Gamers, you're not alone - here are some support services if you need them
Every day of every year, millions of people go about their lives struggling to keep on top of mental health issues.
No matter how severe or how frequent, living with mental health problems can feel like a huge burden on you at work, at home or when out and about - whether it's socialising with friends or popping to the shops. World Mental Health Day is October 10th, but the fight for people to tackle their own mental health, as well as support others in similar situations, is an all-year-round battle.
For gamers, people in the game industry and those in general looking for mental health support, we've highlighted just some of the main charities and groups who are here to help.
Safe in Our World
Since 2019, Safe in Our World's mission is to foster positive mental health wellbeing and deliver support not only for players but also developers, publishers, retailers and the other incredible folk and teams who make up the video games industry. Its goal is for the industry to come together and start a conversation that can change lives.
Safe in Our World also provides free Mental Health CBT courses for games industry professionals and gamers around the world, and shares stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry - with more detailed policies available via the website.
To find out more please visit the Safe in Our World website.
Mind
Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem, as well as campaigning to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. The charity offers an Infoline, which offers callers confidential help for the price of a local call.
There's also their Legal Line, which provides information on mental health related law to the public, service users, family members/carers, mental health professionals and mental health advocates. Mind also features the 'Switch off, Game On' fund-raising events, which encourages players to take part in sponsored gaming sessions to help raise funds for the charity.
Visit the Mind website for more support
Checkpoint
CheckPoint is a charity that provides mental health resources for gamers and the gaming community. Its core missions are to raise awareness for mental health issues, reduce stigma, and improve wellbeing in our community - sharing its passion for using video games to create positive wellbeing and resilience.
Because CheckPoint is run by both mental health and games industry professionals, its reach spans across both industries and ensures the information it provides is accurate, relevant and implementable. One of its campaigns is GamerMates, a pro-mental health gaming community where you can find like-minded people who you can play your favourite video games with.
Similar to a book club, Checkpoint also has a Game a Month Club - a positive, safe space, discussion club where we get together and talk about our love for video games.
Visit the Checkpoint website to find out more.
Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation's vision is for a world with good mental health for all. Since its humble beginnings back in 1949, its mission is to help people understand, protect and sustain their mental health.
Prevention is at the heart of what they do, because the best way to deal with a crisis is to prevent it from happening in the first place. On the practical side of things, the MHF test and evaluate the best approaches to improving mental health in communities and then roll them out as widely as possible.
For research, it publishes studies and reports on what protects mental health and the causes of poor mental health and how to tackle them.
For more information, please visit the Mental Health Foundation's website.
