Game Chuck – Trip A Little Ark Fantastic:

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When I was at EGX, my first press meeting was probably the one that has stayed with me the most. It was with a company called Game Chuck – a group of hardware and video game developers that are based in Croatia. Although it did take me a solid half an hour to find where their stand was in the massive convention centre, I ended up staying and talking to the team for a good hour. Their games fall under three categories and the passion they bring to all of them is astounding to see.

First up, is their interactive comics. Inspired by the Dilbert comics and Lucas Arts point and click adventure games, the team combine gorgeous hand drawn panels with clever and amusing storylines – such as an Ape in space that vapes to gain more intelligence. No, I didn’t make that last bit up – it’s a real game called Vape Escape that you can try for free. The conversation paths you take, the moral choices you make and the eventual ending you reach are all saved to a PDF file that you can print out as an actual comic book to relive your playthrough at any time you would like!

Look at how talented these people are!!!!

Next, their arcade style games that will be playable on their own arcade system that they are building! I got to see a test build of their upcoming fast-paced game, Speed Limit, which is a beautiful homage to the arcade era of action-packed pixel art games. From being chased down a train carriage by a never-ending swarm of heavily armed policemen, to stepping on the accelerator as you race down a faux-3D road on a motorbike, the level of detail that went into each level is astonishing to see.

Game Chuck as a company design their games to be simplistic but enjoyable. They reward the player for trying weird and whacky combinations of actions. If you attempt to combine two items that aren’t meant to be together, you get a custom response, instead of a general “that doesn’t work” placeholder line – which makes you want to try and mash everything together like a toddler discovering Lego for the first time. Dead ends are a thing of the past in their games, with character’s actively reminding you if you’ve already tried something before, which allows you to really immerse yourself in the experiences and stories that Game Chuck are trying to tell.

Look at cute little Charles ;-;

Why am I mentioning Game Chuck then, considering EGX was a couple months ago now? Well, earlier this week, they reached out to me to let me know about their new project – Trip the Art Fantastic. The first trailer is out on YouTube and you can go watch that here:

Planned for release in 2022 for PC’s and consoles, Trip the Ark Fantastic is a role-playing adventure game set in the Animal Kingdom. The kingdom is on the brink of social and industrial revolutions, with the future events to be decided by the player’s actions. You play as Charles, an adorable hedgehog scholar who is tasked with saving the monarchy. However, depending on the choices you make, you could end up helping topple the monarchy!

Instead of combat and boss battles, you must tackle the kingdom’s problems through logic, evidence and scientific analysis. From disproving other’s theories, to swaying public opinion in favour of the crown, the conclusions you draw will have ripple effects on the community. Finding the right evidence, choosing whether to publish a problematic argument and changing the course of history are all tasks that you must tackle if you wish to be successful.

Eat your heart out Disney, this is a Lion King.

The entirety of the game is hand-drawn by the talented artists, with each frame taking inspiration from the early animated classics that we all know and love. Through the eyes of Charles, they hope to explore the various types of society and their impact on the citizens of the kingdoms. Using fables and mythology as a launchpad, I believe that Trip the Ark Fantastic will start important conversations about how society is shaped by the past and what a powerful influence those in a position of power can have on the world.

The game won’t be out until 2020 but I think it’s something we should all keep an eye on. Check out Game Chuck’s existing games and upcoming projects, as they are such a talented group of people who I think will give even the AAA game companies a run for their money when it comes to producing quality games and stories.

Till next time,

CaitlinRC.

Peek Into My Mind:

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I’m sat writing this on one of the sofa’s in my living room. One of my housemates is cooking, another is sat watching The Sidemen fail at answering general knowledge questions whilst the final two are away at an event for the evening. The last two weeks have been very up and down regarding my mental health, with my schedule not really allowing for any down time to recharge properly. If I’m honest with you all, and I always strive to be honest, I’ve reached a limit. Burnout is a common thing, especially for those with mental health issues. Considering how busy I’ve been with university, my part time job and all my additional commitments – it’s a miracle that it hadn’t happened sooner.

