Can a mobile game improve a players’ emotional health? 2 out of 5 young people struggle with chronic illnesses, disabilities or depression. Medically they’re being treated more effectively than ever, but attention to patients’ emotional needs is often missing. The founder of the Digging Deep project (www.diggingdeep.org) and a team of creatives and psychologists came together from all over the world to create Shadow’s Edge, a game that revolutionizes the way self-help content is delivered to teens and young adults with health challenges. The game Shadow's Edge tells the story of a city that has lost its color, and it is up to the player to make it alive again through artistic and creative expression. The game received numerous awards, such as best social game at the Game Connection Festival, the Digital Health Awards in 2018, Parent’s Choice, and The Edison Product Innovation Award. The talk explains the work with psychologists and players who have serious illnesses and how their experiences influenced the game & the game their lives. Shadow's Edge was created by the people of the Digging Deep project (www.diggingdeep.org), a non-profit focused on giving young people a voice for emotional healing and developed by Dutch studio Little Chicken. The game is free and available in Portuguese, and can be found in the Play Store (https://bit.ly/2v3bFUx) or in the App Store (https://apple.co/2IhDj9l).
