10107899Soul Garden: A digital video game Minimum Viable Product providing mental health benefits ready for post-project clinical trialsClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKMental health problems prevent millions of people from achieving their potential in life and cost the UK economy over £118 billion each year. While 1 in 4 people in England will experience a mental health problem every year, only 1 in 8 get any kind of treatment. We need innovative approaches to mental health support, to reach those people who do not receive treatment, breaking down the stigma, cost, and time (e.g. NHS waitlists) barriers that prevent people from overcoming mental illness. Sketchbook Games previously released the multi-award-winning Lost Words: Beyond the Page. Our new project, Soul Garden, is an innovative combination of video-game and mental health app, featuring an engaging narrative, puzzle-gameplay integrated with eye-catching high-fidelity visuals and evidence-based therapeutic techniques. It also uses AI to ensure a personalised and evolving experience that adapts to individual player needs. Soul Garden offers a highly-engaging, low-stigma, and accessible option for personalised mental health support. Soul Garden, will be supported by research evidence and clinical trials through collaborating with mental health professionals, researchers, and organisations including Dr Caitlin Hitchcock at the University of Melbourne and the University of Kent to help develop and prove the therapeutic efficacy of our solution. Our main aim is to enhance the mental wellbeing of our players. By leveraging the popularity of gaming, we aim to reach a broad audience of young people, including those who may not typically seek traditional forms of mental health assistance. Through engaging gameplay and carefully designed mindfulness exercises, we aim to reduce player's stress and improve their overall mental health. The incorporation of evidence-based mindfulness techniques aims to equip players with increased resilience and effective coping mechanisms to not only benefit individual players but contribute to a more mentally resilient society.