The thing is, I haven’t lost my inspiration to write, edit videos or draw. In fact, it’s the other way around. As I’m writing this, I’ve got a rough plan for an art project, several videos that I’m in the process of editing and a tonne of article ideas. The inspiration and motivation are there, I just don’t have the energy for it. When I do have the energy, I get hit with the guilt. The guilt that I am avoiding doing my university work, that I’m not finishing coursework or revising for exams. It’s always there, sitting on my shoulder – reminding me that every moment that I’m not focusing on university or finding a graduate position, is wasting time.

A lot of you can relate to this because it’s a big part of the negative cycle that those with depression and anxiety suffer from. When you feel that guilt, it stresses you out because those deadlines seem to loom over you, even if they’re months away. That stress leads to anxiety over failing or disappointing those around you, which leads to even more self-loathing and doubt. When you’re in that kind of mental state, you can’t get any work done – causing guilt and starting the cycle anew. It’s toxic. It’s hard to break out of. After all, how can you form a plan of attack when that demon in your head can hear every thought you’re having?

A few weeks ago, we talked about why I started Mind Games. Obviously, mental health is such an important topic, now more than ever. Children are having panic attacks over schoolwork, students having to drop out of university due to suicidal thoughts, loneliness consuming the older population – these are all problems that we are facing, day in and day out. For those of you who have never had an anxiety attack, let me give a bit of context. You genuinely feel like you are dying. Your heart races, you struggle to draw in oxygen, and everything seems to be crashing down around you. It’s terrifying. Even now, when I know exactly what to expect from one, it still catches me off guard and stays with me for hours after the event.

Even now, the diagnosis of a mental health condition is categorised as a weakness by many. They think that because you hear voices, have panic attacks or struggle to get out of bed in the morning, means they can look down on you as a “less worthy” person. That couldn’t be further from the truth and it always infuriates me when people talk about mental health as a “problem” that we need to eradicate. Being able to live each day of your life, with those demons hanging on your shoulder – is a testament to the sheer inner strength and determination of every one of us. A bad day isn’t a failure, it’s merely a reset. You can always try again.

Trying to explain my mental health is probably one of the hardest things that I’ve done. Not because it’s challenging or dramatic but because I barely understand it myself. You can’t put it into words because it is so deeply personal. My mental health is a result of my experiences, my reactions, my loved ones and lost ones. So, making a site focused around something so personal, means that sometimes that I need to let you all peek behind the curtain a bit. I’m open about my mental health issues and my state of mind but obviously I don’t share everything with you all, a girl has got to have some secrets after all.

When people describe mental health as a constant fight or a never-ending battle, they aren’t exaggerating. It’s an endless crusade against an enemy that reinvents itself and can change its strategy at any point. You never know where you are safe. It could pop out in the middle of the unknown or under your bed at night – it’s always somehow right behind you and round the next corner at the same time. I’ve been in a relatively good place mentally for the last few months. However, if I compared that state of mind to someone who doesn’t experience mental health issues, they’d probably want to book me a doctor’s appointment on the spot. I haven’t won the battle. I probably never will.

However, I haven’t lost. I’m still here, writing these articles and listening to all your amazing stories. To me, that’s a victory. Although this little community we have built may not seem anything major, to me it’s worth more than anything. Each day that you wake up and go “I’m still here”, is a monumental achievement.

I don’t know who needs to hear this today, but I’ll say it.

I’m proud of you. I always will be.

Back to rambling about games next time, I promise.

– CaitlinRC

Why does Mind Games exist?

