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Watch the full documentary, Gaming & Me: Connections, Identity & Support, from the 19th January 2021 on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p093…​
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by the issues raised in this film, the following organizations may be able to help
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/arti…
Transcript provided by YouTube:
00:00
so in 2008 my uncle sadly took his own
00:03
life
00:04
after um some financial trouble
00:07
and it was a real shock to myself
00:10
and my family
00:15
i was only 22 at the time and as someone
00:18
who had always used video games
00:20
as a means of escapism i found myself
00:23
really throwing myself into video games
00:25
just to escape what was essentially a
00:27
harsh reality at the time
00:30
i then can aspire within my own mental
00:32
health probably without
00:34
completely realizing i eventually
00:37
um sought professional help was
00:39
diagnosed with depression
00:40
and anxiety disorder i went to see a
00:43
psychologist for a while
00:44
and yeah throughout that process
00:47
video games were completely integral
00:52
i’d heard about this game which was
00:54
about depression
00:55
and it was dark it was somber all the
00:57
people that were reviewing it were
00:58
saying you know you should play this
00:59
game with caution
01:02
at the time before i played actual
01:04
sunlight i think i was at my worst
01:06
um i was moody and didn’t know why
01:10
i was struggling to concentrate on just
01:13
about anything
01:16
it’s a narrative um game where he tries
01:18
to
01:19
kind of just struggles to get by whilst
01:22
living under the shadow of depression
01:27
actual sunlight is an autobiographical
01:29
game that i made to capture my own
01:31
experience with depression
01:33
but i never intended for it to be
01:36
you know something to promote or help
01:38
people going through
01:39
mental health issues at the same time
01:42
i think a lot of people who played it
01:44
found that it was such a genuine and
01:47
sincere
01:48
expression of what it’s like to go
01:49
through depression that ultimately it
01:52
really did help them
01:53
to see a protagonist who um
01:56
was relatable who was struggling with
01:58
things which i could immediately
01:59
identify with
02:01
um really struck a chord with me
02:04
you know i don’t think i’m ever
02:06
communicating that i’m a mental health
02:08
professional or
02:09
anything of that sort and i think art
02:11
has to be able to address these
02:12
difficult topics
02:13
and i believe that games are art
02:17
it made me confront a lot of my personal
02:20
demons
02:20
it helped me identify what i was what i
02:23
was feeling
02:24
and it helped me articulate what i was
02:25
feeling to mental health professionals
02:28
and really helped me on my path to to
02:30
getting a grip and getting a hold of my
02:32
own mental health
02:36
[Music]
02:46
you
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video
