game-adjacent level of lower-stress, lower-stakes tranquility. It's an ambience reflected in its aesthetic, as Paralives Studio adopts a muted, sketchbook-watercolour artstyle that's just inherently chilled" www.eurogamer.net/paralives-pe...

eurogamer.net

After five hours with its eagerly awaited early access release, Paralives feels like the opposite of The Sims - and in just the right way

Paralives gets off to a lovely start. We fade up to see the camera tracking a moving train as it winds serenely across …

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The Video Game Library 📚 @thevideogamelibrary.org · 18/03/2026

𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡: 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 is one of the week’s more academic arrivals. ☝️ This collection looks at games and mental health through both psychology and design. #GameStudies @gamingthemind.bsky.social @sebgenvo.bsky.social @federicoalvarez.bsky.social

Book cover with a bright blue background and a stylized brain made from video game controller parts in black, yellow, orange, green, and blue near the center. Text on the cover reads "Federico Alvarez Igarzábal, Emmanuel Guardiola, Carmen Johann, Katharina Tillmanns (eds.)", "Video Games and Mental Health", "Perspectives of Psychology and Game Design", and "[transcript] Studies of Digital Media Culture".

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

The BCI Game Jam 2026 is here (Feb 27 – Mar 7) 🧠🎮 Build a brain-controlled video game in just a week: no prior game dev or brain-computer interface experience needed! Join online, get expert support, and help shape the future of accessible gaming... bci.games/jams/2026

bci.games

BCI Games | BCI Game Jam 2026

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

We are at the National Student Psychiatry Conference at University of Kent, showing off extracurricular volunteer activities that psych trainees can engage in through the charity, to support mental health in the gaming community! @rcpsych.bsky.social @kmmsmedschool.bsky.social

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

We're still at @MCMComicCon with the Reset Room! If you need to take a break for any reason, come by. It's quieter in here! We also have mental health information and lo-fi activities. It's run by today's awesome crew right here! 🧠🎮 Find us at the end of Artist Alley!

Literature available in Reset Room (booklets on anxiety and blues)

Double doors at end of Artist Alley leading to Reset Room

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Last day of #MCMComicCon! We're here with the Reset Room, a chill space to take a break! We have lo-fi activities to unwind with, and we've got mental health info available, too. It's staffed by our awesome crew, so do say hello! 🧠🎮 Find us upstairs in the Platinum Suite!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

We're still at #MCMComicCon with our Reset Room! If you need to take a break for any reason, come by. It's quieter in here! We also have mental health information and lo-fi activities. It's run by today's awesome crew right here! 🧠🎮 Find us upstairs in the Platinum Suite!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Are you at #MCMComicCon and want to relax? Come to our Reset Room, a calm oasis where you can chill, do lo-fi activities, & re-energise before heading back to the show! We have mental health information too! Staffed by this cool crew. Find us upstairs in the Platinum Suite! 🧠🎮

Dim lighting and soothing atmosphere in the Reset Room

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

If you are trans or gender non-conforming, and play TTRPGs, you may be interested to take part in this study by answering questions on if your gender identity impacts the gender of your characters, and if your gaming has impacted your own gender identity app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/nhslothian...

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk

TTRPGs and Gender Identity

Online surveys is a powerful, easy to use tool for creating online surveys. Run by Jisc, online surveys is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK...

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Consume Me is a semi-autobiographical work that deals openly and honestly with some pretty tough themes, including dieting, disordered eating, and fatphobia... but Jiao Hsia's slice-of-life adventure adopts a format that's immediately, winningly approachable. www.eurogamer.net/consume-me-r...

eurogamer.net

Consume Me review - difficult to finish, in a different kind of way

Jenny Jiao Hsia's dazzling, semi-autobiographical tale of teenage life finds wit and warmth in its WarioWare weirdness, even as it deals with difficult themes.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk

TTRPGs and Gender Identity

Online surveys is a powerful, easy to use tool for creating online surveys. Run by Jisc, online surveys is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK...

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Reposted by Gaming the Mind

Chella Ramanan 🇬🇩 @chellaramanan.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Thanks so much for inviting me to speak at Gaming the Mind Conference. So many interesting speakers and an engaged audience. Long may this conference continue.

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Chella Ramanan 🇬🇩 @chellaramanan.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

It's so invigorating to meet academics and clinicians to talk about our industries and share thoughts and hopes. This panel discussed how academics & experts can work with game devs. We both need to approach these moments as collaborations not limiting factors. Thank you @gamingthemind.bsky.social

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Prof Paul Fletcher delivers the day's keynote. As a clinical neuroscientist sees the potential of games to measure stress responses from players, and to use biofeedback for training self-regulation - explored through The Insight Project with Ninja Theory

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Dr Victoria McCloud chairs a panel featuring @chellaramanan.bsky.social from @3foldgames.bsky.social, Dom Matthews from Ninja Theory, and Dr Andrew Howe

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Ninja Theory Studio Head Dom Matthews discusses the development of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The studio worked with people with lived experience of psychosis, aiming to create a truthful representation of the symptoms in lead character Senua.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference @chellaramanan.bsky.social speaks about @3foldgames.bsky.social's Before I Forget, and depicting dementia in a non-cliched, respectful way. She and the team worked with psychiatrists for input, including our own Dr Donald Servant.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Dr Andrew Howe, Consultant Psychiatrist & Psychodynamic Psychotherapist, speaks on Jungian archetypes in The Legend of Zelda, and using the mythology of games in psychological therapy. He guides us through active imagination based on Ocarina of Time 💭

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Malachi Gow showed us his game "i love me, i love me not", a relaxing game focusing on teaching mental health habits. He is the recipient of our first Independent Developer Award, and £1,000 for further development. 🏆 malgow.net

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference at @rcpsych.bsky.social Addictions Psychiatrist Dr Stephen Kaar on research looking at longitudinal research into gaming disorder. Evidence suggests young people with depressive, anxiety, ADHD symptoms are at higher risk of developing gaming disorder symptoms.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference at @rcpsych.bsky.social @leonxiao.com on loot boxes and regulations related to odds disclosure, minimum age requirements, and advertising, as well as countries where they are recognised as gambling, and the myriad cases where games don't comply with regulations!

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference at the @rcpsych.bsky.social Prof Henrietta Bowden-Jones on the establishment of the gaming disorder diagnosis and the range of presentations seen at the The National Centre for Gaming Disorders.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Dr Stone Hsieh on the neurological benefits of exercise. He and Bread Lab's ActiGamer project looks to see if active video games can reduce ADHD symptoms, and the feasibility if introducing this as an intervention.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Gaming the Mind Conference Elin Festøy delivers a talk about My Child New Beginnings, about raising a Lebensborn child dealing with trauma in a hateful environment. The game aims to build empathy with the child, to create a strong motivator for transformation.

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Gaming the Mind @gamingthemind.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Preparing for the launch of the first ever Gaming the Mind conference! Hosted at the @rcpsych.bsky.social Ready for a day talking about the exciting growing field of gaming and mental health!

Auditorium at the Royal College of Psychiatrists

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