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Selected for the inaugural GDC Film Festival 2018

Release Calendar

Week 1

Introduction to Mental Health

Monday 29th January

Join Dr Jennifer Hazel on an overview of the world of mental health and wellbeing. Learn what the definition of “mental health” really is, bust some myths about mental illness, and explore different types of therapy available.

Video Games for Mental Health: The Clinical Research

Thursday 1st February

Over the years, games have gotten a bad reputation from the media. Words like “violence” and “addiction” crop up regularly. But what are the facts? Can video games actually be beneficial to mental health? (Spoiler alert: Yes!) Sources here.

Week 2

Depression

Monday 5th February

This episode is all about one of the most common mental health issues: depression. Featuring Ken Levine, Teddy Dief, Matt Gilgenbach, Zer0Doxy, Rae Johnston, Kelsey Gamble, and Jess Hodgson.

Video Games with Mental Health Themes (Part 1)

Thursday 8th February

A number of video games have explored representations of mental illnesses over the years. Today the CheckPoint team looks at who does it well, who does it badly, and explores why.

Week 3

Self-Care Guide

Monday 12th February

Registered Nurse Darren describes a few ways to look after yourself, from the basics to more complicated techniques for hacking your thought patterns. Includes a guided meditation with a very special guest.

Video Games with Mental Health Themes (Part 2)

Thursday 15th February

Continuing from last week’s episode, today we explore even more games that have featured mental illness – for better or worse.

Week 4

Anxiety Disorders

Monday 19th February

Today’s episode focuses on the world of anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, OCD and PTSD. Featuring Ken Levine, Zer0Doxy, Josh Scherr, Jess Hodgson, Kelsey Gamble.

Video Game Characters with Mental Health Issues

Thursday 22nd February

As games become more realistic, so too do their characters. Many of our beloved heroes and heroines have displayed signs and symptoms that could be indicative of a mental health issue. Join Dr Jennifer Hazel to find out more.

Week 5

Mood Swings

Monday 5th March

Dr Shelley Xia discusses the different issues that cause mood swings, including bipolar disorder and personality disorders.

Interviews with Alec Holowka and Ryan Roth.

Games for Wellbeing

Thursday 8th March

We were thrilled to attend PAX West, and discuss: what games make you feel good and why? Featuring, of course, the wonderful PAX attendees, along with Ken Levine, Josh Scherr, Rae Johnstone, Jess Hodgson and Zer0Doxy.

Week 6

Body Image

Monday 12th March

Dr Shelley Xia explores images about body image, and in particular, the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder.

Video Games Designed for Mental Healthcare

Thursday 15th March

Now we know that video games can be good for mental health, and why, it’s time to look at some of those exciting projects that have taken on the challenge.

Week 7

Day Off!

Monday 19th March

We’re all in San Francisco showing off The CheckPoint Series for GDC’s Inaugural Film Festival! Will you see us there? Hit us up on Twitter!

Day Off!

Thursday 22nd March

We’re all in San Francisco showing off The CheckPoint Series for GDC’s Inaugural Film Festival! Will you see us there? Hit us up on Twitter!

Week 8

Mental Health for the Games Industry

Monday 9th April

Dr Jennifer Hazel explores CheckPoint’s aptly named “AAA Model”, helping game makers and those in the industry to optimise their wellbeing by dealing with stress, crunch and burnout.

Representation of Mental Illness in Game Narrative (Part 1)

Thursday 12th April

Making video game characters well rounded involves discussing all sorts of psychological issues. They might even have a mental illness. But how do you do this without perpetuating stigma?

Week 9

Mental Health for Content Creators and Conventions

Monday 16th April

One of the best things about video games is the community – but how do you remain an active member in the face of social anxiety, trolls and other challenges?

Representation of Mental Illness in Games (Part 2)

Thursday 19th April

Today we continue our exploration of the way games can be used to improve public knowledge of mental illness, with easy and implementable guidelines to consider.