Anxiety is widespread in fast-paced countries such as the USA, with approximately 40% of citizens facing either anxiety or depressive orders. It ranges between being mild to serious, but like many other mental illnesses, not many people readily seek help for their anxiety, be it for reasons such as fear, or simply feeling that it is not dire enough to warrant action.

It’s perfectly fine to feel uncomfortable with seeking help or personalised advice -- but sometimes, all we need is a little reminder. Some might even know friends who face anxiety, and hope to understand their feelings better in order to better extend valuable help. As such, we seek to provide an experience that can resonate with those going through anxiety and assurance that they are not alone, and can educate those who are learning how to lend a hand.

An interactive, humorous and entertaining game that follows the adventures of a microbe with social anxiety. Through the game, players may find themselves relating to the main character’s conundrums or woes, and will get to select different responses to various situations that may cause social anxiety, and manage an “anxiety bar” as the character goes through events in a day.

The catch: at the end of every scenario, the character’s accumulated anxiety will manifest as a ghost that reminds players of previous events that had transpired. These ghosts will continue to haunt the character for the rest of the day, while still having to tackle the rest of the day’s challenges.

After all the scenarios, the character will confront the ghosts haunting them, learning how to sort out and reflect on anxiety through different thought processes and rationalisations. The game aims to allow sufferers of social anxiety to feel more comfortable about their illness, and for companions who wish to help to be more informed.

Special thanks to the developers. 

Teo Kai Xiang

Lien Cai Ting

Grace Zhu

Dinh Thao Vy