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On the 13th of April of this year, I uploaded my first article and made Mind Games available to the public. Since then, we’ve posted a total of 34 articles (including this one), achieved over 1,200 views, 530 unique visitors, 20 likes and 40 comments. Thanks to the outstanding support from you all; I’ve gotten to interview games developers at EGX, write an article for the fantastic charity group CheckPoint and tackle topics that we face every single day. So, there are several questions that arise from this that need to be answered. Where will we go next? How can we make things bigger and better? Why did I make Mind Games in the first place?

It is this final question that I want to talk about today. It’s something that I’ve been asked a lot since I clicked publish all those months ago. If I’m honest, it’s taken me a long time to truly understand why I did this. Normally, I am a very private person. Although I am not ashamed to talk about my mental health when asked, I don’t tend to initiate the conversation. So, creating a site where I regularly talk about difficult topics such as grief, anxiety, and depression, seems at odds with my normal self. Yet, thinking back on that decision, I can’t see any other choice I could have made.

Growing up, mental health has always been a touchy topic. Some people see it as a sign of weakness, something to be ashamed of. I’ve been accused of seeking attention, for making mountains out of molehills, of being pathetic. Thankfully, my family and close friends are brilliant. They accept me for who I am, baggage and all. I don’t feel guilty about having to step away from a situation when I start to get anxious or taking a day to myself when the darkness gets too much to deal with. However, I know that in other aspects of life, I will have to deny and supress the conditions that form such an integral part of my identity.

As a society, we are making progress towards taking mental health more seriously and providing support to those who need it. However, it is nowhere near enough. There are still people out there who believe mental health is merely a state of mind and that they just need to “get over it”. They believe that it is a choice. It isn’t. Nobody on the planet would willingly choose to suffer from a mental health condition. Sure, sometimes we can find that shred of good in amongst all the bad. We can make positive memories out of a bad situation. However, it’s a bittersweet thing.

For me, gaming has been a massive coping mechanism. I don’t deny that they formed a large part of my childhood years and continue to shape me as I take my first few steps into the “adult” world. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from or how old you are, there is a game for you out there. From games focusing on gritty realism and intense action, to the more symbolic experiences that leave you with a burning curiosity to uncover all it’s secrets, the possibilities are literally endless. Gaming is for everyone. Mental health affects us all. It seemed only right that these two areas should cross over.

When I was planning on starting Mind Games, I did some research into the field, to see what range of resources and existing publications are out there. To my surprise, I came across very few resources. Sure, there are a few amazing sites and charities that are dedicated to these important issues, but I found nothing like what I had imagined for Mind Games. Here’s the weird thing though. I didn’t feel proud or happy that I had thought of this “new idea”. The exact thought in my head when I realised this was simply – Why doesn’t it already exist? Why am I the one to take that step and encourage the conversation? We should already be talking about this, we should be building one another up, providing resources and support to those who need it.

I think the main reason I started Mind Games is because I wanted a place where people could feel like they didn’t have to be ashamed or scared or anxious to admit that they are struggling. People should be able to go – I’m not ok. We should be able to play games, no matter how goofy or ridiculous they seem and enjoy ourselves without fear of repercussions. My mental health over the last few years has gone through a lot, but one of the true peaks has been this site and the community it has created. Hearing from you all has been brilliant. From your own experiences, to your suggestions, hopes and wisdom – Mind Games would not be what it is without you.

People always say – be the change that you want to see in the world. It’s an odd phrase but I think after creating Mind Games, I finally know what it means. Even if I only help a handful of people, I will have still impacted lives that may have remained untouched otherwise. So thank you all, more than anything. I hope I will always be worthy of your kind words and endless support.

Never be ashamed of who you are, be honest and be kind.

See you next week,

CaitlinRC

PHOGS – WOOF WOOF:

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Anyone who has spent more than ten minutes with me, will know that my attention can be easily distracted by any form of fuzzy animal – be that in video games or just while walking down the street. I’m a sucker for animals, to the point where my default in any game is to pet anything and everything that will let me. I’ve always had more of a connection with animals than I have with people, partly due to my struggles with understanding the intentions behind other’s actions and partly due to my heightened empathy, which can overwhelm me to the point of breakdown.

