The VR Hive is hosting an Immersive Mental Health Competition, Mind Craft. The competition will have a £750 cash prize.
As the world is facing a mental health crisis, the theme is an extremely fitting one. Mental health is integral to leading a full and healthy life, however, millions of people suffer from anxiety, depression, isolation, and loneliness. This can create fear and have a serious negative impact on mental health.
While mental health has always been something extremely prevalent, during the pandemic numbers regarding anxiety and depression raised dramatically. A scientific brief released by the World Health Organisation showed that the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a huge 25% in the first year of the pandemic.
Mental health awareness
The VR Hive believes that immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality have great potential to improve and increase the number of mental health resources available to those who need them. Research has shown that VR can be used to help improve mental health. One project is even looking at being able to improve mental diagnoses in a virtual reality environment.
VR Hive is asking participants to submit an immersive digital product that addresses and tackles mental health disorders. This can include other challenges people face such as ADHD, eating disorders, and more. Participants are encouraged to think outside of the box and submit projects for a demographic group and challenges of their choosing.
The judging criteria will look at the originality of the immersive applications, taking note of what sets it apart from other entries. The visual or emotional impact and distinctiveness will also be taken into account. Finally, the level of immersion and interaction included in the project will be evaluated to see in what ways a user can engage with the project.
Eligibility
Anyone over the age of 18 can enter the competition. In addition, useful skills for those taking part include 3D art, 3D animation, UI design, and programming. The immersive experience has to be submitted as a BabylonJS application.
The competition opens on 14 February 2023 with a deadline for submissions on 10 March 2023. Finalists will be announced on 20 March 2023 and the winners will finally be announced on 4 April this year. For anyone interested in taking part further details will be shared after registration.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
