World-first online game to improve youth mental health

17 September 2007

Reach Out!, Australia's leading mental health website for young people, has today launched a sophisticated online game, where young people can learn skills other games can't teach; such as decision-making, resilience and coping techniques to enable them to get through tough times.

Available at www.reachoutcentral.com.au, Reach Out Central (ROC), has been developed in consultation with psychologists, young people, gaming experts and with the support of beyondblue: the national depression initiative. It combines cutting-edge technology with the established principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to provide a series of interactive modules that help young people aged 16 - 25 develop life skills critical to managing depression, coping with anxiety and preventing poor health outcomes.

Reach Out Central is one of the first "serious games" designed in Australia. Serious games use the entertainment platform of gaming with a serious message and have been used for training, health and education purposes worldwide.

Inspire Foundation's Director of Programs, Jonathan Nicholas, said Reach Out Central is about promoting positive health messages, primarily to young men.

"Research has found that 72% of young males and 48% of young females play some kind of electronic game. We are the first to bring mental health information to them in the gaming environment and we hope to have a positive impact on young men who are traditionally hard to reach and the most at-risk group. It's a case of taking the message to them rather than trying to get them to seek it out via traditional community-based health services," said Nicholas.

Funding for Reach Out Central has been provided by visionary supporters Sony Foundation Australia, which contributed $500,000 through its Project Rainbow program and substantial financial support has also been provided by beyondblue: the national depression initiative, NSW Health, Teen Spirit Foundation and Golden Stave Foundation. Recognising the enormous potential of online games to reach young people, beyondblue has provided funds, encouragement and support to the Inspire Foundation to develop this game from the initial concept stage through to completion.

Michael Ephraim, Sony Foundation Governor said, "The Sony Group has long been associated with innovative technology, so we are particularly proud to support this ground-breaking initiative through the Sony Foundation. Reach Out Central has enormous potential to have a positive impact on young people and improving mental health."

Chairman of beyondblue, The Hon. Jeff Kennett said: "This is a fantastic project and a great step forward in getting information to young people about depression and how to get through tough times. We believe going online like this is a creative way to reach young men, in particular, in their comfort zone."

ROC is a single-player role play game with innovative 3D graphics that requires broadband access. In the game play, the young person makes decisions, controls the direction of play and makes friends with characters in the Reach Out Central town. The game design also features integrated mobile phone technology which sends text message reminders and hints about the game environment to players.

An independent evaluation of Reach Out Central will be undertaken by Swinburne University that will gauge the mental health outcomes of players and results of the study will be available in early 2008.

About Reach Out! (www.reachout.com.au)
Reach Out! has been helping young people get through tough times since 1998.  Online information, support and inspirational stories offer an anonymous and stigma-free way for young people to get help, explore issues, and discover how other young people are coping with difficult times. Reach Out! is averaging over 225, 000 visits per month in 2007 and has been visited by over 6.5  million visitors since launching in 1998.

Mission Australia's 2006 survey of young Australians found that after friends and family, young people turn to the Internet for advice and support. They are twice as likely to go online than contact either a counselor, teacher, doctor, minister or youth worker, and are 3-6 times more likely to go online than call a telephone helpline.

About Inspire Foundation (www.inspire.org.au)
The Inspire Foundation is a national non-profit organisation with a mission to create opportunities for young people to change their world. This mission derives from our deeply held belief that young people want to make a positive difference in their own lives and the life of their community-and that with appropriate care and support every young person can get through tough times. By combining the power of technology with the face-to-face involvement of young people, Inspire delivers three national programs: Reach Out! (www.reachout.com.au) provides information and support to young people going through tough times; ActNow (www.actnow.com.au) enables young people to take action on issues that affect them and their community; and Beanbag partners with youth centres around Australia to build social connectedness among disadvantaged young people through technology.

About beyondblue: the national depression initiative
beyondblue: the national depression initiative is a national not-for-profit organisation that works with all tiers of government, schools, service organisations, the media, business and people with depression and anxiety to help raise awareness of these conditions and reduce the associated stigma. For more information on depression and anxiety in young people go to www.beyondblue.org.au or www.youthbeyondblue.com or call the beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636