Our Approach
We are social scientists with a strong foundation in developmental science, clinical psychology and affective neuroscience. We are committed to designing and empirically evaluating an entirely novel prevention and treatment approach for young people's emotional and mental health, an approach that harnesses the intrinsically motivating properties of video games and their immense potential to teach new forms of thought and behaviour. We test the impact of already-commercialized video games as well as games we co-develop ourselves. Ultimately, we want to engage and empower young people to choose the interactive media experiences that best fit with their self-expressed emotional needs and to share those experiences with friends and family that might likewise benefit.
Who We Are
Designing, testing and implementing effective, commercial-grade games for young people's emotional and mental health is a complex initiative that requires diverse expertise. We are a one-of-a-kind multidisplinary lab and extended network that incorporates senior faculty, PhD students and international award-winning game designers. There are virtually no validated games that target mental health issues. We are among the first team forging this new ground, with artists, programmers and designers working alongside graduate students in developmental psychopathology, clinical psychology and education. More information on the talented individuals that make up the GEMH lab and the varied PhD and design projects can be found below.
Information that will help you share our story can be found in our press kit.
Dr. Isabela Granic - Director of GEMH Lab
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Industry professor McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.
To learn more about Dr. Granic and/or to inquire about possible collaborations, please click here.
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Research
We are a research and development lab that aims to establish the scientific foundations for effective mental health games. We empirically validate our games with rigorous research designs, we share our data publicly, and publish our results regardless of outcomes. We are also committed to developing a theoretical framework and new methodologies that stipulate how to use games to experimentally test theories of psychological change.
Design
Our international partners include developmental psychologists, neuroscientists, veteran game developers, and artists whose objective is to harness the power of play to transform children's emotional lives. We co-design game experiences based on empirically validated principles, together with clinicians, parents and children themselves.
