Lay summary
A multidisciplinary team at Victoria University of Wellington, including psychologists and health experts, have been working on a mental health casual video game for adolescents known as Sparky. Over the past year, promising feedback from 200 young people across seven different schools, teachers and health professionals have suggested the current prototype is promising and worthy of further development. To date, three research articles have been produced on the scoping phases involved and the therapeutic mechanisms. However, to advance Sparky, it is important to build professional relationships with game developers. From our research and discussions with teachers, parents and health professionals, we think Sparky could be another tool for young people to use to support their mental health, especially in these difficult times.