Cats hold a special place in my heart. Amusingly, I’ve often been described as more of a cat than a human. This is often because I have an uncanny ability to befriend the more skittish felines. Much to one of my best friends’ confusion, I managed to get his extremely shy cat who wouldn’t stay in a room with him for long periods of time, to rub herself against my feet within a day of meeting her. Praise be CaitlinRC, the cat whisperer. Hence why my only flaw with Assassins Creed Syndicate is that you can’t pet the cats that wander around London’s streets. LET EVIE CUDDLE A CAT YOU COWARDS. Thankfully, video games will often let you pet the dogs. If they didn’t let me praise these good boys and girls, then I’d probably be in prison under arson charges. #NoRegrets

Row, row, row your BORK.

Any game that has you controlling animals, immediately skyrockets to the top of my “to play” list. PHOGS, the game we are talking about today, has been on my radar for a while now. I got a chance to play it back at EGX Rezzed last year, with my good friend Ellie. In PHOGS, you and a partner play a pair of goofy dogs, attached to one another through a very stretchy belly. One of you plays Red and the other plays Blue, so you must work together to solve a variety of puzzles in order to progress through the bright and colourful world that you find yourself in. Though you can play PHOGS solo, I’d recommend playing it with a friend or a family member, as a lot of the joy comes from the interactions you have, the havoc you wreak on one another and the inevitable bark off that arises when you realise that you can press a button to bark.

Although it is a puzzle games, the puzzles themselves are not ridiculously difficult. By keeping the mechanics simple, PHOGS encourages you to be creative with your solutions, to try out new things and see how far that doggo can stretch. If you stumble across the answer whilst doing it, then great! The game itself is a very calming experience. There are no real “enemies” in PHOGS. Sure, there’s a few creatures and bits that your doggies don’t particularly like, but they aren’t major setbacks. This makes it a great game for parents to play with their children, especially for kids who have a lot more trouble focusing than others. It teaches them about cooperation, logical thinking and puzzle solving, without punishing them for getting things wrong.

Hardworking pups need their beauty sleep.

One thing that the game gets 100% right, is its colour palette. Colourful, vibrant and pretty but not overwhelming. When chatting with Jack at the PHOGS stand during EGX, I discovered that a lot of parents spoke very highly of the game, especially when they got to sit down and play it with their kids. For the parents of children on the autistic spectrum especially, the number of video games that they can play together without worrying about overstimulation, anxiety or frustration can be counted on the fingers on one hand. So, having a game like PHOGS, where the art style, music, gameplay and puzzle solutions are tailored to be accessible to all, is a breath of fresh air for all it’s players. Personally, I found PHOGS calming, providing me with a sense of peace and relaxation that I rarely get to experience for a prolonged period. For someone with anxiety, that can be a game changer.

Having games that are accessible, is majorly important. We touched on this in a bit more detail during our article about the gaming charity, Special Effect, last week. When chatting with Jack, it became clearly obvious that PHOGS is a massively accessible game that they hope that anyone and everyone can enjoy. When asked about further accessibility options, Jack was brilliant and told me about their plans to implement options for those who are red-blue colour blind. Being able to adapt, improve and open your game to every type of player, is a sign of a good developer. CoatSink, the company behind PHOGS are also behind Cake Bash, another colourful local coop game that has you take control of sentient desserts that fight one another to become the “most delicious”. (Bit dark when you think on it too much)

Me when I put too much spice in my curry.

PHOGS isn’t out yet, with an estimated release date in early 2020 on basically every platform. Being able to watch its development and growth as a game has been a joy and I genuinely can’t wait to see how everyone reacts to it. The initial feedback from various game journalism publications such as Eurogamer, Rock Paper Shotgun and GameSpace, have been outstandingly positive, so if you don’t believe me, go check out their pieces about PHOGS.

