We at RPGFan have had a collection of podcasts and features over time discussing mental health and accessibility. Our aim has been to raise awareness and foster an open conversation around this complex and vital topic. (We have a list at the end of this article.) If you enjoyed any of those, keep reading, because there’s an entire professional organization dedicated to the intersection of the game industry and mental health that has produced a variety of resources.
Take This has been consistently battling stigma, buffing gamers by providing direct support to them and providing guidance to game studios, and researching the effects of gaming on mental health. They have also been a strong voice against toxicity in video gaming social spaces. And now, they need support to keep the doors open, as it were.
One of their signature events is the AFK room (see above), a mental health support space for gaming conventions. Conventions can be overwhelming spaces, especially if you are exhausted, have existing mental health concerns, or have sensory sensitivities. An AFK room is a dedicated quiet room, staffed by trained volunteers and mental health professionals, that staff and attendees can rely on to function as a safe and low-input area to recharge their batteries or take steps to get further support and mental health resources. Take This has provided this service for numerous conventions across the country, in addition to staffing several panels centered around gaming and mental health to entertain and educate.
Right as Take This is celebrating their 10th anniversary supporting at PAX West, they released a new blog post, stating that they will have to disband if they do not reach their fundraising goal by September 30th.
They were already unable to provide an AFK room at PAX Unplugged this year, a serious loss, as the post states many AFK room users have shared that they couldn’t participate in the convention without knowing the AFK room is there.
The post then goes on to detail several other beneficial projects the company has worked on, whether it’s writing book chapters and running a panel on the psychology of The Witcher or consulting with Double Fine on Psychonauts 2. Most immediately helpful, however, is the library of mental health resources they’ve created and gathered for us, the gaming community, to quickly reference using their website.
For those thinking this is a worthy cause and with the resources to donate, you can go directly to their donation page so they can continue to impact both gamers and the industry itself. Remember that even a small donation can help stock an AFK room.
Full disclosure: I volunteered in the AFK room at PAX East, but having been part of a Take This event, I can speak directly to the positive impact I saw. Furthermore, this post isn’t endorsed or sponsored in any way by Take This. Put simply, we know the value the organization brings to the community and want them to keep supporting the gaming community.
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