Felicia Joscelind Verrel, Sultan Arif Rahmadianto, Ayyub Anshari Sukmaraga

PERANCANGAN GAME VISUAL NOVEL “SONDER” UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KESADARAN REMAJA TERHADAP KESEHATAN MENTAL SESAMA

Introduction

Perancangan game visual novel “sonder” untuk meningkatkan kesadaran remaja terhadap kesehatan mental sesama. Game visual novel "Sonder" dirancang untuk meningkatkan kesadaran dan empati remaja terhadap kesehatan mental sesama. Kembangkan kecerdasan emosional Anda.

Abstract

Mental health issues are one of the topics that are often discussed, debated, and even become a trend in recent years, but are still considered trivial and difficult to see, the results of a survey for data collection aimed at young people between the ages of 15 to 25 also show that sufferers of mental health problems are quite common and many of them are not or little aware that people around them also have a high possibility of suffering from mental health problems. This design does not aim to cure mental health problems completely, but rather to cultivate the seeds of empathy and emotional intelligence for young people to increase awareness of mental health, starting from themselves. Game version 1.0 has been tested on seven testers and received positive responses from the psychological side and the design side. This design uses qualitative research methods with survey data collection techniques, observations, interviews, and literature studies accompanied by design thinking methods. This design is also supported by supporting media in the form of merchandise such as acrylic stands, lanyards, fans, hats, tumblrs, tote bags, button pins, sketchbooks, cellphone cases, mouse pads, stickers, shoes, key chains, t-shirts, hats, and mugs. For future researchers who plan to develop video games or similar designs, it is hoped that they will improve the accuracy of the representation of mental disorders, develop research methods, and explore other video game platforms.

Review

This paper presents the design of "Sonder," a visual novel game aimed at enhancing mental health awareness and cultivating empathy among teenagers. The authors identify a pertinent issue: despite increased discussion around mental health, many young people (aged 15-25) remain unaware of the mental health struggles faced by their peers. The project's stated goal is not therapeutic intervention, but rather to foster emotional intelligence and empathy, thereby increasing general awareness of mental health concerns, starting with self-awareness. This novel approach leverages an engaging medium to address a critical social issue. The strengths of this design lie in its innovative use of a visual novel format to tackle a sensitive and important topic. The initial testing of "Sonder" version 1.0 with seven participants yielded positive responses from both psychological and design perspectives, suggesting its potential effectiveness in achieving its objectives. The methodology, incorporating qualitative research techniques like surveys, observations, interviews, and literature studies alongside design thinking, indicates a structured and user-centered development process. Furthermore, the inclusion of supporting merchandise demonstrates a comprehensive design strategy that could aid in outreach and engagement with the target audience. While the abstract outlines a promising concept, there are areas for further development and rigorous evaluation. The relatively small sample size of seven testers, while providing initial positive feedback, limits the generalizability of the findings and necessitates more extensive testing with a larger, more diverse demographic. The authors themselves acknowledge the need for future researchers to improve the accuracy of mental disorder representation within the game, develop research methods, and explore other video game platforms. Further research should focus on robust longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of "Sonder" on empathy and mental health awareness, and to quantify these effects using validated psychological instruments.

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