Anyways, I’ve got to go do more coursework, so look out for another piece soon and leave any feedback, suggestions or personal experiences in the comments! Like, comment, follow the site and our Twitter @OurMindGames for updates on all future content!

– CaitlinRC.

Special Effect – Press to HONK

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One of the most powerful tools that game designers use to cause you fear or unease, is to take away something that you rely on. Be it your faithful animal companion, your magical abilities or even a sense, to have that ripped from you changes how you approach the rest of the game. Even if it is restored, you face the rest of it with that voice in your head, reminding you that what has happened before, could and maybe will, happen again. Especially in games that rely so heavily on quick responses or audio cues, everything becomes so much harder, as if the difficulty has been turned up to eleven without you knowing.

HONK.

Now, apply that to everyday life. Simple tasks are more difficult, there are some situations that are completely inaccessible to you and experiences that you will never get to have. Not fair is it? That’s what life can be like with a disability. Mental or physical, these disabilities can taint every part of our lives, constantly reminding you of its presence. For example, games majorly focused on strategy and cooperative play can be a massive struggle for those who are neurodivergent, particularly those on the autistic spectrum who struggle to pick up on social cues. Depending on the colour palette you use for your game, those who are colour blind may not be able to play. Even subtitles can make a massive difference in allowing people to enjoy a medium that a lot of us take for granted.

So, why am I bringing this up? What game could I possibly be talking about? Why am I asking various rhetorical questions to readers who can’t hear the sarcasm in my voice? Well, whilst I was at EGX, I got the chance to talk to the lovely Becky from Special Effect. If you haven’t heard of Special Effect, they’re a charity that builds custom gaming rigs for the physically disabled, both young and old, to enable them to enjoy the games we know and love. From creating joysticks that can be controlled with your chin, to having a big yellow button you can hit to make the goose honk, they will go above and beyond to improve the quality of life of those with disabilities. If that’s not selflessness, I don’t know what is.

Best Robot 11/10

I wanted to highlight Special Effect, here, on MindGames, because what they do is so important. The whole purpose of this site is to highlight how gaming and mental health are closely linked, how they can affect one another and improve our lives for the better. Yet, some people can’t access video games. They are cut off from one of the most powerful forms of media, all because of something they had no control over. Despite being dealt a crap hand in life, these people are all phenomenal. Kind, hilarious, bright and compassionate, they are the pinnacle of what humanity should be. So, it is our duty as the rest of humanity to nurture that potential, that hope and enjoyment in any way that we can.

One of Special Effect’s projects that really caught my eye was Bubble Busters. Their cute little bots have an inbuilt camera, microphone and speaker so that children who can’t physically attend school, can still be there in class, to keep up with their education and to let them have those childhood experiences we all remember. Inside jokes, hanging with their friends, getting any academic support they need, it is all possible with these little robots. Currently, the scheme is focused on children with leukaemia, who are forced to be at home for long periods of time due to their severely weakened immune system. This terrifying point in their life, is when they need their friends the most. That is what Special Effect is trying to accomplish and the impact they’ve had on kids lives already is astounding.

TLDR: They’re great, go support them.

As we discussed in my piece on Alien Isolation, loneliness can be a powerful thing when not dealt with. Sure, we all need a little me time now and then but being trapped alone with only the thoughts of your situation, is something that no one deserves. This extends beyond just those with the disability, but also to those around them. The family, friends and carers are also struggling. Having a few moments where they know everything is ok, that they don’t have to worry, can be the difference between a good day and a bad day. Be it being able to play a game with your child for the first time or just seeing them smile so wide it hurts your heart to look at, the impact is phenomenal.

Apologies that this piece is a lot shorter than usual. All I can say is that you should go investigate this amazing charity yourself. Here’s their website – https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/ .

Till next time,

CaitlinRC